The Police Board’s Mental Health Sub-Committee held a public hearing yesterday to listen to Toronto citizens’ views on whether Tasers should be given to all front-line police officers in the city.

More than 100 citizens signed up for five minutes to address the Board on issues ranging from health concerns to possible abuse of the weapon after the Ontario government voted to allow police officers to carry Tasers, previously only carried by supervisors and special tactical officers.

Most of those present were opposed to the wide use of Tasers and were concerned that Tasers would be overused by police.

Syed Hussam, a member of the community group Disarm Toronto, told board representatives of his experience with the Toronto Police.

“I was interrogated for five hours then was walked down the hallway and I see a crowd of police officers around this man handcuffed on the ground bleeding then this cop walks up and Tasers him,” Hussam said.

“Then a cop grabs me and presses me down on the [handcuffed] man and says ‘this will happen to you if you don’t cooperate.”

The issue of deadly force and the move to arm frontline constables comes in the wake of the shooting of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair has spoken out previously on the issue, saying Tasers are the answer when dealing with volatile situations.

Although Alok Mukerjee, head of the Police Service Board, does not entirely agree that Tasers are the answer.

“I worry that some people may use the Taser as a short cut to good policing,” Mukerjee said.

“I would have to receive a great deal of reassurance that the protocol, the rules, the training were being enforced and that people were being held accountable.”

In the wake of Rob Ford’s stunning admission that he has smoked crack cocaine, even the Mayor’s most ardent supporters have called for him to resign.

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34, Don Valley East) said he plans to put forth a motion at City Council calling for the Mayor to step down because, he says, Ford is an embarrassment to the city.

“He has lost the moral authority to lead,” Coun. Minnan-Wong said to assembled media at city hall. His voice was only one among a chorus of voices, from both within and outside city hall, calling for Ford’s resignation.

Outside of city hall the calls only grew louder Tuesday afternoon as a protest spontaneously formed at Nathan Phillips Square.

Some protestors, sporting masks from the activist group Anonymous led a protest calling for the Mayor to step down.

Earlier Tuesday the Mayor’s brother, Councillor Doug Ford of (Ward 2 Etobicoke North) defended his brother, charging that  Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair harboured a bias against the Mayor.

“[Blair] is the most political police chief we’ve ever had,” said Coun. Doug Ford to assembled at city hall. “[He] needs to step down immediately.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, reporters were crowded outside Ford’s office awaiting another statement from the mayor.