Hugo nominated Canadian SF writer detained and beaten while exiting US into Canada

[Aero and Dero 0]

Not much to say other than share the links and note that they swarmed his car as he was leaving the United States.

Of course, no oen knows the full story, but I thought people might be interested.

http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=932

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/12/11/help...ut-peter-watts/

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011966.html

[trailmix 77]

Interesting and unfortunately not all that surprising.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Wow. US border authorities assaulted him when he was leaving the US? There is so much here that just doesn't make sense. I hope that the real story comes out in the hearing - and the US realizes that they have an international incident on their hands.

[Aero and Dero 0]

Interesting and unfortunately not all that surprising.

The fact that it's not surprising is a sad thing. But I think (hope?) they realized they picked the wrong person to do this to. Not because he's famous, but because he is famous and isn't going to go quietly into the night about this.

I hope, despite how unfortunate this is, something good in the way of government oversight might come from it. It might possibly turn into a (mild) international incident?

[ValerieA 350]

I have never heard of being stopped by the US border guards when entering Canada.

[Kimbear 53]

ironically that is the same border crossing a year ago that separated me and david and interogated us for over 3 hours on my birthday.

[Dan and Ali 3]

I have never heard of being stopped by the US border guards when entering Canada.

So no one one knows what actually happened, just that he was beaten up and now is facing jail time? Did he commit a crime or ...?

[Aero and Dero 0]

I have never heard of being stopped by the US border guards when entering Canada.

So no one one knows what actually happened, just that he was beaten up and now is facing jail time? Did he commit a crime or ...?

From what I read of the articles, the basic timeline seems to be this.

* He entered the US to help his friends move to Nebraska.

* He drove up in a rented car and was at the Canadian border ready to cross.

* Right before he could reach Canadian customs, in the no man's land area where the CBP has jurisdiction over local police, the CBP swarmed his car.

* He got out and asked as to the nature of their search. They told him to get back in the car, but refused to answer his question, so he asked again.

* That's when he alleges they punched him, pepper-sprayed him, kicked the ####### out of him, and then threw him into a detainment cell, and then later into a prison cell. The CBP has no jurisdiction, as far as I know, to detain someone for that long? So the local police charged him with assaulting a federal officer.

* He posted bail and they put him across the border without his car, no jacket, and without his belongings in the middle of an Ontario storm.

But clearly, this is one-sided and while I don't think Peter Watts seems like the type of man to lie, they might have had a reason to search his car. Maybe some kind of tip or something. Who knows. Still, it doesn't excuse what happened /after/ they swarmed his car, including not telling him what was wrong.

Edited December 11, 2009 by Aero and Dero

[trailmix 77]

I have never heard of being stopped by the US border guards when entering Canada.

Me either - but he says that a 'swarm' of officers were waiting for him. I don't know what all border crossings are like but the one we drove through this year - you drive right by the U.S. office over to the Canadian booths.

If you buy into the Many Worlds Intepretation of quantum physics, there must be a parallel universe in which I crossed the US/Canada border without incident last Tuesday. In some other dimension, I was not waved over by a cluster of border guards who swarmed my car like army ants for no apparent reason

[kizza 1]

Not much to say other than share the links and note that they swarmed his car as he was leaving the United States.

Of course, no oen knows the full story, but I thought people might be interested.

http://www.rifters.com/crawl/?p=932

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/12/11/help...ut-peter-watts/

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/011966.html

huh. That's a scary story.

Interesting. Thanks for the post.

[ValerieA 350]

A quote from a Feb 11, 2007 interview with Peter Watts:

"And yet you were right about the subtext you detected. For all my Nietzschean posturing, I am endlessly outraged by the abuses we visit upon the world and each other. My blood boils in reaction to injustices both global and petty, and most people would probably agree this makes me a "good" person-- or at least an "ethical" one. Yet it hasn't really proven that beneficial to me; in fact, it's proven downright detrimental. I tend to not back down, which does not make me popular with cops, border guards, or publishers. I came within a hairsbreadth of blowing off the contract for this very book, in protest over a relatively minor injustice inflicted on someone *else*. Some folks quite legitimately regard me as downright self-destructive, because I keep doing things that are not in my own best interests. Why do I do these things? Because my sense of fairness demands it. Because it seems the right thing to do."

I am iffy that they are encouraging people to send in money to pay his legal bills. I'm not saying it isn't true, but it smells to me.

[Dan and Ali 3]

Well, that seems pretty terrible for him if it happened just like he said it did (for no apparent reason). However, isn't refusing to comply with a police officer an offense?

Pardon my naivette, I have just always been under the impression that if you don't listen to a police officer (and I guess I assumed border guards, too) you are committing a crime.

[Ontarkie 14,133]

Yup not surprised either, had a friend who was stop going back into Canada too. He was surounded by guards took his ID tried to deny it, saying he had none. Strip him down and cavity search him he was not happy.They stopped him at the toll both before you head over the bridge.

When they finaly let him out they refused to let him get back into Canada. He had to call the Canadian Consulate. He called a few while stuck in Michigan. And then he got a lawyer. They even tried saying that they never took away his ID, that he didn't have any. So when the Canadian Consulate and his Lawyer asked them how he got into the Country when its their policy to check ID/passport and scan it they coughed up the ID prettty fast then. Hes has 3 other problems with the border too even had to get the FBI involved, can you believe they actually helped clear things up do too their own error but they helped.

adding this was At the Sault Ste Marie border

Danielle

Edited December 11, 2009 by Ontarkie

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

This story has an odor to it.

I really don't buy it...NOT because the border patrol isn't capable of such things, but because the circumstances don't seem to fit the situation.

I'll be holding off of an opinion until I hear all sides.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I didn't read everything linked, but I suspect there's more to it then what is being said.

Has this been published in any major Cdn newspapers? You'd think you'd hear about it in the Globe and Mail , I tried a search and found nothing, but maybe it was me?

PS: from his quote, Peter Watts sound like a freaking pompous snot -, no?