Fallout from Sammy Yatim shooting won’t end with one night of protest

The death of one young man on board a downtown Toronto streetcar launched a protest against the city's police force that filled streets and shook members of the force.

The death of Sammy Yatim, who was killed last weekend following a standoff with police officers, is being held up as the latest, most visible example of Toronto police overbearance.

It is being taken seriously, Chief William Blair asserts. And it should be, because everything about what happened in the early hours of Saturday, July 27, has left pointed questions on the minds of Toronto residents.

What was to be a vigil Monday evening turned into an all-out protest, as hundreds of gathered Toronto residents demanded justice for Yatim.

The 18-year-old's mother and sister were at the centre of the crowd as several of his friends took turns demanding answers for his death.

“Justice for Sammy” was a common chant; so was “shame.” Placards read “Protect us from our protectors.”

According to the Canadian Press, Yatim's disconsolate mother repeated his name again and again, unable to say much else.

[ Related: 7 unanswered questions about the Toronto streetcar shooting ]

While the protest was generally peaceful, there were a few moments of tension between the hundreds who attended the protest and the officers tasked with policing the event.

Occupy Toronto shot video of what it claims was an attempt by police to arrest a woman, until a rush of protesters rushed in and pulled her free.

Other reports suggest a police station was vandalized with graffiti.

NOW Magazine writer Jonathan Goldsbie followed the march and protest well into the evening, comparing the event to a smaller version of the protests over the policing of Toronto's G20 summit in 2010.

In that case, demonstrators were protesting the illegitimate arrest, abuse and mistreatment of hundreds of people. This time, the death of one young man.

Police say they responded to a call near Trinity Bellwoods Park late Friday night and found a man wielding a knife alone on the streetcar. What happened next is a matter of investigation, but Ontario's Special Investigation Unit says Yatim died of multiple gunshot wounds after an incident involving police. He was also Tasered.

"A tragedy has happened, and there is no undoing of what has occurred, the kid is dead. Shot down in a senseless act of one-upmanship, a trigger happy cop, a loud mouthed teen, and boom," uncle Jim Yatim told the Associated Press.

[ Pulse of Canada: Should police wear body-mounted video cameras? ]

Toronto Police Association president say the officer involved in the shooting was devastated by the incident. The officer has been suspended with pay as the case is investigated by the province's Special Investigation Unit, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and the Ontario ombudsman, all separately.

But those demanding "Justice for Sammy" are not satisfied leaving the quest in the hands of officials. More protests and vigils are being planned.

Friends are organizing a vigil outside police headquarters next month. The Toronto Police Services Board is holding their next meeting on Aug. 13 and the plan is to be there in full force. More than 2,000 people have joined a Facebook event.

The fallout from Yatim’s death won’t end with one vigil and the conclusion of a view investigations and reviews.

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