Letter to Consul General Mosquera: Appeal for Support on the Case of Jeffrey Reodica

Letter to Consul General Mosquera: Appeal for Support on the Case of Jeffrey Reodica

June 9, 2006
Mr. Alejandro Mosquera
Consul-General
Philippine Consulate General,
Toronto

Dear Mr. Mosquera:

Greetings! The Reodica family and the Justice for Jeffrey Coalition (J4J) would like to reiterate the family’s appeal for your support regarding the campaign to seek the truth and justice for the death of Jeffrey Reodica. As you know, Jeffrey was only 17 years old when he was shot three times in the back by Toronto police officer Det. Const. Dan Belanger on May 21, 2004. Det. Const. Belanger was cleared by the Special Investigations Unit, which declared that his actions were legally justified.

In 2004, the Reodica family approached you to ask for your support in the campaign, and you had agreed to do so. To date, however, we have not seen nor heard any significant expression of support from your office.

On May 8, 2006, a Coroner’s inquest into Jeffrey’s death commenced and is currently in progress. This inquest is a significant gain for us, as it is our opportunity to uncover the answers to the many questions that remain regarding Jeffrey’s death, and to raise concerns we have regarding the way Jeffrey and the other Filipino youths he was with on May 21, 2004, were treated. Now, more than ever, we need your assistance in order to strengthen our call for truth and justice.

In our view, what happened to Jeffrey and his friends was a blatant example of brutality and systemic racism by Canadian authorities, and we feel that it is your responsibility as the Consul-General – a representative of Filipinos in Canada – to take a stand in situations where the rights and welfare of members of our community are undermined. Therefore, we appeal to you to give us your support by doing the following:

* Issue a public statement of support for the Reodica family and the Justice for Jeffrey Campaign, for the Filipino community and the Canadian public and authorities to see.

* Attend the inquest sessions at the Coroner’s Courts, 15 Grosvenor Street, downtown Toronto, which take place Monday-Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to approximately 4:30 p.m..

* Attend the Justice for Jeffrey press conference on Friday, June 16, 2006 at 5:30 p.m. in front of the Coroner’s Courts.

To discuss this matter with us, you may contact Willie & Flora Reodica at (416) 439-9574, or Jerry Villanueva (J4J) at (647) 298-2957. We shall await your prompt response.
Respectfully,

The Reodica family and the Justice for Jeffrey Coalition
www.reodica.com/jeff