March 26, 2008
Rob Ford Arrested and Charged in "Domestic Dispute"
When we named councillor Rob Ford as one of 2007's Villains for his consistent insensitivity, political grandstanding, and outright idiocy (witness statements like, "I can't support bike lanes. Roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks. My heart bleeds when someone gets killed, but it's their own fault at the end of the day," and, "If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you won't get AIDS probably"), we couldn't have possibly imagined that he would up the ante in 2008. But in February, he proposed that every new street in Toronto be named after dead Canadian soldiers, a symbolic but entirely empty gesture that completely missed the point; and then, earlier this month, said that "Oriental people" are "slowly taking over" because they "work like dogs," comments he later refused to apologize for. All this, while rumours had been swirling that Ford was planning to run for mayor.
And now, according to the Star, the Sun, City, and the Post, Ford has been arrested and charged with assault and threatening death. Though Ford, arrested this morning at his home and since released, has been refusing to comment about what happened, the Post cites a source familiar with the case who told the paper that "the charges arose from a domestic dispute," and CityNews reports that the incident "allegedly involved Ford's wife, who is reported to have brought the complaint that led to the charges."
Ford will appear in court on April 28, which will give flabbergasted Torontonians a good month to build up healthy amounts of schadenfreude. In the interim, we hope that the victim of the assault is doing okay.
Illustration by Marc Lostracco.
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Wow...
This cyclist's heart bleeds.
OT- This has to be the first time that BlogTO, Spacing and TOist have all covered the exact same angle of the exact same story at the exact same time.
It's hilarious that it was Rob Ford that brought you all together.
Wait, Rob Ford is married? There is someone on the planet willing to fuck him?
Hmm...perhaps Rob Ford isn't as zany as his novelty ties suggest.
Yeah, James, but it's already over, right below your post -- Explosively has brought Torontoist's, uh, special flavour roaring back.
Bob McCown likes to use the phrase "eight time loser" for Chris Pronger and Chris Simon in terms of their infraction record. Starting to look like the kind of thing you could say about Ford.
I wonder if any councillor (Moscoe, surely?) is cheeky enough to leave a pair of handcuffs lying around casually at the next council meeting.
The Post has confirmed that the alleged victim is Ford's wife. Ford's lawyer told the Post that "the charges are spurious; they are unfounded....Our position is that the complaint is a fabrication."
Wow, indeed. First of all, one source said Rob Ford's court appearance is on Friday, April 28, at 2 p.m. (hurray for Canadian legal efficiency, just one month!) at a courthouse on Finch Avenue. This would be 1000 Finch Avenue West, so if there are any Torontoist writers in the area at the time, go cover it. I might take the day off to check it out.
Despite all his lunatic rants, part of me feels pity for Ford. The man obviously needs mental help, which makes me wonder: with all the anger this man has, was he abused or molested as a child? He has to be more complicated than someone who is merely a bully. Are there any in-depth articles out there about him -- where did he go to school, how did he meet his wife, what were his jobs before working as a councillor, etc.
It's been a long time, and I can't remember if restraining orders are public documents or not. Check out the court filings.
We may not know all the details yet, but we can be sure of one thing: whatever happened, his face would have been exceptionally rubicund during it.
Isn't the "they're lying!" defense the same one Ford used when he was accused of belligerence at a Leaf game by a couple of seniors?
...And we know how quickly that denial turned into an admission of guilt.
Doggiez: Although it's not really biographical in nature, the only real in-depth piece on Rob Ford that I can recall was Ed Keenan's cover story from the July 27, 2006, issue of Eye Weekly. Because nothing published in Eye prior to last November is still on their site, you're gonna have to go to Ed's blog to read it.
This guy wins the title of biggest douchebag in the city. I hope he will leave politics and become... something less significant.
Funny the comments here and until a court of law finds him guilty he is not guilty, the legal system does not convict by public beliefs but facts put before it. I don't care for him, really find him abrasive but he has not pleaded nor been found guilty in the courts yet so I will not jump on the bandwagon until or if he is. He may be many things but he has not been convicted and until he has I would hope people do not convict him based on personal hatred of him and let the courts decide and if then he is found guilty go after him and if not let him be.
@Acadie
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Vous avez bien raison.
J'ajoute ma voix a la votre.
Yeah, the poor guy. He'll never see true justice, cause a bunch of blog commenters are discussing his case in a way that isn't 100% objective, primarily because he's known to be a racist vindictive asshole.
The humanity of it all!
Um, yah. I know I always feel sorry for men when they threaten to kill their wives. And I always assume the wife is lying. I'm so glad that lawyer man told the press that it was a fabrication. All those lying women reporting domestic abuse, I'm glad Ford made sure his wife was outed as a liar-pants asap. (snark)
It's not like he shoplifted or got in trouble for unpaid parking tickets. The mother of his three-year-old daughter and baby son is stating that he assaulted and threatened to kill her. I think it's okay if we're collectively outraged over that fact? I'd much rather my politicians have sex with prostitutes than beat up their wives any day.
Imagine if he and Conrad Black were to share a jail cell?
Amanda: Rob Ford AND Conrad Black in the same jail cell? It boggles the mind. Just try to imagine who'd be on top! ...on second thought, scratch that. We don't need the mental image of Ford and Conny in greasy, slippery, pale and pot-bellied coitus in our brains today anyway. The dialogue, however, would be hilarious! It'd be the equivalent of The Economist and The Toronto Sun humping one another:
Conrad: "Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a champion of freedom, and one of the finest American presidents of all time! Harrumph!"
Ford: "Conrad, you fat-assed, yellow-bellied waste of skin! Make me moo like a cow!"
Why did he threaten to kill her? Did she eat the last cookie in the cookie jar?
Not sure what the issue about remaining objective until all the facts are in is about... Hard for a man like Rob Ford to get the benefit of the doubt - and for reasonable reasons. Besides, life would be interesting if court decisions were based on the sentiments expressed on Torontoist's comment boards...
I'd like to be the King of Spain.
Once, I WAS the King of Spain.
Now, I eat humble pie.
Doggiez: You need to seek a priest, what you wrote is really low.
I feel pity for you.
montreal shorts: Why did you have to add a priest into that already disturbing mental image?
Well, obviously if there's a priest involved, we also need a rabbi and a minister so they can all walk into a bar. Then we need a bartender. And possibly a talking horse.
Honestly now! We mock fat fuckwits like Rob Ford out of love!
"Morris noted that the Children's Aid Society was called in to investigate as well, and the agency and the police have given Ford custody of the couple's two young children. Ford and the children will live outside the family home."
If he is Guilty I hope you all go after the Police, Children's aid for giving these children and putting them in the Custody of such a Vile man, Where is the outrage by those here about putting those children in this violent mans custody. As I have said he may be guilty and then again he may not be but those who try him by media are just wrong and if it were any of you, you would expect to be given a fair trial and not be found guilty by those ignorant of the actual facts and tried in the media where you cannot defend yourself. I hope and pray we are far more just society than what those here spew from their obvious ignorance of what it is to be a JUST society. This is a very serious allegation and you all jump on the band wagon condemning a man before he has had his day in court, outrageous, disgusting.
David E. Il est beau de savoir que quelqu'un agree avec moi,
Montreal shorts: How's this for a far more disturbing image -- a Toronto Sun headline reading:
"Toronto Mayor and TTC Chairman Rob Ford Seeks Third Term"
Now THAT'S scary, dude!
Acadie: It's been a while since I read through the Criminal Code of Canada, but I'm pretty sure the court of public opinion and the actual court system are still two important but distinct spheres.
And to your point, that's, in part, why we live in our "just society."
Just because your able to do something does not mean you should, period. Your point that we can defame a person based on hearsay because of a free press and or free speech is ridiculous, I am sure if allegations were made about any of you, you would all not want to be convicted by the ignorant public lacking facts. Just because it is allowed does not mean it is OK. Why do people always think because they can do something it makes it OK? I stay on the fence because like the rest of you I do not know the facts but I have more sense that convict someone without facts, maybe it is just I prefer those who are charged with such heinous crimes are allowed their day in court and not listen or judge based on no facts but purely speculative nonsense.
All opinions must be supported by the courts and lawmakers. Forming your own opinion makes you a monster.
Acadie- Are you suggesting that we shouldn't even be allowed to discuss people's arrests before they are tried, or is there a particular comment that you are mad about?
It really doesn't look to me like anyone is automatically judging him as guilty. At worst, a few people are trashing him based on things which he is well known to have done in the past and one TOist writer is being a dick in general.
Based on the graphic above, Mr. Ford looks like the kind of guy who wouldn't think twice about crashing a party by literally smashing through the wall.
(Kool-Aid man, anyone?)
You have not read all the comments, people are free to discuss what ever they choose, there is more than one comment that because of past public comments or actions made by Ford he must be guilty, I never said it could not be discussed, but some posts convict the man just because they dislike him, look at Stacy May Fowkes post among a few others, they are ignorant of the facts, make unsupported assumptions at this point. Never said you all were wrong, just those who rush to judgement are, so yes more than one has made the statement without facts which I find abhorrent. Knock yourselves out, talk about it all you want, have a field day. It is news and I expect it to be discussed but to make like he is guilty because he has been charged I have issue with.
Holy smokes, if you go by the number comments, Rob Ford is the best thing to happen to TOist's popularity in some time.
He was on the front page of almost all the newspapers too. Someone could do one of those front page comparisons where everyone's focused on some minor celebrity's personal problems, meanwhile Tibet continues to be oppressed by China.
No fan of Ford, but that last sentence should probably have at least one "alleged" in it. He's clearly guilty of being a douche, but not yet convicted of the assault.
According to the Posted Toronto podcast, Ford called the cops on his wife the night before, and when they showed up, they told him to leave. When he arrived back home the next morning, that's when the rest went down and when he was arrested.
And I don't think it's newsworthy only because it's Rob Ford—I'm sure it would be front page news if another high-profile councillor/politician was arrested and charged with the same. With Ford, however, perhaps it's less surprising, since he's already such a loudmouthed, short-tempered blowhard who often doesn't think before he acts. He may be innocent and he may be guilty, but he chooses to be a public figure and is well aware that things that he does or things that happen to him are gonna be made excruciatingly public and people are gonna talk about it.