McLean funeral not interrupted by U.S. protestors
Family walked to the Westwood Community Church for Tim McLean's funeral
WINNIPEG - Funeral services for the young Winnipeg man who was savagely killed while on a Greyhound bus 10 days ago were held in peace Saturday, amid concern an outspoken American church group would hold a protest to further its own cause.
While there was no sign of the protesters by the time the service for Tim McLean began, about 250 people who didn't attend the funeral, waited outside Westwood Community Church, in case marchers showed up. Many said they didn't know McLean but they lined the road because they believed the McLean family had the right to grieve in peace and they were prepared to peacefully block any protesters.
McLean, 22, was stabbed to death and beheaded July 30 as the bus travelled to Winnipeg from Edmonton.
Vince Weiguang Li, 40, a recent immigrant to Canada, is being held as a suspect in the killing, which chilled the nation and garnered worldwide attention.
One group whose interest was piqued is the Westboro Baptist Church, which said it would picket the funeral to inform Canadians that McLean's horrifying death was God's punishment for the Canada's policies which enable homosexuality, abortion, and adultery. The church has gained notoriety for picketing the funerals of American
Two armed robberies, 200 calls keep police busy
SASKATOON -- Two armed robberies and over 200 calls for service meant Saskatoon Police Service had an extremely busy Friday night and early Saturday morning.
Police responded to an armed robbery in the 1900 block of 8th Street East just before 4 a.m. Saturday. A lone man described as native, around 20-25 years old, and approximately 5 feet, 8 inches tall entered the store with the knife.
No one was injured in the robbery, and no suspect has been apprehended. Anyone with information is encouraged to phone Crimestoppers.
Later in the morning another armed robbery occurred at a business in the 1600 block of Isabella Street East. At about 10 a.m. a caucasian man, approximately 6 feet tall with light brown and gray hair entered the business brandishing a large butcher knife. No one was injured, and the suspect fled by foot.
Police also responded to over 200 calls for service Friday night, most being disturbance and noise complaints. 30 people were arrested on a variety of charges, including 10 people for being intoxicated in a public place, and four people for impaired driving.
Security officer receives probation for indecent act
SASKATOON -- A University of Saskatchewan campus security officer who exposed himself to and asked a 14-year-old boy for sex in a washroom at the Midtown Plaza has been sentenced to 18 months on probation and ordered to provide a DNA sample for the national database.
Liskum George Campbell, 61, had previously pleaded guilty to committing an indecent act in connection with the incident on Feb. 25.
Campbell, who is also a former Weyburn police officer, is listed as an employee of the campus safety department at the University of Saskatchewan, but is currently on leave. No one from the department was available for comment Friday.
The incident occurred during a weekday noon hour, according to an agreed statement of facts read into the court record by Crown prosecutor Marianne Friesen.
The boy was in a stall in a public washroom when the man in the stall to his right showed a series of four notes under the partition, the last two of which said, "I'm hard on you," Friesen said.
The boy said "no" and the man asked him not to leave. The boy said he had to catch a bus and the man offered to give him a ride, Friesen told the court.
When the boy left the stall, Campbell came out of his stall and exposed himself.
He said, "I'll pay you," before going back in the stall, Friesen said.
The boy stopped two janitors outside the washroom to tell them what had happened.
Security staff took the distraught boy to the office where they called his parents and the police. The boy gave a detailed description of the suspect and watched security video to locate the suspect in the mall.
Security staff followed the suspect and stayed in phone contact with police. The suspect attempted to evade the security trailing him but they observed him all the way to the 100 block of Avenue C North, where he was apprehended by police, Friesen said. The boy gave a victim statement saying the incident had a significant impact on him and has affected his sense of security. He now doesn't like to be alone.
Friesen said the crime was aggravated by Campbell's persistence when rebuffed, the attempt to persuade the boy to stay, the attempt to lure him into a vehicle, the young age of the victim and the fact it occurred in a public place.
Homegrown Wrestling more horror show than athleticism
SASKATOON – Professional wrestling has been a mainstay of sports entertainment for many years now, but the majority of professional wrestlers aren’t on TV. A growing number of part time semi-professionals are participating in local circuits and leagues. The focuses of these matches aren’t tests of skill and strength, but are instead mock fights and soap opera drama framed for the amusement of the audience.
But at least when the professionals do it on TV, one can rest assured that the actors involved are at no more risk than your average stuntman. This isn’t a sport, this is a show, and one that has a lot of training, expertise and medical support behind that. Most local wrestling celebrities don’t benefit from that.
As a case in point, Saskatoon recently hosted a match between local wrestler The Necrofessor and a visitor who goes by the Juggernaut, as part of the Juggernaut’s “Retirement Hitlist” tour. It was heavily attended, and most of those in the audience were young adults.
Although the match had a certain degree of spectacle, the audience’s reactions came more from the sight of blood and the sounds of breaking bone than from special effects or flashpots. Over the course of a gruelling match, the Juggernaut severely brutalized the Necrofessor for the pleasure of the audience.
Faked wounds and false drama for the sake of entertainment may be distasteful, but they are not necessarily more dangerous than most other sports entertainment. But the lack of skill on the part of semi-pro wrestlers mean injury is often the draw instead of sportsmanship.
In this latest match in Saskatoon, the Necrofessor wasn’t just faking it – he left the ring only with the assistance of others, covered in his own blood and with several broken bones. That goes beyond “sports entertainment” and into the realm of bloodsports, something no civilized society should condone.
The majority of the fans of this type of wrestling are young men, many of whom look up to their wrestling idols as role models. This isn’t the type of lesson they should be teaching. Entertainment is one thing, but brutality for the sake of a reaction from the crowd is quite another. It is time civic authorities stop tolerating this kind of sickening display.