A Black man’s illegal perhaps-loaded gun was excluded from trial by Justice Renu Mandhane because of imagined officer bias

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

Justice Renu Mandhane is one of Ontario’s foremost judicial activists, so it should surprise no one that she’ll stoop to using racism as a basis to let Black men off the hook for possessing illegal guns.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

That’s what happened at the end of March in the case of Robert Cameron, who had been pulled over and detained for having outstanding drug charges and a suspended license, and whose car, in the process, was discovered to be illegally housing an unlicensed firearm.

The episode began when Brampton police officer Anand Gandhi’s licence plate scanner flagged a nearby Jeep for a week-long impound due to the owner’s active infractions. Given the pending charges, the officer called for backup just in case. He then approached Cameron’s Jeep, identified him, handcuffed him, patted him down, and sat him in the back of the police car.

This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and wit. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Platformed will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Interested in more newsletters? Browse here.

“Officer Gandhi specifically denied treating the accused differently or handcuffing him behind his back because of the way he looked, i.e. because he was a Black man,” wrote the judge. “The officer maintained that it was his ‘common practice’ to handcuff and place suspended drivers in the back of his cruiser because it was a ‘safe place’ to speak with them.”

The judge noted that the officer had pulled over a woman earlier that day for driving on a medical suspension, but didn’t cuff her or keep her in the police car. Her car, however, was not being impounded, and she wasn’t said to have outstanding criminal charges.

After other officers arrived, the Jeep was searched for the alleged purpose of taking a pre-tow inventory. Some licence plates were found, which Cameron attributed to his girlfriend, as well as a gun, which was under a cargo mat covered by construction materials.

Mandhane didn’t outright state that the gun was loaded, but she did note that ammunition was photographed by an officer after the weapon was made........

© National Post