tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post3351361827607409442..comments2023-11-14T11:44:10.396-05:00Comments on The Legion of Decency: The Guy With The Movie In His Headjimhenshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07815834271470133872noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-82014484329842249762010-04-03T19:53:04.945-04:002010-04-03T19:53:04.945-04:00Hey Gustav, I'd like to work for Jim, too.Hey Gustav, I'd like to work for Jim, too.John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-15386311524404636462010-03-29T18:20:26.393-04:002010-03-29T18:20:26.393-04:00What an extraordinarily well-written and informati...What an extraordinarily well-written and informative review AND article on the purpose of a police drama. I wish you had a show on and hired me to work for you. Such learning / opportunities are thin on the ground. Kudos~!Gustavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12591495315511046321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-37853400966219253062010-03-18T16:00:17.936-04:002010-03-18T16:00:17.936-04:00@anonymous and DMC
Yeah, living in the city and, ...@anonymous and DMC<br /><br />Yeah, living in the city and, well, generally being an adult has shown me otherwise in regards to Corruption and such.<br /><br />And, like so many things, the more I learn about these things (I hadn't known that much about the wildcat strike...) the more freaked out I get.Brandon Larabyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08012563539334788444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-71277631983976540472010-03-16T14:48:10.980-04:002010-03-16T14:48:10.980-04:00All I had to hear about this show was "Craig ...All I had to hear about this show was "Craig Brommell" and I knew I'd never watch a minute, for precisely all the reasons you laid out. Not that I'd expect anyone at CTV to run that internal interrogation for themselves.rick mcginnishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04238756880941710637noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-81452269545367628372010-03-16T14:14:54.819-04:002010-03-16T14:14:54.819-04:00P.S.
My dad used to party with this Good Cop who...P.S. <br /><br />My dad used to party with this Good Cop who wanted nothing more than OUT of the local Police Force. <br /><br />And this one time... <br /><br />after the Chief of Police in Timmins almost broke my arm, the Officer who drove me home (no charges laid - on me!) was one of the kindest dudes. <br /><br />And then there was that time when I beat up the Ringmaster of a visiting Texas Circus after he assaulted me when I told him his Elephant was CHAINED TOO CLOSE to a cement pillar - making the animal unable to lie down... <br /><br />THose cops actually saved my life by arresting me.<br /><br />So, of course, not all cops are bad. Just the corrupt ones and the murders.Rusty Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16143817211151177797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-20890452955361520662010-03-16T14:06:38.252-04:002010-03-16T14:06:38.252-04:00Hahaha.
I grew up in the small mining towns of N...Hahaha. <br /><br />I grew up in the small mining towns of Norther Ontario and the corruption there (I'm sure in some cases) would make Big City crime pale in comparison. <br /><br />My uncle was a high grader that traded gold for coke - with Cops!<br /><br />He's the proud owner of a successful Motel on the 101 now.<br /><br />Tons of crooked cop stories:<br /><br />One of the biggest drug dealers in our town owned the biggest car dealerships. His daughter crashed in a Cesna loaded with coke. <br /><br />Cops tipped off the rich parents of my crime addicted friends prior to busting the kids from the wrong side of the tracks. Countless times! <br /><br />And I swear that the dude that lives on the other block from me in Montreal is an ex-Timmins cop who was 'transferred' out of town after he was implicated in providing young girls (FROM Montreal) to sicko politicians and (you guessed it!) fucked-up cops. <br /><br />I, fortunately enough, used to date the daughter of a prominent judge and whenever I was drunk and disorderly (or wandering around on Acid;) would name drop her to the cops that initially tried harassing me, saying we'd been in a fight or whatever. <br /><br />And it sure as hell didn't hurt being White, non-native, and English, when it came to a: 'look the other way' cause the kid's White, non-native, and English rule. <br /><br />But Truth is always stranger than fiction. Innit?<br /><br />Now what's the other show, 'The Running of Doyle' all about?Rusty Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16143817211151177797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-50867277847138562782010-03-16T12:58:31.677-04:002010-03-16T12:58:31.677-04:00Here it is:
The exec producer, the guy with the m...Here it is:<br /><br />The exec producer, the guy with the movie in his head, said, <a href="http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/television/article/775259" rel="nofollow">"I wanted to set the record straight,</a>" about his own career.<br /><br />He didn't say, "I want to make a great TV show," or even, "I want to tell the stories of the dedicated men and women of the police."<br /><br />Okay, everybody can understand wanting to set the record straight, and there were probably a lot of publishers who would have been happy to publish an autobiography - but why would CTV provide such a platform?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-71002517959619946722010-03-16T12:58:31.678-04:002010-03-16T12:58:31.678-04:00Nobody needs to hear about another white man's...Nobody needs to hear about another white man's relationship with the Police, so though there's a lot that I would like to say about The Bridge, I'll just repeat this:<br /><br />The "wildcat strike" that was portrayed in the Pilot was based on a real strike that happened in 52 division in the early to mid 1990's, when Bromell was the union head. A black Citytv reporter was profiled, yanked from his car, and beaten and when the whole thing blew up, hundreds of former cops and cops --some in uniform, some not, descended on 299 Queen Street West, which was then the ChumCity building.<br /><br />As people left work for the day, they were treated to the sight of the streets and sidewalks filled with cops -- some in uniform, as I said, some just wearing union ball caps. <br /><br />They heckled people as they left. They called people names. They formed walls that wouldn't let women or visible minority people through. Anyone who said something -- something to the effect of "you guys shouldn't be doing this" was physically threatened.<br /><br />It was probably the most upsetting thing I'd experienced that year, and it filled and unsettled my dreams for years afterward, colouring my perceptions and trust of the Toronto Police Force.<br /><br />That is Bromell's legacy for 1000 people who were just trying to go home from work -- accountants, researchers, tape librarians, story producers, P.A.'s...many in the workforce for ten minutes. I was in my early 20's. <br /><br />It was a shameful, shameful day. Celebrating it or trying to spin it as heroic is a stain on police everywhere, most of whom my head tells me are hardworking public servants.<br /><br />But Bromell and his idiots made sure that my heart will always wonder otherwise.DMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105351826851407562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-64471466038017874962010-03-16T11:57:33.023-04:002010-03-16T11:57:33.023-04:00Brandon, have a look at this.
And then spend anot...Brandon, have a look <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/12/09/toronto-drug-officers476.html" rel="nofollow">at this</a>.<br /><br />And then spend another ten minutes with Google.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-13470172674773747452010-03-16T10:20:08.916-04:002010-03-16T10:20:08.916-04:00Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I grew up ...Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I grew up having a lot of respect for the police in my area. <br /><br />I grew up in a lot of small Ontario towns and the cops there were always decent people -- at least any of the ones I'd ever met.<br /><br />They were the kind of people who'd come to class and talk to you about the dangers of drugs in our Values Impressions and Peers (VIP) class and then go out there and then spend time to help a friend of mine when he had his new hat stolen by some jerks.<br /><br />They'd make sure you got home safe if you asked them and were the kind of people that -- even to this day -- I smiled and waved to when I saw them.<br /><br />Coming from my small towns to the big city and being indoctrinated in the 'grit' of it all was quite an experience for me, I literally couldn't make the connection between the scandal and what I knew to be true.<br /><br />Hell, even here in Toronto (a year or two ago) I had an officer take time to drop by my house and deliver my missing wallet (still full of money) to me. <br /><br />A wallet I'd considered lost -- that some concerned citizen had seen and given to the police without request for a reward.<br /><br />How is that supposed to jibe with what I've been told and shown about cops on TV? <br /><br />It doesn't.<br /><br />Now, yes, I say all this knowing that I'm a small-town white-boy who's generally kept his nose clean; knowing that I've never had to deal with issues of race or discrimination or sexism.<br /><br />That said, I'd really like to hope that these events would've played out the same way if it were otherwise -- that whatever the circumstances, I've been fortunate enough to meet decent, honest, caring officers of the law.<br /><br />But I don't know.<br /><br />All I can say is what I know, what I've lived through -- and I gotta say that the stuff I see on shows like The Shield, The Wire and The Bridge... well, while it makes for good TV... that's not real to me.<br /><br />And damn am I ever grateful for that.Brandon Larabyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08012563539334788444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-53313523571844999192010-03-16T09:59:09.782-04:002010-03-16T09:59:09.782-04:00Thank you Jim. You said everything I have been thi...Thank you Jim. You said everything I have been thinking, but brilliantly written. I hope Boyce reads it.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08258993426362033642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-44302577943905636092010-03-16T08:20:48.628-04:002010-03-16T08:20:48.628-04:00It was great being a cop in the 70's and 80...It was great being a cop in the 70's and 80's wasn't it, RPP?<br /><br />You could call people niggers to their faces, tell raped women they must've been askin' for it and put somebody on the Cherry Beach Express whenever you wanted.<br /><br />Maybe you or a member of your family was the cop at 52 Division who handcuffed a friend of mine to a chair and kicked him down a flight of stairs, only discovering after his knees were broken that he was completely innocent.<br /><br />Nobody's saying the job wasn't tough and you didn't have to deal with a lot of scumbags and nobody understood how it really was out there -- least of all those bullshit civilian review boards.<br /><br />But there's a line, RPP, a line between being "Them" and being somebody better.<br /><br />If you crossed it, I got little sympathy for you and if you just looked the other way, I have even less.<br /><br />A cop is supposed to stand for something, buddy. If you want to wallow in self pity, get into Canadian show business.jimhenshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07815834271470133872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-62451703531154411902010-03-15T20:33:33.883-04:002010-03-15T20:33:33.883-04:00I suspect you nor any member of your immediate acq...I suspect you nor any member of your immediate acquaintance was involved in the police 'management' practices that were all too familiar in the the 1970's and 1980's.... many members of my family were. Unfortunately, it appears you did little, if any investigation into this matter or your comments wouldn't be so erroneous. <br />Paranoia was the rule rather than the exception at this time. Much of what would be considered 'acceptable' investigative techniques were no where to be found, something that should not be surprising to anyone when you believe that your superiors are doing everything, or will be, to make your life a living hell.<br />Whatever creative licenses may have<br />been taken to put this show on the air are more than worth it ! Enjoy a police story that actually has some validity behind it, for a change.rppnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34798599.post-71643149198111727492010-03-15T19:16:31.370-04:002010-03-15T19:16:31.370-04:00Kudos to TV, EH? linking to your post. I was under...Kudos to TV, EH? linking to your post. I was under the impression they just waxed politically-correct on Canadian television. <br /><br />RE: Cop Feature. <br /><br />TRAINING DAY was a great cinema experience for me. Watched it back to back - first time ever.<br /><br />David Ayer's script is as lean as the come.Rusty Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16143817211151177797noreply@blogger.com