Pushing The Pedal

"Street racing is a frightening spectacle to members of the public", who rely on the fact that society recognizes that public roadways are to be used solely for transit and transportation, not for extreme 'recreational' purposes by immature and boisterous young males who have little regard for public safety.  Ontario Court Justice David Paciocco added his opinion that it was "miraculous" the area had not been busy with traffic in the middle of the day.

There were no pedestrians or other vehicles on the road, in a residential district in close proximity to people's homes and a school on June 22, 2010, on Claridge Drive in Ottawa.  Where a group of teens had decided to have some fun and excitement, challenging one another in a street race. And where one young man met his death when he lost control of the car he was driving.

 Kareem Alli, 19, was found guilty of dangerous driving causing death while street racing. 

Judge Paciocco, in handing down the sentence of two-and-a-half years in prison, felt a strong disciplinary deterrent was required to act as a message to other young men who might think that organizing a street race as Alli did was all in the game of having fun.  The sentence, he felt, reflected how "appalling(ly) dangerous (was the) nature of the activity you engaged in", addressing the young man.

The Crown prosecutor had argued four years would be appropriate, given the fact that the young man had driven his aunt's car without a license, racing at double the speed limit, lying to police investigators after the accident that killed 18-year-old Christian Williams who lost control of the car he was driving after Alli pulled out to retake the lead between them.

Christian Williams died from his injuries after having slammed his vehicle into a lamppost.  Alli had demonstrated little remorse for being involved in the death of his friend.  "It's not like I was in his head, pushing the pedal", Alli said to his probation officer.  But what really demonstrated his juvenile attitude and lack of responsibility was his having posted an invitation to hundreds of friends on Facebook, to join him in a celebratory party.

On his final Friday night of freedom, before Justice David Paciocco delivered Alli's sentence, he invited 347 friends to a "going away sh-- show", so they could all engage in some additional fun to "do it big", and "get crazy".  Justice Paciocco termed the Facebook posts "disrespectful" to the memory of Williams and to the due process of law before handing down the sentence.

That will put Kareem Alli in a federal penitentiary for two years and a half, and ban him from driving for five years.  This will give the  young man ample opportunity to re-think his lack of penitence in being the cause of the death of a friend, even though it was the friend's foot on the pedal, and not his own.