Yesterday's comments about police, race and crime by Public Security Minister Bob Runciman did exactly what such remarks always do - they derailed a worthwhile and necessary debate and ignited a futile, destructive one.
Let's get it back on track.
First, is it true, as Runciman suggested, that "some folks" have a "vested interest" in fuelling tensions between the cops and various ethnic groups, particularly the black community?
Are there "some people in society," as Premier Ernie Eves put it, who enjoy seeing police and community leaders point fingers at one another at endless well-intentioned meetings - while violent youth crime continues unabated?
Do some Torontonians count it as a success when gunshot murders in Toronto - most of them of young people - skyrocket by 70% over this time last year?
Yes, yes, and yes. They're called criminals.
And as Police Chief Julian Fantino has rightly warned, they're having a field day right now.
The chief has targeted some 400 "most wanted" types believed to be behind the wave of guns, gangs and drugs that has plagued the city, and has launched a new strategy to stop them.
Good. Put them away. They won't be missed.
As for Runciman, we note he started out constructively yesterday - saying Ontario laws should be changed to require hospitals to report all cases of gunshot wounds. . . . He also demanded Ottawa hike sentences for gun crime instead of fiddling with the long gun registry.
