Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS) and a Literal Attack on the Free Press
Medicine Hat Police Station Oct 8 2024
7:05pm after Fougere was arrested.
The two windows on the right show the room where the meeting was held.
I’m still trying to process what happened the night of Tuesday October 8 2024 at the police station and the apparent erosion of our Charter Rights to a Free Press (section 2b) as well as individual rights to safety. Freedom of the Press is a Fundamental Freedom. Community TV / The Trash Panda publisher Thomas Fougere was assaulted by police right in front of my eyes. It was a terrifying sight and I am crying as I write this.
This is a symptom of PTSD. I recognize it well, having dealt with it for 10+ years.
I’ve not had an episode like this in over 5 years.
Fair warning - there is some strong language - I am angry and dismayed at the violence I witnessed performed by police officers who are supposed to Protect and Serve. I no longer feel safe in the presence of these police officers. I have police officers in my family, I cannot imagine them ever doing what happened that night.
First of all, I want to address why journalists do not leave public spaces when they are politely asked to go. Our job is to hold entities and people accountable. If we meekly walked away with our tails between our legs every time someone asked us to go, it would be far too easy for governments, police and evildoers to hide their misdeeds. The Legacy Media in this city may be content to kowtow, to acquiesce to demands and to ass-kiss in order to record in a public place but not the Trash Panda. Our right to record a public meeting in a public place is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Yes, we at The Trash Panda are seen as shit-disturbers by
- those who want us to stay silent on their misdeeds
- those who fear our powers of investigation.
Tuesday Night at the Police Station
Fougere and I attended a meeting at the police station in the community boardroom, (ironically) named Aahkoinnimaan ni, meaning a word that translates as the sacred pipe, a symbol of justice and peace that has a traditional role in the resolution of issues. Injustice and violence was served that night in that room of “justice and peace”.
The meeting was held between members of the Medicine Hat Police Service, three representatives of the Mustard Seed (which is contracted to provide shelter services) and residents of the affected area who had complained about the unhoused, public drug use, theft, public drug poisonings, violence, loitering, etc.
I own a property one block away from the Mustard Seed. Fougere lives in the area; he’s made dozens of calls to the police regarding people in his yard using drugs, stolen items etc. He’s even responded to save a person who was suffering from a drug poisoning. Neither one of us were told about this meeting, many other residents were also unaware of it.
This meeting was held in a public building (the Police Station), there was no expectation of privacy. Nothing was said about recording the meeting at the beginning of the meeting. The meeting was apparently” invitation only” but they were not checking names/IDs at the door. Chief Alan Murphy greeted me by first name when I entered. Murphy knows who I am and what I do for a living.
(It’s fair to say my name is known to many of the police officers after I took the Medicine Hat Police Recruiting Tests (APCAT and ACT) earlier this year. I’ve also spoken at two Police Commission meetings during the Community Consultation portion.)
Fougere was not hiding the fact that he was recording. Fougere asked one question of a member of the public to clarify a fact. He was not disrupting anything, he was sitting quietly in a chair until the thugs in police uniforms violently removed him.
After about 25 minutes on the audio recording, Chief Murphy brought up the fact that a recording was being made. Murphy did not identify Fougere as a member of the press. Our Chief of Police actually tried to hold a vote as to whether Fougere could continue to record but no vote can overrule a Charter Right. (A number of members of the public can be heard the audio recording on giving their consent to being recorded.)
The Trash Panda will leave public spaces only if ordered to do so by a proper authority. No orders were given Tuesday night. Instead, our Chief of Police set his thugs upon a journalist, thereby violating a Fundamental Freedom enshrined in The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Fougere was asked to stop recording, he was asked to leave. At no time was an order given to Fougere telling him to leave. A request is not an order, people have the right to say no to requests. Tom and I have peacefully left an area when we have been ordered to go by police.
Chief Murphy said that either Fougere left or that he (Murphy) would have to shut down the meeting; he did not want to shut down the meeting. A member of the public stated they had tried to contact CHAT News, but the story was not picked up. One even said “We don’t get Global News, we get Tom (Fougere) ”. Fougere was identified by a member of the public as a reporter when another person asked who Fougere was. It is quite obvious that they wanted media to cover this story. Fougere was not the only person recording in that room, listen to the audio recording here. Fair warning, there are a number of 4 letter words near the end of the recording.
Fougere continued to utilize his Charter Rights. Chief Alan Murphy stood by and watched as his thugs in police uniform inflicted severe pain upon Fougere.
It’s Not the First Time the Free Press Has Been Suppressed in Medicine Hat
by City Representatives and/or People Serving on an Advisory Body
May 16 2024 I left a public meeting peacefully when ordered to do so by police when the meeting chair objected to my recording a public meeting in a public building. I was recording the public part of the Subdivision and Appeal Board which was held in Council Chambers during a workday; it was not being streamed. I went to record it so that members of the public who could not attend could access the proceedings (I’d done so before and nobody bothered me). I told the chair I would stop recording if the chair would make the recording available to the public, the chair was silent. Police were called; two police officers arrived. One police officer ordered me to leave and I was escorted out by both officers; I was told I was not permitted back in City Hall for the rest of the day. Neither one of them laid a hand on me.
The Oct 8 Display of Thuggery Was Disgusting and Disturbing
All the police would have had to do was issue an order and Fougere would have left on his own. Instead he was brutally lifted by his pants causing injury and extreme pain to his genitals as well as having his arm and fingers twisted. Fougere was screaming that they were hurting him. Inspector Joe West, Staff Sgt Darcy Brandt and Staff Sgt Cory Both did not stop until they took him outside the building where Fougere collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain.
The Subject of This Meeting Was of Intense Public Interest
The public has been complaining for months about public drug use, violence, drug poisonings, thefts, loitering and damages surrounding the Mustard Seed shelter locations. The Mustard Seed took over operation of the overnight shelter in April 2022. The Allowance Avenue daytime shelter opened Nov 1 2022.
We heard accusations about Mustard Seed staff
- from staff bullying clients and members of the public to
- staff pilfering of donated goods.
We heard accusations that the Mustard Seed flat out lied to residents when they opened up the daytime shelter. The June 22 2022 Municipal Planning Commission agenda packet outlines their “Good Neighbour Plan” starting on page 30 for a proposed overnight shelter on N Railway (the Mustard Seed withdrew that application when the MPC requested more of an effort). It appears as if the Mustard Seed was long on promises but short on results.
The Medicine Hat Police Service has just declared war on the Public’s Right to Know.
The Medicine Hat Police Service has just declared war on the Free Press.
The role of media is to hold governments and public agencies accountable.
Agencies such as
The Medicine Hat Police Service
The City of Medicine Hat
The Mustard Seed
It is our job to seek out the truth that they would like to keep hidden. When Legacy Media is too timid, it is often the members of the Fifth Estate who step up and create public awareness of things that agencies and governments try to keep hidden behind closed doors in private meetings.
The Legacy Media was not at the Oct 8 meeting at the police station.
On the night of Wednesday Oct 9, local MLAs held a Town Hall at the Medicine Hat College. We heard from Cypress Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright how the Mustard Seed was doing a great job. If not for our attendance at the police station Tuesday night, nobody would know any different.
Violence against journalists is on the rise.
We at The Trash Panda are fearless in our pursuit of the truth, we cannot be influenced by those with wealth and power - that scares them. Fougere was assaulted and injured for doing his job. Fougere’s work phone was seized as “evidence”. We have very little confidence that the video Fougere recorded will still be intact or even there if/when his property is returned to him.
After Fougere was arrested, I was prevented from reentering the Police Station to attend that public meeting. A police officer forcibly held the door shut against me even though I’d done nothing wrong (except use a few choice four letter words when they used violence to remove a journalist).
I am currently experiencing the effects of PTSD from witnessing the violence I saw. I haven't cried this much in one day since the year after my husband died.
Shame on the Medicine Hat Police Service for using thuggery to trample our Charter Rights to a Free Press.
Shame on you Chief Alan Murphy for orchestrating this violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms- as the police chief you set the tone for your officers.
Shame on you Inspector Joe West for using violence on a journalist during the performance of their job thereby violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Shame on you Staff Sgt Darcy Brandt for using violence on a journalist during the performance of their job thereby violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Shame on you Staff Sgt Cory Both for using violence on a journalist during the performance of their job thereby violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
I Wonder
Am I the next to be assaulted when I’m doing my job? I’ve been told by various people that if I acted like Fougere did, refuse to leave when asked to, that I should expect to be assaulted.
Will the police protect me if I am assaulted while doing my job? At this point, I seriously doubt it.
When did that become a thing, that a journalist should be attacked for asking questions, for seeking the truth?
Am I expected to meekly disappear when someone says they do not want me recording a public event in a public place?
Know this
I will not stop what I am doing. I will continue to hold accountable those who need to be held accountable. You can ask me to leave to leave a public place but I have the right to say
Fuck NO, I Won’t GO!
Please Help Support Independent Journalism and Freedom of the Press
You can send help by subscribing, advertising or sending e-transfers to
support@comtv.ca
#thebitchisback #freepress #CCRF canadiancharterofrightsandfreedoms #constitutionactofcanada #thetrashpanda #communityTV #policemisconduct #MHPS #medicinehatpoliceservice #alanmurphy #coryboth #darcybrandt #joewest #righttoafreepress #violenceagainstjournalists #policethugs