Community commits to seek truth and justice in Reodica case

Community commits to seek truth and justice in Reodica case

SCARBOROUGH – Approximately 180 members of the Filipino community and supporters from various cultures came together on Monday, May 31, for a community meeting to get involved in the quest for truth and justice in the killing of Jeffrey Reodica by a police officer.

The meeting, held at the Scarborough Civic Centre council chambers was attended by the Reodica family led by Jeffrey’s parents Willie and Flora; youth and their parents; leaders and members of various Filipino-Canadian organizations; City Councillor Raymond Cho; Steve Blue, Jeffrey’s religion teacher at Jean Vanier High School; members of the Filipino media and mainstream media; representatives from The City of Toronto’s Community and Neigbourhood Services Department; and other concerned citizens of the city.

The meeting, chaired by Mel Catre, founder of the National Congress of Filipino Canadian Associations, and moderated by Paul de la Cruz, president of the Philippine Press Club-Ontario, heard various ideas and opinions on courses of actions to take, as they expressed sympathy and support for the Reodica family. Many committed themselves to be actively involved in seeking justice for the death of Jeffrey.
An account of one of the young witnesses of Jeffrey’s killing – which appears in this issue of The Philippine Reporter and in Balita – was read before the audience, detailing for the first time a version of the incident never before revealed in the media. While mainstream media reports, supposedly based on accounts provided by unnamed witnesses claiming Jeffrey wielded a knife, the account of the youth, whose name could not be disclosed, revealed that Jeffrey was not carrying a knife.

The issue of witness protection was taken up, as it was learned that the young witnesses of Jeffrey’s killing were afraid to come out in the open. Suggestions were made to bring the concerns to the attention of Toronto Mayor David Miller, Councillors, MPs and MPPs, and the Police Services Board, through a letter-writing campaign, through signed petitions, as well as mass actions, if necessary.
A fund-raising campaign was launched to support the family in its fight for truth and justice, and a website is being created to inform and update everyone on the status of the campaign. The need for a good lawyer was also repeatedly emphasized.

Two petitions were passed around and promptly signed by the meeting participants. One petition was addressed to the Attorney General’s Office of Ontario, Special Investigations Unit, and Homicide Division of Toronto Police Services. This petition asked for truthfulness and transparency in the final reports of the two investigations currently being undertaken – one by the police and the other by SIU. It also asked for a public inquiry of Jeffrey’s death, and that all final reports be made available to the community and the public.

The second petition, an open letter which was signed by various organization representatives, members of the media, politicians, the youth and other community members, called for unity in the quest for truth and justice. Concerned that the truth may not come out if the young witnesses, Jeffrey’s friends who saw his killing, would remain afraid to testify because “shadowy figures have been watching and trailing them and they could not live normal lives.” It specifically asked Toronto Mayor David Miller and Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry to be directly involved in assuring the boys and their families of safety in relation to their participation in any investigation.

Shortly after the second petition was read, a parent of one of the young witnesses stood up and after identifying himself, revealed how he was denied access to his son while the latter was in police custody. He offered the Reodicas his assistance in their search for truth and justice. The parent’s courage was met with a standing ovation by everyone present.

This was followed by another parent who bravely stood up to also offer his help.

Altogether, the meeting was considered a success as around $3,000 was raised for the fund that night alone; petitions were promptly signed; the website’s creation was announced; and concrete next steps were identified. The Jeffrey Michael Reodica Memorial Trust Fund was announced and any donor may contribute by depositing a cheque to that account in any branch of Hongkong and Shanghai Bank. — M. Astorga-Garcia