Sgt. Paul Batista: now, there’s a name to conjure with. He’s the fellow who threatened some Naked Bike Riders with arrest this past Sunday if they removed their clothes, once again making Ottawa a laughingstock worldwide.
Ottawa cycling activists have been baring it all for the annual protest against oil dependency since 2005. Participant Joseph Jude, a 49-year old employee at a mental health agency, said this is the first time police have given them any trouble.
Jude said to his knowledge, out of about 75 cities that held naked bike rides Saturday, San Diego is the only one besides Ottawa where police banned full nudity.
Bravo, Paul, who used to go by the name Paulo. That was back in 2006, when he repeatedly Tasered my friend Paul Smith, who was lying on the ground face-down and in handcuffs at the time. It was a wrongful arrest, and Batista’s public torture of Smith was not permitted to go unpunished: he was reprimanded, and demoted from acting sergeant to constable. This condign penalty was imposed only after a video surfaced that exposed police testimony as a pack of lies.
But you can’t keep a good man down, and sergeant he is once again, serving and protecting, and making the streets safe for prudes. I’d say it was lucky the cyclists complied. There are certain places where Taser darts could really smart.