Undercover police stir the violence pot at Red Hill and their bosses get promoted.
Tuesday, October 28, 2003. As police move in to remove valley protectors at Red Hill Valley "Protester Ted" is making "oinking" noises and loudly calling police "fucking pigs." His aggressive behaviour is out of synch with the nonviolent groove that has seen the demonstrators weather the months long valley occupation with power and grace.
"Ted" is "arrested" by police with two others, and after disappearing for about 20 minutes, Ted is back at the Mount Albion site with his yellow "trespassing" ticket in hand.
"Ted," it turns out, is also known as Detective Ted Davis to his comrades with the Hamilton Police where he is Staff Sergeant in charge of Intelligence.
Ted sounds taken aback when I call him on his office phone, "Where did you get all this information from, how would you know to call me?" he wants to know.
(I don’t have the heart to tell the head of intelligence that he was seen recently on the local news station CHTV, being interviewed about undercover police work infiltrating gangs.)
When asked about his undercover role, Ted gets tightlipped and answers "I’m not at liberty to talk about any of that" and refuses to confirm or deny his involvement.
Ted’s not talking but he certainly made a lot of noise at the first day of arrests in the valley.
According to eyewitness accounts "Ted" was "trying to initiate some kind of confrontation" with police.
Six Nations valley protector Donna Powless said she was disappointed by the police behaviour at the Mount Albion site.
"Our people were peaceful, nonviolent, and then we have this person out of the blue come and making these remarks and being very rude and trying to agitate the police there and get things stirred up" she says.
Other witnesses like Alessandra Brown report that while "Ted" was yelling at police, police approached and asked "Ted" who he was.
"Then ‘Ted’ started yelling ‘who the fuck are you, I have a right to be here!’ and stuff like that" reports Brown.
The Hamilton Spectator report of the incident states that three people (two men and a woman) were arrested and notes that police "declined to name those arrested."
No wonder.
The last time Red Hill defenders saw "Ted" was when he was flashing his badge and helping make arrests during the massive police raid on the Longhouse November 6.
