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An open letter to The Toronto Star and The Toronto Sun.
A few years back in 2009 anonymous posters appeared on the streets of Toronto in the thousands stating that Terry Ross, a former employee of a man who runs a street postering and used bicycle business, was a rat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an6wuSoPjlc .
Seeing them I was shocked. I realized the posters were an attempt to get street people to inflict “street justice” on Ross.
I bought a video camera, filmed then, put the video on youtube and alerted everyone I could think of.
With the exception of one person everyone I could think of (including THE STAR and THE SUN) said the story was too small and there was nothing they could do.
That one person was in the office of then Toronto Mayor David Miller. Miller’s office acted. Terry Ross said to me, “You saved my life.”
In 2012 both myself and another ex-employee of the man posting the flyers came under attack.
THE STAR and THE SUN did nothing.
Oliver Moore of THE GLOBE AND MAIL called. He said, “I’ve seen those posters. I know the claims in them are false. I want to do a story.” I said, “Please include the others who have been and are being attacked otherwise people will say this is a feud.”
Moore did.That hasn’t stopped people from describing this as a feud. It isn’t.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL stated that the posters seemed designed to incite violence upon their subjects.
No seemed to it.The posters are designed to get their subjects murdered.
The author of this insanity was arrested in 2017. He was given a 2 year peace bond. He record was kept clean.
While in custody he told the police he used to live with me which is true and that while he lived here I was making and distributing child pornography which was not true.
What followed was reported in both THE STAR and THE SUN.
This world will always choose Barabbas.
Not reported in either paper is that after a thorough inspection of the computers and hard drives seized here is that the police found nothing to back up those charges. They were withdrawn.
The police were perplexed because they had found no trace of the file that led them here.
A friend said, “It was a set-up.”
Yes, it was.
From the hysteria around the way both papers and many others deal with this issue we would be right in thinking possession of child pornography is illegal.
Actually, under the Criminal Code artists, educators, medical and legal professionals are allowed to access and possess these materials provided use of the materials is not harmful to anyone under the age of 18. The computers on which the materials are stored must be secure (password protected).
Check the Criminal Code.
Every time the media reports an artist, an educator, a legal or a medical professional was arrested and accessing these materials not reported is that they are within the law. That includes ministers and priests.
Journalists are a penny a pound.
Informed journalists, now there is a rarity.
When the police arrived at my door I informed them I had materials related to children in Europe who after being placed under the “protection” of the State were used by politicians, the clergy, the police, judges, celebrities, bureaucrats, people of wealth and power for sexual purposes.
The people who were supposed to protect them were the ones who harmed them.
The only thing I plead guilty to was to not having a secure computer.
Mind you, the police stated my computers were secure. They were not.
Everyone living with me had access to them.
I could have used the statement from the police that the materials were secure in my defence. I chose to tell the truth.
Posters once again hit the street saying I was facing charges. These were false. The charges had been faced.
Now here’s the point of this post.
Two fellows walked into one of my presentations. They said, “We want to hear you talk.”
A third fellow came in behind them.
They left happy.
The third fellow stayed. We sat on the front porch and talked for hours. I said, “You should know I was arrested…”
He said, “You should know I am a former New York Times journalist. I am currently with CBS NEWS. I investigated you before I came here. Everything I found tells me you are classically innocent.”
When THE STAR’s Ed Keenan came through my door the first thing he said was,”Reg Hartt, you are the only person in this city who stands up.”
I said, “I’m not but there are never enough.”
Also untold in either paper was that I hired and fired three lawyers.
One on the eve of trial said, “I don’t know what to do. You could fall on your sword.”
I wonder how many people who trusted him he used that line on.
The third had his office do their best to terrify me into pleading guilty to charges of which they knew I was innocent.
What I did do was trust in GOD and follow the Gospel.
The truth sets us free.
God’s grace I was able to get film of the man criminally harassing myself and others which the police were able to use to file charges.
A Toronto City Councillor said, “I have seen those posters attacking you. They are hate. Why aren’t the police doing something?”
I said, “The police are doing what they can. You do something.”
His office did nothing. Furthermore I was informed the City could no nothing.
That is not true.
Mayor David Miller’s office did something in 2009/10.
Mayor Robert Ford’s office and Councillor Adam Vaughan’s offices did something in 2012.
What can the City do? I can do what even now it refuses to do.
The City can enforce the City of Toronto Street Poster Bylaws.
Posters over 8.5 x 11 inches are illegal.
Anonymous posters are illegal.
More than one cop of essentially the same poster are illegal.
The City says it can’t afford to enforce the Bylaws.
Bottom line is that when someone posts hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of anonymous posters designed to get their subjects murdered (not an exaggeration) there is something deeply wrong when the Powers that are called to protect the weakest among us consciously choose to cross the street and cast a blind eye.
One day Jane Jacobs said, “Would you care to come in for a coffee or a tea?”
Inside she pulled six beers out the fridge. She said, “I think you would prefer this.”
Out of the blue she said, “The best part of what you offer is what you have to say.”
I said, “Hearing that from you is better than receiving an Academy Award.”
She said, “I would not say that.”
I replied, “I do.”
I replied, “I do.”
Why is it better?
Because Academy Awards (Oscars) are given for being a good liar.
Hypocrite is the Greek word for actor.
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this city’s big schmooze-fest for hypocrites let me recall to you the words of Joe Fiorito published in THE STAR: “I am a friend of Reg Hartt. So is anyone who can appreciate a man who teaches the way Neal Cassady drove a bus. I mean that, where you have style wrapped around content and tied with a ribbon of beat improvisation, there you have angels.
“Harvey Pekar was an angel.
“And I’ve never met anyone with wings who did not have an ego. Nor is this an easy town for a man who is larger than life, and does not suffer fools. You might like to know that the friends of Reg Hartt included the non-fool-suffering Jane Jacobs, who knew a thing or two about what, and who, makes life worth living in the city; that’s good enough for me.
“The city will do what it will….
“And you will permit me an observation: if Martin Sheen can come to town and stand on the picket line with striking hotel workers, why won’t our senior cineastes stand up for Reg Hartt, as the city moves to strike him down?”
Why won’t our senior cineastes stand up?
Because not one of them is the kind of person who does stand up.
Not one of them is someone actually worth knowing.
Of the newspaper in front of her that day she invited me in for tea and gave me a beer or three Jane Jacobs said, “I hate that paper.”
It was THE STAR.
Movies are a form of speaking.
Writing is a a form of speaking.
As a speaker I am included with the very best on this list. https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-male-orators/reference .
We don’t get on a list like that unless we are solid.
I got more than praise from Jane Jacobs. I got love; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YonLUG7gRyY .
No actor coming to Toronto has received for lying what I have received for speaking the truth.
THE STAR seems to glory in bringing down the people whose morals it deems unfit.
John Tory guided us through the strait of covid while dealing with a family that seems not to have been there for him while he was there for us.
His reward: Public Disgrace.
Those anonymous posters said I harmed kids.
On the contrary, there are a host of people stating I helped them.
When posters went up targeting Adam Vaughan and myself THE STAR was silent
While person behind this plead guilty and is now on a one year peace bond (it should have been a lifetime peace bond) the attacks continue..
I routinely find my flyers torn down, torn up and posted in clumps behind posters promoting his business.
Nonetheless, my trust is in he who said, “24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”–Matthew 7.
My house is built on rock.
I do not hate THE STAR.
I am actually grateful for the hate that has been and is being expended upon me.
It unites me with all those upon which hate is being expended.
Yet we are called to love those who hate us.
For this I need help from GOD.
Luckily, GOD has given me that help.
But let us not pretend we are celebrating anything more than a cavalcade of hypocrisy (acting) during TIFF.
As this piece from THE GLOBE AND MAIL makes clear this has been going on for over thirty years.
By the way that former New York Times journalist, current CBS NEWS journalist is presenting his film during TIFF at The CineForum, September 13.
It is called OUR 20s.
He asked if he could show it here. I said, “Sure.”
A few years ago a 20 year old Black youth from Germany emailed me saying, “Help. I’m homeless. Have you got room for me?” I emailed back, “Sure.”
He came in homeless. He walked out a STAR.
In an interview WIZ said, “GOD led me to Reg Hartt.”
GOD is working through me here now.
When a former New York Times journalist. currently with CBS NEWS says, “I investigated you before I came here. Everything I found tells me you are classically innocent,” he is saying, “I did the work the locals did not do.
Excelsior. Weave your poetry out of the air.–Reg Hartt
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