‘Warrior’ against over-policing gets 30 days in jail

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This article was published 26/07/2018 (2829 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A self-proclaimed “warrior” against over-policing in society has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for threatening a Manitoba RCMP officer.

Jonathan Land, 36, was convicted of uttering threats after a trial in Brandon provincial court in April. He was sentenced last week.

The altercation took place on Aug. 11, 2017, when officers visited Land’s home after a complaint had been made against him, Crown attorney Rich Lonstrup said.

Land was already upset when police arrived, Lonstrup said, and either Land or his partner recorded the interaction.

Land saw an officer who he mistakenly thought had been involved with him in a prior incident and yelled, “Do you want to get f—ed up, or what?”

“The situation escalated to the point where police literally retreated from the property to de-escalate the situation,” Lonstrup said. “It seems the people who didn’t know they were being recorded were being very professional and beyond reproach. Mr. Land — who effectively created the evidence against himself — was over the top, angry and aggressive.”

Land has a history of threatening peace officers, including visiting an officer’s home and harassing his wife, Lonstrup said.

“(Land) needs to be deterred, he needs to get the message that violence and threats get him nowhere. Harassing and bullying police officers will get him nowhere,” he said.

“There’s always going to be police haters, people that chronically disrespect and distrust the police. But there is a line to be drawn. This is not about an attitude, this is about someone threatening violence.”

Defence lawyer Jason Stitt said Land was in a bad place mentally at the time of the offence, and was drinking.

“It was a momentary lapse in judgment,” Stitt said. “Mr. Land is a self-proclaimed advocate to the people who feel marginalized and over-policed in our society. Sometimes, it comes off as a little aggressive, however, he is passionate about his beliefs and about the situation of policing in our society.”

Land apologized to the court for his actions, which he said was a “foolish” result of him drinking and “blowing off steam.”

However, he said he was the one “bullied and harassed” by the RCMP, not the other way around.

Land added he was trying to look into better ways to raise concerns with the RCMP, which he described as a “militarized police force.”

“I’m a warrior… Everything happens for a reason. I believe the reason I am here today is to help these people who say they’re being abused by (police forces),” Land said. “I’m a police activist, that’s what I am… It’s going to be my life mission to fight police corruption.”

The Crown had asked for three months in custody; the defence had asked for a shorter stint of house arrest.

— Brandon Sun