Of Course, in the Canada Free Press. Where else ?

Did not expect to see this in a U.S. Newspaper did you ?

Oh, and the comments section. Mercy.

http://canadafreepress.com/article/did-officer-mohamed-noor-get-his-job-just-because-hes-somali 

If he did, it would not be the first time.

Christina Benson was a civilian employee of the Ottawa Police Service and her job was to conduct background checks on those applying to become police officers with the Ottawa police. Last summer she conducted checks on 19 new recruits. Benson found 18 of the 19 applicants passed the check while one failed. She forwarded her findings to Charles Bordeleau, Chief of the Ottawa police. The chief has the final say on who gets hired and who does not. The man Benson determined not to have passed her background check was a Somali.

On July 24, 2016, Abdirahman Abdi, a 37-year-old Somali Canadian, became involved in a confrontation with Ottawa police after officers received information about a groping. During this confrontation, Abdi suffered a medical episode and died in hospital the next day. There was outrage as there always is when a black suspect dies at the hands of police.

On the same day Abdi passed away, Bordeleau accepted all 19 new recruits including the one rejected by Benson. Benson was furious and said the decision to hire this 19th applicant was done for political reasons. She believed the hire was in direct response to Abdi’s death and promptly resigned her position.

The Ottawa Sun reported at the time, Benson found the Somali Canadian applicant had a series of non-criminal Highway Traffic Act violations. As well as speeding tickets, his driver’s licence had been suspended on four separate occasions. During one of these suspensions, the applicant attempted to get another license. The applicant had also been accused of making a false call to police in 2013.

Benson obviously conducted thorough research. More important than the convictions themselves, she discovered in his interactions with police during traffic stops, the applicant engaged in negative behaviour. As well, Benson’s investigation revealed records showed the applicant had more than one date of birth. While it is not unusual for people born in third world countries to not know their actual date of birth, the more honourable among them pick one date of birth and stick to it. Benson also found other inconsistencies in the man’s application.

Bordeleau defended the hire of the man who failed to pass the background check. The chief made a Trudeauesque statement about the need for diversity and about how active the applicant was in Ottawa’s Somali community. The chief denied the hire was in any way connected to Abdi’s death.

Ottawa, like Minneapolis, has a high proportion of Somali immigrants and people of Somali descent

Ottawa, like Minneapolis, has a high proportion of Somali immigrants and people of Somali descent.

Last Saturday, Justine Damond, an Australian living in Minneapolis and planning to marry her American fiancé next month, made two 911 calls after hearing a noise behind her home. She thought it sounded like a couple having sex and thought it possible a woman was being sexually assaulted. Officers Matthew Harrity and Mohamed Noor arrived and with Harrity driving, drove slowly through the alley with their lights off. Damond, dressed in her pajamas, approached the car on the driver’s side and Harrity had the window rolled down to speak to the woman. There was a large noise some distance away, later attributed to either fireworks or gunshots. After the noise, Noor drew his service revolver, reached over his partner and fired a shot through the driver’s window. The bullet hit Damond in the abdomen, killing her.

At this time, not all the facts of the killing of Justine Damond are available but, as in Ottawa, political correctness seems to be involved in the innocent woman’s death at the hands of a Somali police officer. As far as Minneapolis officials and the media are concerned, the death of an innocent woman that resulted from her calling 911 to report a possible crime is not all that important.

The larger issues are to the possible backlash against Muslims, and the fact neither Noor nor his partner had their dashcams or bodycams on.

Damond’s death ranks a poor third in importance in the events that occurred that night.

While both officers breached the rules by not activating their cameras, the lack of recordings had nothing to do with the shooting of Damond.

Yet there seems to be more focus on this than on why Noor decided to shoot the unarmed woman.

Although Noor has declined to make a statement about what happened, details are slowly beginning to emerge. Neighbours of Noor have said he has a quick temper, is extremely nervous and does not really respect women. Noor has been on the force for only a little over two years but currently has two outstanding complaints against him. And he, along with other officers, is also being sued by a woman alleging false imprisonment and assault and battery.

Being politically correct and being able to praise police officers because of their ethnicity took precedence over their ability to do the job

When Noor was first hired, he became the first Somali American officer in the city’s 5th precinct. For this he was praised by Mayor Betsy Hodges and others although his ethnic background has nothing to do with his ability to work as a police officer. As in the Ottawa case, political correctness seems to be the principle reason for his hiring.

The theory has been floated Noor shot Damond because the loud noise the officers heard led them to believe they were being ambushed. In light of recent events this was a reasonable belief. But if Noor had any ability to do his job he would have checked his side of the vehicle to see if there was any danger there and let Harrity deal with what was occurring on the driver’s side.

Harrity, although startled by the loud noise, sensed no danger from Damond who was approaching his side of the car.

His window was rolled down and if he saw what the woman had in her hand, he knew it was a cellphone and not a weapon. Harrity neither pulled his weapon nor said anything indicating he thought Damond posed a danger to the officers.

From what we know so far, although Noor had the ability to work in a convenience store or be prime minister of Canada (we ain’t that fussy up here), he was simply not qualified to be a police officer. Like the case in Ottawa, being politically correct and being able to praise police officers because of their ethnicity took precedence over their ability to do the job.

This political correctness was just as responsible for the death of Justine Damond as the bullet from Noor was.