The  out  of  town  vandals  were  sorry  too  late 

                   

I have absolutely no sympathy whatsoever for people who vandalize property, especially when they come to our city from far away for the sole purpose of vandalizing property during a riot. They are nothing but hoodlums. Six of these hoodlums were Americans. The American hoodlums employed the “black bloc” tactic in which they cloaked themselves in dark clothing including hoods over their heads to conceal their identity as they wreaked havoc among peaceful demonstrators attending the G20 Summit being held in downtown Toronto. For those who may be unfamiliar, the G20 Summit, it is a collection of finance ministers and central bank governors from nineteen powerful countries including the European Union—along with representatives of other international financial institutions. At G20 summits these figures are joined by top politicians to discuss their common goals.

 

In the aftermath of the vandalism, the Toronto Police watched hundreds of hours of videotape and looked at thousands of photographs, some submitted by the public, in an attempt to track down the culprits. They enlisted the help of the FBI and U.S. Marshals to find and keep tabs on the individuals as the files made their way through diplomatic and legal channels. Then the warrants for their arrests were made.

 

The first hoodlum I am writing about is an American named Richard Dean Morano. He is 23-years-of age and came to Toronto, Ontario from Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania to do his vandalism.

                   

During the G20 riot in downtown Toronto in 2010, this hoodlum threw a stone at a police cruiser and vandalized several downtown Toronto stores in which he caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to those stores. He faced 14 charges, including mischief, endangering a life and assaulting a police officer with a weapon.

 

The day of reckoning came on February 3^rd, 2014 as he walked out of the courtroom with his head bowed and wrists in cuffs to immediately start his sentence of seven months in jail. In Canada, he can be released after serving a minimum of one third of his sentence or alternatively, two thirds of his sentence. He was also ordered to pay $3,500 in restitution — $1,000 to be paid to the officer in the vandalized police car and $500 to each of the five stores he had a hand in trashing. The windows of the five businesses he helped to trash included a leather goods store, a CIBC (bank) branch, a Tim Hortons and a Starbucks.

After his imprisonment, Morano is expected to adhere to a two-year probation that prohibits him from visiting Toronto within that time and to keep the peace and be of good behavior.

Just before his trial, he told the citizens of Toronto that he was sorry for what he did. On January 13, Morano sent a letter of apology addressed to residents of Toronto and Mayor Rob Ford, outlining remorse for his actions. He said in his letter; “Although at the time I never meant to hurt, intimidate or scare anyone at the protest, I realize now my actions did precisely that. My thoughtless and selfish actions created a black mark on the image of Toronto. I take full responsibility for the harm I caused.”

Of course he is sorry but that is because his vandalism resulted in him spending time in one of our jails plus he had to pay at least 10% of his bail before he was bonded out plus travel expenses with respect to his trial. 

   

The second American vandal is Joel Bitar, the masked man who was video-taped smashing a financial district window with a pickaxe. Police released a photo of the incident back in 2010 in the hopes of identifying him as one of the worst of the worst offenders. They were successful in identifying this hoodlum. This hoodlum faces 26 charges after allegedly smashing more than $400,000 worth of property in the downtown core of Toronto.

He was arrested earlier in February 2013 by U.S. authorities in New York City on behalf of Toronto police. He faced 26 charges, from mischief over $5,000 to assaulting a police officer. Det.-Sgt. Giroux alleged Mr. Bitar inflicted $400,000 worth of property damage. Bitar allegedly smashed the windows of two Starbucks outlets, a Scotiabank branch, a Subway sandwich shop and other businesses in the city core. In addition, police say he threw rocks toward police and security officers and damaged mannequins and other merchandise inside two downtown clothing stores.

He was permitted to post bail on a $500,000 bond. An electronic monitoring bracelet confined him to his home. Philip Weinstein, his New York lawyer, said his client would be fighting his extradition. I can’t imagine what possible grounds he hoped to use to defeat the extradition of his client. A website established in support of the activist states that “The extradition of a protester for property damage is almost unprecedented in the histories of both the United States and Canada.” It vowed solidarity with Mr. Bitar, “a friend, a son, a nephew, a Palestine solidarity activist, a co-worker, a prospective nursing student, and a real person whose life cannot be categorized so easily into the familiar tropes.” (figure of speech relating to his actions in Toronto) 

                                                                                                                                                                 

Do these idiots who created that website actually believe that a man who is accused of being one of the worst vandals that created as much as $400 million in damages to stores in a faraway city is actually a real person whose life cannot be categorized so easily into the familiar tropes?  

 

On Thursday, February 14th, at 6 o’clock in the morning, federal marshals arrested Joel Bitar, in his New York, NY home on a provisional arrest warrant issued by the US Attorney’s office, acting on a foreign extradition request from Canadian authorities. On Friday, April 12^th, 2013, Joel once again appeared in a US Federal Court, but this time to waive extradition, which would allow him to voluntarily—(the customary way that the courts reference threats of arrest, imprisonment, house arrest, prosecution, and of course, extradition) return to Canada for arraignment. The Assistant U.S. Attorney voiced no objections and the magistrate judge approved the waiver. Joel’s bail was modified to allow him to travel to Canada with his passport being returned to him and arrangements being made to remove his ankle monitor on the day of his flight. The voluntary nature of the situation was affirmed at the end of the proceedings, with a stern reminder by the magistrate judge that Joel has one option and that was to surrender to Canadian authorities at the given time or face prosecution in the United States, as well as the forfeiture of the $500,000 bond to the ruination of his family.

On Tuesday, April 16^th, Joel traveled to Canada along with his father and was immediately arrested by Canadian authorities upon his arrival at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. By the time Joel was transferred into the hands of the Toronto Police Department it was too late for arraignment, which was scheduled for the next day, Wednesday, April 17^th. Following the precedent of the prior three Americans who had been arraigned for charges from the Toronto G20, Joel was granted bail—in the amount of $100,000—with certain stipulations such as non-association with certain Canadian activists as well as a prohibition on attending any protests in Canada. Joel traveled back to his home in New York City later that same day and was told that he was  free to go about his life as long as he returns to Canada—voluntarily—as needed.

At the time of the publishing of this article, he has yet to face trial for his vandalism. However, as sure as God made little apples, he will be tried in Toronto and he will be convicted and sent to jail.

  

Kevin Chianella, whom police say faces the most charges is a 21-year-old  American alleged by the police to be the “most active” known protester at the G20 riots who remains in custody after his extradition to Canada. This 20-year-old hoodlum of Queens, NY has been charged with 47 counts related to the riots. He is alleged to have smashed the window of a police car with the officer still inside during the June 2010 summit.

A “complaint for arrest with a view towards extradition” filed by an Assistant United States Attorney in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in March 2013 accused Mr. Chianella of “conducting riotous acts” while in disguise, including the assault of a police officer in his car, “breaking windows, endangering lives, thefts and assaulting members of the media while wielding a canvas bag full of rocks.” Toronto police Det. Sgt. Gary Giroux said Chianella allegedly caused at least $300,000 in damages by smashing 15 storefront windows and an ATM. “Nobody (else) even comes close to that number.”

The charges faced by Chianella include three counts of theft under $5,000, 22 counts of mischief over $5,000 and 11 counts of mischief endangering life. He is also charged with assaulting police with a weapon, obstructing a peace officer, break and enter, arson, mischief under $5,000, attempt mischief endangering life wearing a disguise with intent to commit an indictable offence, two counts of intimidation of a justice system participant by violence, two counts of assault with a weapon, three counts of assault and three counts of theft under $5,000, He was eventually released on bail.

I would be very surprised if he isn’t sent to a penitentiary for at least two years when he finally meets justice in a Canadian court. And when he is finally released from prison, it is highly unlikely that he will ever be permitted to re-enter Canada again.  

Quinn McCormic, 25, of Boston, was arrested in February, 2013 and appeared in a Toronto court to face four charges related to his acts of vandalism that took place during the G20 Summit held in Toronto. This accused man who is an architect, consented to his extradition and was arrested when he arrived at Pearson International Airport.

It's alleged that McCormic threw an object at the window of a Winners store (at College Street and Yonge Street) and that he also threw an object through a window at a CIBC bank (at College Street and Bay Street.)

It is also alleged that he threw an object through a window of the Toronto Police Museum (at 40 College Street) and it is estimated that the total damage he caused is more than $125,000. McCormic is charged with three counts of mischief over $5,000 and wearing a disguise with intent to commit a crime.

What I find interesting is that this man is a professional and not some unemployed bum. What would cause an architect to commit such vandalism? Perhaps we will learn that at his trial.

Early on the morning of Thursday, February 21st, 2013, United States Marshals arrested Dane Rossman at his home in Tucson, Arizona on a provisional arrest warrant issued by the United States Attorney’s office, acting on a Canadian extradition request. He was extradited from the United States on June 14, 2014 and arrested by Toronto Police that same day. He faces three charges, including mischief over $5,000, mischief endangering life, and disguise with intent to commit a crime.

So far, he has been incarcerated a year. This will be taken into consideration when he is being sentenced in a Toronto Court.

More than 40 people have been successfully prosecuted for their part in the rampage. What these dummies didn’t realize is that with the advent of cell phones in which pictures and videos can be taken by citizens who are fed up with vandals destroying property, their chances of getting away with their crimes are slim at best. 

  

Oh, yes. They pleaded with the judges about to sentence them by telling them they are truly sorry. But their bleating was not be taken that seriously because everyone knows that the only reason why they were sorry is because they were caught and now would pay the consequences.  Saying you’re sorry after you are caught rioting is about as sincere as that of a kid saying he is sorry after his mom sees his hand in the cookie jar.

The City of Toronto has many fascinating venues to visit and many things to do in that huge city. The people of Toronto certainly welcome Americans to visit their city and they treat their American guests with the respect they deserve. But hoodlums are not welcome and if they come into that city with the intention of causing harm to anyone or damage to any property anywhere in Canada, they can expect to see another side of Canada that will not be to their liking.