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Category: protest
Protest at Hearing Loss Conference
A group called Audism Free America held a march near the St. Louis City Hall yesterday afternoon. The 8 block trek ended at the Union Station Marriott Hotel, where some 1000 people gathered for the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Meeting. About 50 people showed up show support for sign language and to call for less emphasis on detecting early hearing loss and fixes like cochlear implants.
Charges Dropped from G-20 Arrest
Prosecutors in Toronto have dropped charges against a deaf man arrested during G-20 protests in 2010. Emomotimi Azorbo was taken into custody when police clashed with demonstrators during a downtown march. His lawyer says Azorbo was in the area just to see what was happening and not because he was part of the protests. When Azorbo was told to stay off the street, he did not understand, according to his lawyer, and a struggle began when officers tried to arrest him. Azorbo was charged with assaulting two policeman and resisting arrest. Those charges have now been dropped with Azorbo agreeing to stay out of trouble for the next six months. Azorbo, who grew up in Nigeria, was not provided an interpreter during his court appearances or during his 16 hours of detention - despite the fact that the Canadian Hearing Society offered its interpreting services to Toronto police during the G20 summit for free. Below is a video of Azorbo's confrontation with police.
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Protest in Canada
Demonstrations are planned this Friday (Jan 13) in Canada over plans to shut down a government video relay phone service. The service has been active for a year and a half on a trial basis in British Columbia and Alberta, but that comes to an end next weekened (Jan 15). The CRTC, which governs the country’s telephone industry, used several million dollars to fund the trial, employing some 150 sign interpreters.
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