An 22 year old Ajax, Ontario man has been charged in the death of an OPSEU brother who was tragically struck and killed on a picket line in May 2006. Joshua Donnelly, 22, appeared in court today to face charges of criminal negligence causing death and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident after striking and eventually killing John Stammers, a 62 year old college professor.
The police did not lay charges at the time of the incident, but the Stammers family, with the assistance of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, brought the charges forward in a private prosecution. Perhaps justice can now be served. The Stammers family has lost a loved one who was standing up to better his life and his families. Line runners must be held accountable for their crimes. All too often, striking brothers and sisters are not afforded protection while on a picket line.
“Our members on picket lines need the same legal protections afforded to other members of society,” she OPSEU president Leah Casselman. “Tensions may rise but picketers have a legal right to be there and communicate their message to the public. There is no impunity: the law must protect picketers as it protects any citizen.”
The moral of the story? Don't cross a picket line, and respect those on the line.
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1 comment:
no justice, no peace
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