Dr. Peter Watts
On Tuesday, Dec. 8th, Canadian science fiction author Dr. Peter Watts was arrested and beaten while returning to Canada after reportedly helping a friend move in Nebraska.
According to Cory Doctorow (a personal friend of Dr. Watts), as border guards were inspecting his car, Dr. Watts got out and questioned what they were doing. He was subsequently punched, pepper-sprayed, beaten, handcuffed, and jailed. The witnesses in the car reported that Dr. Watts did nothing to provoke the guards into this response.
After hearing of this incident, Doctorow contacted Cindy Cohn, the legal director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who was able to arrange bail for the author. However, Dr. Watts is now facing a felony charge and potentially two years in prison for supposedly assaulting a federal officer--according to the guards involved. He denies this, as do the accompanying witnesses. Doctorow is calling for supporters to help Dr. Watts deal with the financial cost of his legal defense. To do so, you can send a PayPal donation to donate@rifters.com, or contribute directly to Watts' website.
Here are Dr. Watt's own words on the incident:
Along some other timeline, I did not get out of the car to ask what was going on. I did not repeat that question when refused an answer and told to get back into the vehicle. In that other timeline I was not punched in the face, pepper-sprayed, ***-kicked, handcuffed, thrown wet and half-naked into a holding cell for three *** hours, thrown into an even colder jail cell overnight, arraigned, and charged with assaulting a federal officer, all without access to legal representation (although they did try to get me to waive my Miranda rights. Twice.). Nor was I finally dumped across the border in shirtsleeves: computer seized, flash drive confiscated, even my *** paper notepad withheld until they could find someone among their number literate enough to distinguish between handwritten notes on story ideas and, I suppose, nefarious terrorist plots. I was not left without my jacket in the face of Ontario's first winter storm, after all buses and intercity shuttles had shut down for the night.
"In some other universe I am warm and content and not looking at spending two years in jail for the crime of having been punched in the face.
Comments
I know this is going like wildfire around Twitter. Hopefully, he'll get the help he needs and he'll beat this wrap.
Border crossings from United States to Canada should not be so difficult; especially when the abused individual was a Canadian returning home. I would expect this at a Mexican border, but not Canada. I have great sympathy for Dr. Watts.
He's an attention whore. Wanna bet he's lying through his teeth.
I know Peter and he is always friendly, polite and reasonable. He deserves better than to be called an attention whore and is definately not lying threw his teeth. I know this because my friend
is driving to the states to pick up his stuff. His trip was to
help a friend move to nebraska, nice repayment for doing someone a favour.
He did nothing.
He didn't push a border guard.
He didn't jump out of his car and start asking questions when they were searching his vehicle.
Like border guards have nothing better to do than beat up random people?
Nope, didn't do any of that.
Who are you going to believe, an respected scientist and writer, or some knuckle-dragging homeland security throwbacks?
Sorry, I don't buy it. I worked the border in Detroit for a year, and Inspectors just have better things to do than randomly beat people up. I do not know why he was singled out, most people returning to Canada do NOT even see a U.S. Customs Inspector, they see a Canadian on the Canada side.
Serves him right for getting out of the car when told to stay in. Get beat you half wit.
I'll believe this story when someone can explain to me why US border guards were anywhere near a car that was ENTERING CANADA. Just the fact that this is not addressed in the article makes the entire story suspect.
While there are a lot of honest and highly competent police officers and border guards, some are overzealous and are not above hiding their mistakes by blaming the person they victimized. It does happen, and they do succeed in railroading people. Judges are more likely to believe a cop than a defendant. To me, Watts' version of the story sounds like the most likely one to have actually happened.
Watts is one of the best now writing hard SF, and maybe THE best writing about neuroscience. How in the world did he become threatening.
What's really amazing is that US border guards did this to a Canadian that was LEAVING the United States, returning to his home country of Canada. What did they think he was trying smuggle into Canada?
Some law enforcement officers (and not just in the USA) believe you should always be obeisant and subservient to them, like a small child in kindergarten. When an intelligent adult confronts them and starts asking logical questions, it hurts their small mind like a razor cutting through what little gray matter they have.
Leftover fraked-up Republican Homeland Security jackbooted thugs and otherwise unemployable ex-Blackwater goons and fired TSA untermensch in a bad mood no doubt...
Or maybe the US border yobs think that South Park the Movie represents real life.
"Of course! Bringing the innocent to trial would be unfair!" - Q
Good grief...
Church says... "Serves him right for getting out of the car when told to stay in. Get beat you half wit."
Church... As in monotheist? As in Christianist red-neck follower of Brother John Birch and the most Reverend Nehemiah Scudder?
Typical.
There has to me more to this. The pepper spray doesn't come out until numerous warnings are ignored.
Sounds a bit suspicious to me also. Too many law enforcement do get hurt when someone does not want to comply. In his statement afterword he did seem kinda smart-mouthed. I know he was angry, but with the serious charges that he is facing, it probably would have been better not to say anything after the arrest. With thousands of people crossing the border on each side daily...something just does not add up.
I went to Canada once by car. Both times in and out of the country, know what I did when crossing the boarder? I didn't say anything. I didn't do anything, because I'm not an idiot.
So my question is what the hell is this guy a Doctor of? You would have to be half retarded to not know you shouldn't mess around or do anything out of the ordinary.
Yeah, it's not exactly the US/Mexico border. Yeah, it's not likely the guy attacked them like they claimed, but when you have people trained to deal with all kinds of serious things, you don't want to jump out at them and ignore all of their instructions/warnings.
There is I am sure far better things to do and more suspious characters to deter from entering Canada. REALLY!!!! Must have been a slow day. Highly suspicious and annoying.
Observations from experience in border crossing USA to Canada:
U.S. Homeland Security not usually but sometimes inspects cars going north from Washington State into Canada, after the car is committed to crossing the border after all U.S. exits are passed. Sometimes it's all cars; sometimes they are picking out certain ones.
There is a high level of cooperation between the Canadian Border Services Agency and the U.S. Homeland Security to enforce similar laws of mutual interest -- about moving across the boundary with items like illegal drugs, cash over $10K, and guns, in either direction.
It's SOP for both Canadian and U.S. border officials to not have the car owner watch while a car's cargo is being inspected in a lineup stop. You stay behind the wheel while they go through your trunk, if they choose to do that. If you try to get out, they would order you to get back inside your vehicle.
He is SiFi author how do u know his story is'n sifi.
There is definitely more to it.
Wow, not following orders is now a capital (beatable) offense. Imagine how badly he'd have gotten it if he'd have tried to defend himself against the HSA thugs... lucky to be alive if you ask me.
It's highly suspect that not one, not two, but 'several' boarder guards just decided to haul out Dr. Watts for a "thank you for visiting the US" beating on no grounds. When it all comes down to it, there is a video. Every cop has a video camera that is constantly rolling: it acts as evidence in the case of the actions of both the person that is pulled over, provides audit for the actions of the officer, and acts as protection for the officer, in case the arrest goes bad. If 99% fo police officers have a video rolling of any traffice stop (no matter how mundane), I'm quite sure that Boarder Patrol officers have video of every stop as well. If the video were to disappear - THAT is suspect. But something tells me, as mentioned before, there is more to this story than is being presented at the moment.
I cross that border all the time. There are NO US law enforcement people to encounter as you go home. You pay your two bucks to get on the bridge and you explain to the Canadian Border people what you bought after you go over the bridge.
When you enter the USA they often tell you to turn your motor off and open up the trunk. They also often tell you to stay in the car while they are doing it. Even without being told, you should know better. To do otherwise is unforgiveably suspicious. What do you think the officers are doing? Stealing your property?
Did not know that retarded red neck were living so far north !
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