‘Catch and release’ justice denounced at rally

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This article was published 22/03/2024 (586 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cries for justice rang out downtown Friday at a rally organized by the brother of a businessman who was attacked and killed outside his restaurant in January.

“The justice system failed our family,” Mike Vogiatzakis said before addressing a crowd of roughly 30 people.

His brother Kyriakos Vogiatzakis was beaten outside the Cork & Flame on Portage Avenue Jan. 24. Curtis Ross Dalebozik has been charged with manslaughter. Dalebozik, who has a lengthy record, had received probation for a mischief charge in November, and was accused of breaching soon after he was sentenced.

The protesters denounced the “catch and release” justice system as they gathered outside the Law Courts Building on York Avenue.

“It can’t just be catch and release,” Vogiatzakis said. “What lesson are we learning from that?

“(It’s) making sure people get rehab, making sure people know they committed a crime, and they’ve got to serve time for this crime,” he said.

Vogiatzakis later promised there would be more rallies. He pointed a finger at judges and elected officials, saying they need to be tougher on crime.

“We’re missing an awesome guy,” Vogiatzakis told a reporter about his brother. “The guy who loved to build communities and be a part of making good things happen in the city, and now he’s gone.”

Groups who label themselves as alternative media, who were friendly with Vogiatzakis, were in attendance. They joined Vogiatzakis’ calls, singing “We’re not going to take it.”

“We just can’t catch and release and keep putting them out on the streets to recommit crimes,” said Gloria Dignazio, who said she reports for Winnipeg Alternative Media.

Dalebozik “obviously needed help,” and there needs to be another option for people involved in the justice system, she added.

Manitoba has had many recent cases involving repeat offenders, including a fatal high-speed crash in October 2022 where a teen, who was charged with dangerous driving causing death, was on bail in relation to a machete attack four months earlier.

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The Manitoba government directed Crown attorneys to take a tougher approach to bail last month. However, experts panned the directive at the time, saying there was nothing new in it.

Public safety is already under consideration in bail court, a lawyer told the Free Press in February.

The NDP has earmarked $3 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year for the Winnipeg Police Service to hire 12 officers to locate people who violate bail conditions. It’s in addition to a joint unit involving officers from WPS and RCMP.

The government announced funding for five new bail workers, and $514,000 was slated to expand data and intelligence sharing across police networks.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com

Gabrielle Piché
Reporter

Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.

Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.