NEWS
metronews.ca Tuesday, December 10, 2013
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Social media posts
Firefighters dispute firings
45 days in jail
Cop convicted of G20 assault sentenced A Toronto police officer convicted of assaulting a protester during the G20 summit was sentenced Monday to 45 days in jail. Const. Babak AndalibGoortani was convicted in September Babak Andalibof assault Goortani TORSTAR with a NEWS SERVICE weapon for using excessive force during the arrest of protester Adam Nobody on June 26, 2010, on the lawn of the Ontario legislature. Andalib-Goortani was released on bail Monday, pending his appeal of the case. TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
Dancing crossing guard Kathleen Byers is all smiles Monday as kids rally for her because she was told by police that she could not dance anymore while doing her job at her crossing near Dufferin and Dundas. VINCE TALOTTA/TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
Go forth and dance, Ms. crossing guard ‘Let Kathleen dance!’ Parents, kids rally in support of Kathleen Byers, who police told last week not to dance while on the job More than 100 kids and parents formed a noisy, bouncing show of support for their neighbourhood’s dancing crossing guard on Monday. The lunchtime dance party was called after police last week told Kathleen Byers that her
dancing put students’ safety at risk as they crossed Dufferin St. south of Dundas St. W., and ordered her to stop. Byers’ moves — and her enthusiasm for her job — have made her a beloved figure in the community. “I’m overwhelmed, and just joyful at all the support,” said Byers, whose dancing continued on Monday, though mostly on the sidewalk. “It just shows me that what I’m doing is not wrong.” Students from Gladstone Avenue school and Grove Community School held up signs and chanted “Let Kathleen dance!” as Byers manned the
intersection in front of them. One dad with a guitar led the crowd in a round of Footloose, the title track from the Kevin Bacon movie (and 2011 remake) about teenagers rebelling against their small town’s ban on dancing. When asked why they like Byers, 8-year-old Grove students Noah Skye and Sam Rankin said in unison, “She’s one of a kind.” “She actually likes her job,” Sam said. The Toronto Police Service’s traffic department oversees crossing guards in the city. They say Byers’ moves sometimes divert her stop sign away from
traffic and that her dancing on the sidewalk takes drivers’ attention off the road, both of which pose a risk to children and other pedestrians, spokesman Const. Clint Stibbe said. Since Byers got the ceaseand-desist order last Wednesday, members of the community have been calling police to share their dismay and signing an online petition. Grove’s young students also started their own petition. If nothing changes, Dylan Horvath, a Grove dad who helped organize Monday’s rally, said they will look at a more formal form of complaint. TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
NEWS
Three Toronto firefighters axed in September following a month-long investigation into tweets and other social media posts seen as degrading to women may be back on the job if the union has its way. The Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association said they are awaiting arbitration dates for three members. The social media posts at issue include a quote from a 1997 episode of South Park: “I’d never let a woman kick my a--. If she tried something, I’d be like HEY! You get your b---- a-- back in the kitchen and make me some pie!” TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE