Viewers of Star Ray TV know that we regularly run a bicycle safety program. I worked for an advertising agency in the early 90's at 2 Bloor Street West, right where this incident took place. So naturally I have a keen interest in this story.
First a quick recap for anyone that doesn’t know what I'm talking about. Michael Bryant is a former Attorney General of Ontario. He is noted for his fondness of "reverse onus" legislation and banning pit bull dogs. Ironically he is responsible for the draconian street racing law whereby upon getting charged your license is suspended, your car seized and possibly crushed without seeing a judge or nothing. In short he is an elitist fascist swine.
On Aug. 31, 2009 about 9:45 pm Michael Bryant rear ends cyclist Darcy Allan Sheppard, five seconds later he is dragging Mr. Sheppard 100 meters to his death. Click
here here for a Youtube video of security camera footage that explains what happened better than I can.
Bryant set all the events in motion when he rammed Mr. Sheppard. He was the aggressor and instigator. Bryant was charged by the Toronto Police with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death.
Bryant has proclaimed his innocence and has hired a PR firm to dig up dirt on Mr. Sheppard. Surely Bryant’s line of defense will be that Mr. Sheppard was threatening him. From a look at the video the five seconds between Bryant ramming Mr. Sheppard and then taking off doesn't seem enough time to form an opinion regarding a threat. Even more damning, I find out that Bryant is an amateur boxer. I can NOT believe that Bryant was fearful for his life.
OK, let's go with the theory that Mr. Sheppard was a threat to Mr. Bryant. I was beaten in a road rage encounter in the US a few years ago. I was cut off at high speed, I pass the car that cut me off, and give the guy the finger. The guy chases me Mad Max style for about 5 KM. Stopped at a light, the guy jumps out of his car, rips open my car door, and starts beating me while I'm inside the car. I jump out, give the guy one punch, bloody his nose, he doesn't want to fight anymore, and I split. I could have run the guy over no problem like Bryant did. It is true that I am a large man, bigger than Bryant. I chose to engage the guy in a fist fight which Bryant also could very well have done if he felt threatened. There have been rumors that Mr. Sheppard was drunk. If true, he would have been silly putty for experienced boxer Bryant.
As one of German descent the first thing that came to my mind when I heard about this was
untermenschen which is a German word for sub-humans, popularized during the Nazi era. Seems in Bryant's twisted way of thinking, Mr. Sheppard was sub-human, an
untermensch undeserving of any consideration whatsoever. Witness the callous dragging of Mr. Sheppard. Mr. Sheppard may have thought that by holding on to Bryant's car, Bryant would stop like anybody else. Little did he know he was dealing with a monster, a
basterd as defined by Quentin Tarantino in his new movie. In true
basterd fashion Bryant racing at an estimated 90KM, used roadside objects to dislodge Mr. Sheppard finally after 100 yards bludgeoning him with a mailbox and squishing his skull with a rear tire. This isn't a scene from a Tarantino movie, this is real life. Without any regard for the condition of the
untermensch (near death) Bryant drives away leaving the scene.
There have been suggestions that Bryant was in some way intoxicated. Cocaine rage comes to mind. As far as I know he was not tested for alcohol or drugs. If Bryant was sober and is capable of committing the outlandish acts we see on the video, he is even a more grotesque
basterd.
Bryant’s PR firm is in overdrive planting stories showing Bryant in a favourable light; stories like “Bryant may yet overcome his tragic circumstances.” If Mr. Michael Bryant has any shred of decency, he should call off his PR Vermin, take responsibility for his actions and plead guilty to the lesser of the two charges.
I would at this time express my condolences to the family and friends of Al Sheppard. He did not deserve to die at the hands of this basterd.
In the "Unforgiven" there is a scene where Clint Eastwood is standing over a downed Gene Hackman with a shotgun aimed at his head. Hackman protests that he “doesn’t deserve to die like this,” Eastwood's reply: “deserve has got nothing to do with it. (KABOOM!)"
