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Babylon Bashing


The tower of Babylon was supposed to be built by a united humanity, however, language barriers prevented them from communicating. The tower was never finished.

"On Saturday June 25th of 2005 my family and I were brutally assaulted and humiliated by a handful of city public and peace officers," is how Amir Ebrahimnia begins his account, in letter quickly circulating the Toronto internet community. Amir is the owner of Babylon Martini & Musique Boutique, located in the heart of Pride festivities.

Each year, Pride Toronto attracts millions of people to downtown Toronto. After the daytime festivities, the thousands pack into the dozens of establishments along Church St. This presents a problem for the police of the city, to make certain that there are no violations of the liquor licence agreement at any of these bars, overcrowding being of most concern.

"That's when people get hurt. We had to enforce the liquor licence," states Constable Wendy Drummomd. "The Toronto Police Services had set up a deliberate check of the licences in the gay district, and during their stop at The Babylon, there was an altercation."

According to Amir, there was more than an altercation. He states that he was brutally beaten by a number of 51 Division officers during their enforcement of his liquor licence.

"I was pummelled to the ground. I was continuously punched in the face, kicked in the ribs, and twisted. I thought at first that they wanted to arrest me, so i loosened my arm for them to handcuff," Amir continues.

"They kept on saying stop resisting arrest while i wasn't resisting arrest. When i realized they wanted more than to arrest me, is when i tightened up. I really didn't know what to do anymore. i thought somebody was going to die."

"He would probably have injuries if he were resisting arrest," Constable Drummond states, clearly siding with the officers, "He can say what he wants. But yes an altercation did take place."

I spoke with Amir's mother on the phone briefly. Her shock was obvious. "I never thought these things happened in this country, it's like the Taliban." During the altercation, Momma - as she's known in the neighborhood, was taken to the hospital for breathing trouble.

Amir was then taken into holding, and charged for resisting arrest and assault with a weapon.

The Babylon will now close it's doors to the public after being open for over a decade.


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