The police just called me about that incident at Safeway last Wednesday.  They are going to come by this evening and take my statement.

If they think it will be in support of Safeway, they are sadly mistaken. I'm going to make sure I emphasize that the security guard identified himself as the "police", that he was using excessive force, and that technically she didn't steal anything because the salad that she apparently was to have stolen was inside the store, between the doors where the shopping carts are. So he was beating her up for absolutely nothing, not that he was justified in his force even if she had actually taken the salad outside.

Well, the police came and I gave them my statement. They have to interview 3 more people, plus the woman.  Then the Crown will decide if charges will be pressed against either or both or neither.

I mentioned about the salad still being inside the store between the doors. Apparently according to the Criminal Code here the fact that she walked beyond the checkouts and was in the process of exiting the store with unpaid merchandise, constitutes intent of theft.

Quote - The western stance of horror at over-reaction by police to clearly illegal activity is a sad perversion of morality when contrasted to living where deadly force was an expected reaction to imprudent speech.

Contrast it to whatever you like, but I for one will still have a hard time understanding how a "stance of horror" over any injustice, large or small, could ever be called "a sad perversion of morality."

That's kind of like saying, don't complain because things could be worse, and the problem with that stance is that when nobody complains it just allows things to ... guess what?, get worse.

I have nothing against good cops, or good security personnel for that matter, or against their being given all the tools and authority they need to do their jobs, but it is a simple and sad fact of human nature that some of the same personality types that are drawn toward criminal behavior are also drawn to law and security enforcement, i.e., the kind of person who likes to throw their weight around, who likes to carry a gun, who likes to lord it over others, who relishes violent confrontation, etc., and good citizens, i.e., anyone who doesn't want things to get worse, simply have to call them on it. Period.

And way to go, Acadia.