Cowboy Mayor Roped Again

About one week ago Mayor Rick Green of the Township of Langley strapped on his dual six-shooters to instruct the RCMP how to do their jobs once again. The exercise was another usual Green tactic to harness the energy of the press to propel his mayoralty stardom and let everyone know that there is a new self-appointed sheriff in town.

The object of Green's rage was an alleged "hate crime" that had occurred in Aldergrove. Green analyzed the reports and then cloaked himself in knickers and a cape to act as judge and jury. He spoke as though the allegations were proven and adjudicated facts and that these Aldergrove teens were immediately guilty.

Well, today's Province newspaper carried this article which makes it clear that perhaps the attack was not "unprovoked" and innocents violated. 

"We walked over to the park and we saw all these East Indians in [the tennis courts]," he said. "They tapped on the fence and said, 'Come on, little boys, come and play with us.'"

The youth and his companions took those words to be offensive, and three of them entered the courts, where the players began using racial epithets, the boy said.

"They're calling us little white boys," he said. He and his friends responded by calling the Indo-Canadian men "sand-niggers," he said.

To the boy's father, the allegations of racism are overblown.

"It was just a bunch of kids calling each other names," said the man, who came to court with his son, as did the mother. Parents of accused young offenders can't be named because it would identify the accused."

It's not like the RCMP to issue an off-the-cuff statement that conjure up images of hate crime without a proper investigation. The Langley RCMP has been especially cautious not to label crimes hate crimes in the past. Was this sudden change in policy a direct result of the cowboy mayor playing the role of Law & Order Sheriff again? Very interesting.

We'll have to see what comes of this trial in time, but these parents from Aldergrove must have been publicly embarrassed in that small community by this mayor's comments. The Langley Record wonders what they think of this cowboy mayor. Better yet, wonder what Rattan will think of this latest news, as he had already called this play! Perhaps another shake of the dinosaur head is in order for Green Mr. Rattan?