two recent taser deaths in canada

Last week, a 40-year-old man in British Columbia died after being tasered by police. A few days later, we learned that in Montreal, on the same day, a man died after being tasered while in police custody.

This is madness, and it must stop.

I appreciate that there are times when the police need to subdue people who are out of control and dangerous. But taser guns are clearly not an acceptable method. They are not being controlled and treated as the lethal weapons that they clearly are.

Looking for links, I found this blog dedicated to Robert Bagnell: "In memory of our brother and son, Robert Bagnell, who died after being tasered by police in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 23, 2004". It looks like an excellent source. My heart goes out to the people who write it.

Amnesty International cites inappropriate use of tasers as a persistent human rights abuse in Canada, including the use of tasers against children, mentally ill people - and people already unconscious or otherwise subdued.

This is shameful.

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