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Revision as of 15:13, 6 September 2007 by G2bambino (talk | contribs) (rm pretty massive WP:NPOV violations, organize, ref tag)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Dudley Laws (born May 7, 1934) is a Canadian civil rights activist and executive director of the Black Action Defence Committee.
Early life
Laws was born in Jamaica. A welder and mechanic by trade, he emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1955 and became involved in defending the West Indian community. He formed the Brixton Neighbourhood Association and also joined the Standing Conference of the West Indies. In 1965 he relocated to Toronto, Canada, where he worked as a welder and taxi driver. He joined the Universal African Improvement Association, a Garveyite organization.
Laws became prominent in the 1970s and 1980s as a critic of the Toronto Police, due to a number of young black men being shot by police constables, as well as leveling other allegations of racist practices against the police. He has also been prominent as an advocate for immigrants and refugees and worked as an immigration consultant in the 1990s.
In 1988 he founded the Black Action Defence Committee following the police shooting of Lester Donaldson.
Allegations of wrongdoing against Laws
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Libel
Laws was sued in 1991 by the Metropolitan Toronto Police Association for libel, when after a series of police shootings, Laws accused the Toronto police of being "the most murderous in North America." The suit was later dropped.
Immigration
In February 1994, Laws was convicted on three counts of conspiracy to smuggle aliens. Laws worked as an immigration consultant at the time. The trial revealed that Laws was the target a massive entrapment operation organized jointly by the Metro Toronto Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in collaboration with US immigration police and courts. A motion to stay the guilty verdicts against Laws on the grounds of police entrapment was dismissed by the presiding judge. He was handed a nine-month sentence.
A 1989 secret police report revealed during the entrapment hearing documented police surveillance of 13 groups and 18 individuals - including Laws - who were active in the fight against cop brutality, racism, and apartheid in South Africa.
"It's not often in the day-to-day struggle that ordinary working class people win a victory" said BADC activist Lennox Farrell, at a victory celebration held at his home the day after the verdict was pronounced. Laws thanked his numerous supporters and said that the verdict had given him "the freedom to continue my work" and that "the allegations will not impair my continued defense of the Black community."
Sexual assault
In February of 1995, 3 accounts of sexual assault was laid against Dudley Laws by his daughter. She testified that Laws raped her as often as three times a week from the time she was seven years old until she was 14, between 1968 and 1976.
Under questioning by the defense, the woman stated that she opposed Laws' political views, which she said promoted hatred towards whites. In lengthy testimonies describing their family life, both the woman's mother and brother vehemently denied that there was any sign that she was abused. Among those called to testify by the prosecution was a clinical psychologist who stated that the accuser showed symptoms similar to a sexual abuse victim. But under cross-examination he acknowledged he had never actually spoken with the woman.
The prosecution based its case on recent changes in Canadian law, which state that in cases of childhood sexual abuse, no physical or corroborative evidence – that is, witnesses – are required to get a conviction. The presiding judge at the trial, Justice Victor Paisley, instructed the jury to carefully examine the credibility of both the accused and the accuser in rendering their verdict.
The mostly working-class jury was made up of six men and six women and included only three members of visible minorities, none of whom were of African descent. Out of a pool of 140 potential jurors, there were only three black people. Outside the courthouse following the verdict, Charles Roach, one of Laws' lawyers, stated that if there had been blacks on the jury, they would not have taken so long to arrive at a verdict.
"Although the police can find large numbers of (black) people to charge as defendants" he said, "they can find very few to bring here as jurors."
The jury pronounced a verdict of "not guilty" on all three charges of sexual assault, the verdict coming after ten hours of deliberation. Outside the courthouse following the verdict, Laws said that he was pleased with the outcome of the two-week trial.
References
- Christian Cotroneo, "In pursuit of 'greatness'; Four local black mentors recognized for their years of grassroots effort in the community Organization honours work 'they've done in the past and continue to do,'" Toronto Star, December 19, 2005