A lot happened while I was in Ethiopia and had limited internet access so this thread isn't as up to date as it was during the earlier days of Crackgate, but I'll continue posting updates again as usual Police may have watched Gawker ‘crack video’ meeting By: Jayme Poisson News reporter, Published on Thu Oct 24 2013 Six officers from Toronto police’s organized crime unit were watching suspected drug and gun dealer Mohamed Siad. It was Tuesday, May 14, and police had learned Siad was to be involved in a possible firearms deal. They’d covertly followed him from his nearby apartment and planned to wait for a transaction, then arrest everyone involved, according to a police surveillance report. The arrests didn’t happen. Siad, later revealed as the person peddling a video showing Mayor Rob Ford smoking what appears to be crack cocaine, was involved in a different type of transaction: The sale of “a cellular phone, not a gun,” the report says. As it turns out, Siad’s meeting with that “unknown party” was the same day, place and time that John Cook, the editor of U.S.-based website Gawker, met with two men trying to sell the Ford “crack video.” (Cook has seen a picture of Siad and believes he was the man who played him the video.) Two days later, Cook published his account of that meeting, including his viewing of a well-lit, clear 90-second cellphone video of the mayor smoking what appears to be crack cocaine and uttering homophobic and racist remarks. A few hours after that, the Star revealed that two of its reporters had seen the same video two weeks earlier. Ford has previously said he “cannot comment on a video that I have never seen or does not exist.” Neither Ford nor his staff members have responded to detailed requests from the Star for comment on this story. The surveillance report of the Gawker meeting reveals that six Toronto officers appear to have watched the unfolding of one of the biggest political scandals to ever hit Toronto. The meeting took place at the Dixon Rd. highrises that became the epicentre of June’s Project Traveller guns and gang raids. While the report offers no details about the cellphone up for sale, it does give a time-stamped sequence of Siad’s movements: 2:53 p.m.: The police crew follows Siad as he drives from his apartment on Richgrove Dr. to the nearby Dixon Rd. highrises. 3 p.m.: Siad parks his black Honda Civic underground at the apartment building at 370 Dixon Rd. 3:12 p.m.: Detectives learn Siad is selling a cellular phone, not a gun. 3:30 p.m.: Surveillance is discontinued for the afternoon and officers attend a debriefing. Gawker’s Cook told the Star this week that at 2:23 p.m. that day, the second man, who was trying to broker the video, picked him up at a nearby chain restaurant and drove him to the Dixon Rd. highrises to meet up with the video’s owner. From there, “it was probably an hour before we saw the video.” In his May 16 post, Cook recounted the conversation he had with the video’s owner (who he now believes is Siad) while they were sitting in an idling car. During the meeting the man said he had taken the video within the last six months. “You’re sure it’s crack?” Cook asked. “Yes.” “You’ve seen him smoke crack before?” “Yes. Gotta jet.” When Siad showed the video to Star reporters Kevin Donovan and Robyn Doolittle, he made the same claims. The Star has been unable to verify Siad’s claims. On June 13, as part of the Project Traveller raids, police armed with a search warrant busted down the door of Siad’s apartment on Richgrove Dr. and arrested him. Police did not find the video there. As of about one month ago, police still hadn’t come into possession of it. After the crack video scandal erupted, Siad told people the video was “gone.” Neighbourhood sources say people in the Dixon Rd. community were angered by the media firestorm and wanted the attention to go away. Siad recently turned down a request by a Star reporter for a visit at Maplehurst detention centre, where he is being held while facing a slew of gun and drug charges. As for the American journalist almost caught up in a Canadian police sting: “I am pleased to know the watchful eye of the Toronto police department was looking out for me,” said Cook. Jayme Poisson can be reached at (416) 814-2725 or jpoisson@thestar.ca

^^ I didn't say it makes it okay to gossip, I said that to explain why Wadani's point (that NY's thread is how Somalis learn about the arrests of other Somalis in their communities) is incorrect.

Wadani;982910 wrote: The Somali community would not know about most of the people on that thread except for their family and a few neigbours if they weren't paraded on here by Nin-Yaaban, so Safferz point about it already being public is moot within this context. You know that's not true. Somalis talk *a lot* and follow these things closely within their own communities, I don't even live in Toronto anymore yet I haven't seen Nin-Yaaban post anything from TO that I haven't already heard about from someone back home. News gets around easily, and you're really reaching by overstating the importance of SOL. SP, what's the verdict?

Blackflash;982815 wrote: I quickly went through the thread in question and counted 127 different postings of different cases, the charges in 43 of those cases were either murder or attempted murder. Would any of you still raise issues over privacy if the thread highlighted only the most serious cases? It would still be a fairly large thread. I don't think most people who take issue with Nin-Yaaban's thread do so because of privacy concerns, it seems to be more out of the feeling that NY is airing out our dirty laundry and that criminality amongst Somalis is something that should be kept quiet and out of sight.

Hawdian;982814 wrote: Anybody who wants to sell their babyMonkey Contact me Asap . tnx. There was one at an Ikea in Toronto not too long ago, I'm sorry you missed him

Saalax;982810 wrote: Anigu kuma niciin even though you're very pro united former Somali republic(Somaliland and Somalia). Well I'm ambivalent about it, and I don't deny the political reality of Somaliland independence. SL is also the only region of the two that I can identify with, as both my parents were raised in Hargeisa. But I just don't like how you feel the need to insult southern Somalia in every other post you make. Anyway, that's a topic for another thread... and no I don't hate you Sanaag is my reer ayeeyo dee.

Saalax;982808 wrote: Safferz Are you still upset with me. Waan ku nacay

Che -Guevara;982639 wrote: When you says monkeys, I thought you were referring to Alpha. And when I saw the title, I thought it was another one of Saalax's racist posts about Somalia where he calls Somalis monkeys.

Another thought, why not a thread highlighting the positive accomplishments and successes in our community? I remember a while ago Chimera had a thread on Somali scientists, perhaps something similar expanded to include academics, business people, activists, professionals, random folks featured in a positive way in the media, etc that everyone can contribute to. That's more constructive than trying to have the criminals thread shut down, which is unlikely to happen at this point.

Complicated;982719 wrote: Safferz: Whatever happened to Innocent until proven guilty without a shadow of a doubt waliba? Some of the links and photos Nin_Yaaban posted online are mere accusations and not proven. Additionally, Nin_Yaaban seems to be hell bent on creating some form of encyclopedia on Somali "criminals", surely even you (defender of the Somali name ... remember the Star case?) see the flaw in the argument that "such information is available on the internet". This would have made sense to me if Nin_Yaaban started this thread with his mugshot (after all he is a convicted criminal) and openly explained that he is/was a "Qashin" as he labels others, laakiin kaygaan qarinayaa kuwa kalana waan fadeexaynayaa seems to me inay tahay epitome of hypocrisy Oh and I dare not talk about kuwan yaryar ee burushka xaarka leh la wareegaya lest they turn on me. There is that possibility, yes. But I'm just not convinced by a lot of the arguments for shutting that thread down. NY isn't doing his own investigating and writing about Somalis getting arrested, he's compiling what's already out there in the news. If he doesn't create the content, how can he be accused of making Somalis look bad? It's the folks who get arrested who are already doing that, I take NY's thread as a sort of media watch focusing on Somalis and the law. It's not the thread's existence that produces these issues, and I think the fact NY makes it visible to us here gives us the opportunity for productive dialogue about the problems in our community. And from what I've seen, Nin-Yaaban has been pretty open about his criminal history.

.

Alpha Blondy;982690 wrote: what does that mean anyway? It means nothing should be forced and you should act naturally. You don't need to *try* to be funny or impress people.

Just be yourself, dee

SomaliPhilosopher;982673 wrote: writing a joke is very difficult You reminded me of one of my fav Onion articles, "Frustrated Novelist No Good At Describing Hands" So you're writing now huh SP? I've always wanted to take a crack at creative writing.

In defense of Nin_Yaaban, he posts photos that he finds in the news, unlike other threads here (ie. Mad_Mullah's thread with interracial couples) that actually use people's private Facebook photos. Arrests and mug shots are public records, so the privacy point is moot unless they are minors (whose names and images aren't released by the police anyway). They lost the right to privacy when they broke the law.

So what does this have to do with Hollywood?

Rolled out of bed at the crack of noon

Saalax;982555 wrote: He doesn't have to tell me, we see it in the picture and statement clear and cut. Just because he likes to help other Somalis does not mean he wants his name linked to violent places like Mogadishu. Yes he did say that statement in the past, hence why I said "perhaps he doesn't want to be associated with Mogadishu even if it might be his birth place hence explains the withdrawal". One can change their mind and this new statement in his book proofs it. This is his current stance. The statement is from a few weeks ago actually, obviously he has no issue making public statements about being a Somali born in Somalia in September. Once again, quit projecting your own hatred to read Mo Farah's thoughts and intentions, which is what you purport to be doing. Horta do you know that you're Somali? And that all these stereotypes and negative images of Somalia that you perpetuate actually affect you directly, as a Somali? Perhaps on this forum and back home, you have a specific clan and a state that you can use to differentiate yourself, but to the rest of the world, we're the same people. If the world imagines Somalia to be full of warlords, pirates, religious extremists, etc they are talking about YOU too. There's a complete lack of self-awareness in everything you post on SOL.

Saalax;982549 wrote: How am I speculating when you can clearly see it with your eyes "Me and Hassan in front of the flag of Somaliland, the country of our birth". Meelkasta Saalax baad ku aragta, cajiib. Mo is proud of his country of origin(Somaliland) and sees association with unstable Somalia as a bad rep, that is the fact we see here, it is the choice he made. You don't have to look for scapegoats and try to blindfold yourself . That's the speculation I'm talking about. Did he personally tell you about how Somalia has a bad rep and he doesn't want to be associated with it? Does that not contradict everything we know about him as a public figure in the Somali community, one who is active on Somali issues? I was going to link you to two recent events that come to mind, the Somalia conference and the UK remittances issue, when I came across a statement he made: “I welcome the international support being given to build on the momentum of progress in Somalia, the country of my birth. Unfortunately we are now just one week away from a new humanitarian catastrophe in the country. Remittances have played a crucial role for my family and the Mo Farah Foundation and their sudden cessation will have serious and avoidable consequences, bringing increased hardship, insecurity and instability to the Somali people." C'mon now, Saalax.

Saalax;982546 wrote: The keyword was. The ordinary people who don't know his family don't know if he was actually born there or it just fake birth place. Perhaps he doesn't want to be associated with Mogadishu even if it might be his birth place hence explains the withdrawal. Well the keyword is "was" because his birth isn't in the present or future lol. Quit speculating and assuming he's trying to distance himself from Somalia as you try to on a regular basis, not everyone is as consumed by hatred for fellow Somalis as you are. The fact is that regardless of where he's born, his passport will either say Mogadishu, Somalia or Gabiley, Somalia.

Saalax;982541 wrote: His close relatives say his actual birth place is Gabiley, Somaliland while his fake birth place is Mogadishu, Somalia. So his actual birthplace was Somalia.

Except he was born in Somalia...

Abbaas;982515 wrote: ^ Uuuf, hees lagama weynaado, leave habo alone :mad: :mad: I agree, but she needs to get rid of those awful braids

Alpha Blondy;982505 wrote: i see you've chosen the way of Angelia Jolie in that classic american blockbuster SALT. excellent film by the way. i'm not surprised by your hormonal driven BS. we clearly have information on you. we shan't release this, lakinse. Double basaas :cool: I have even more dirt on you so let's not threaten qarxis, ee sida ula soco.

Alpha Blondy;982499 wrote: double agent Safinova, please report your finds of the enemies activities. please use the S.A.L.U.T.E as taught in the academy. I don't snitch and I don't like snitches :mad: