“Mentally ill” man says sorry for peeing on Komagata Maru monument

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      The man photographed urinating on the Komagata Maru monument in Vancouver has apologized.

      “I am sorry for what I did that day at the monument. I didn’t want to hurt anyone,” the unidentified man said in a written apology made public by the Vancouver Police Department.

      Earlier this week, the department informed the media that it had decided not to recommend any charges in relation to the December incident.

      Chief Constable Jim Chu insisted today (January 16) that police treated the "abhorrent act" as a "serious matter".

      "Based on the interview results, we confirmed that our only option in the justice system was a bylaw ticket for urinating in public," Chu said in a statement.

      "Yesterday afternoon, we located the suspect and he agreed to apologize for his actions."

      According to Chu, the man appears to have a "serious mental disorder".

      "He is an illicit drug user and would fit into the category studied recently in the Downtown Eastside of a severely addicted mentally ill person," Chu said.

      "This suspect needs the health system, not the justice system.

      "We believe that it is not in anyone’s interest to serve this suspect a bylaw ticket. We explained this to several South Asian community leaders last night and they supported this decision."

      The monument in Harbour Green Park was installed in 2012 to commemorate the Komagata Maru incident. In the 1914 incident, 300 ship passengers of South Asian descent were denied entry to Canada due to a racist federal law.

      Comments

      7 Comments

      Rundrd

      Jan 16, 2014 at 2:54pm

      If only Martin Dunphy had waited one day...

      Andy Layton

      Jan 16, 2014 at 3:55pm

      Okay, does everyone feel better now?

      Rubbish

      Jan 16, 2014 at 5:11pm

      In BC when you do some Crime just say your sorry and suffer from 'Mental' illness than all is OK.

      Mental illness is no excuse for breaking the Law (what little we have here).

      At the very least a citation and/or ticket (regardless of the ability to pay).

      It seems going on Transit without a Ticket (regardless of ones mental health) is more strictly enforced with a Fine than outrageous Crimes in BC.

      Klancouver

      Jan 16, 2014 at 5:29pm

      Apparently, "mental" enough to go find a bunch of visitors to pick a fight with and then a memorial sacred to them, to pee on. There was no way out for the "mainstream" from the actions of the scum in its midst that it does not want to acknowledge exists, so we get a convenient way out. Not even a token ticket, a wink-wink nudge-nudge invitation for more of this kind to assert themselves in this way.

      Martin Dunphy

      Jan 16, 2014 at 5:59pm

      Rundrd:

      I expected this. That's why I wrote that sentence at the very end.
      Talk about a silver platter.

      My Say On This.

      Jan 16, 2014 at 6:28pm

      What An Excuse, Everyone Who Breaks The Law { Either By Stabbing Someone, Or Shooting Someone Or Punching,Kicking Or Whacking Someone With A Baseball Bat.Evan Robbing A Bank ETC.} Everything That Happens Like This Is { BLAME IT ON MENTAL-ILLNESS } Boy This Everyone's Excuse Nowadays. I Think People Do This So They Don't Get Charged. { I'm Not Saying That Some People Do Have Some Sort Of Mental - Illness But It Seems To Me That Everyone Who Does Something Wrong They Blame It On MENTAL - ILLNESS.

      theyaletownkid

      Jan 16, 2014 at 11:11pm

      That apology was a joke. Mental illness or not, nobody should be urinating on memorials. This guy has the brains to live on his own, dress, feed and bathe himself, but it's OK for him to go around the city publicly urinating on memorials in broad daylight. Sweet, so the next time I feel like taking a shit in the middle of the street I will, then I'll tell them I'm sorry and pretend like I suffer from mental illness. Got it!

      Smarten up VPD