Latinos hopeful after meeting

A five-hour meeting with Calgary Police Chief Christine Silverberg yielded hope for members of Calgary's Latin American community who want assault charges against a man who claims he was beaten by undercover officers dropped.

But they say they are still disturbed by the alleged beating and want justice as soon as possible for Juan Domingo Melendez.

The association received a letter Thursday from Silverberg stating the police department will do everything in its power to investigate the validity of the charges against Melendez and that it has passed on the association's concerns to the Crownprosecutor's office.

"It is a good sign. To our knowledge this is the first time this was done," said Don Wise, a spokesman for the Latin American Community Association.

"These are trumped charges used to justify beating a man," said Wise.

"These are not substantive charges and say to us that this was a racially motivated beating."

The 37-year-old SAIT student was in provincial court for plea Thursday but the case was put off until Oct. 10.

He is charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest during an Aug. 17 prostitution sting operation.

Melendez's lawyer Mike Dinkel said his client, who claims he was the victim of police brutality, is concerned about the allegations.

"He's very upset about it," Dinkel said. "He was hurt very badly. He's concerned about his injuries."

Dinkel would not detail Melendez's injuries.

The police force has launched an internal investigation into the brutality allegations and the LACA hopes the investigation will result in the charges against Melendez being dropped.

"This high-level investigation shows that the police are questioning the validity of the charges themselves," Wise said at an association meeting in northeast Calgary Thursday night.

"And they have said they will have no hesitation in pressing charges against the police if the investigation shows there was wrongdoing."

Deputy Chief Peter Copple said Thursday it is beyond the responsibility of police to withdraw charges when the Crown has them. He said the case is up to the courts to decide and he could not comment further.

Wise said Silverberg assured him the police is proceeding with the internal investigation, which could take up to a year to complete.

The association is hoping the investigation's results will lead to the Crown dropping the charges.

At least two witnesses have come forward to be interviewed by police, according to LACA board member Dago Correa.

"They were reluctant but are now willing to co-operate," Correa said.

He said the case has prompted a number of people in Calgary's Latino, Chinese and Vietnamese communities to come forward with their allegations of police abuse.

"People are coming forward to tell us stories about what happened to them and feel they have been mistreated by police," Correa said.

"We have to do something about this because it is not acceptable."