Woman who encountered Officer Bubbles sues police

About a year ago, Courtney Winkels blew some bubbles. Ten minutes later, she found herself trapped between lines of police in riot gear. Officers grabbed her, threw her against a brick wall, and arrested her.

She spent the next 50 hours in captivity, she said. She was finally charged with conspiracy to commit an indictable offence. At her first and only court date last August, her charge was thrown out.

Ms. Winkels has had some time to think about what happened. Now the 21-year-old woman, whose peaceful act at Toronto’s G20 protests made an Internet sensation out of “Officer Bubbles,” has filed a lawsuit against the Toronto Police Services Board for $100,000.

She’s claiming damages for false arrest, false imprisonment, assault and battery, as well as breach of Charter rights. The police services board is named as the defendant in the claim as the employer of all officers in the Toronto Police Services.

Read on...

Does anyone think the Toronto police have learned anything from G20. Have they changed their behaviour? Next time there is a mass protest in Toronto, how do you think the police will behave? Think they'll remove their name tags? Think they'll try an intimidate peaceful, legal protestors? Think they'll riot? Tom

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