Not much for me to say on this post, I always knew he was still involved. Hence the premise of my documentary was that there is really no way out of this lifestyle.
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Guilty plea in Surrey murder plot
By Dan Ferguson – Surrey North Delta Leader
Published: April 16, 2010 1:00 PM
Updated: April 16, 2010 2:10 PM
Former gangster Bal Buttar is standing trial in connection with a Surrey murder plot.
- Courtesy Mani Amar
Meena Jouhal of Surrey has been sentenced to seven years in prison for plotting the murder of her husband with the alleged assistance of a blind and paralyzed former gangster from Vancouver.
The 33-year-old Jouhal was charged with counselling another person to commit an indictable offence in 2007 along with the wheelchair-bound Baljit “Bal” Buttar who lives in a long-term care facility.
She pleaded guilty in February and was sentenced in March of this year.
Because Buttar is still awaiting trial by jury, a B.C. Supreme Court judge has imposed a ban on publication that forbids reporting any details of the Jouhal sentencing hearing except for her guilty plea and jail term.
The ban is to remain in effect until the jury in the Buttar trial has retired to consider its verdict “…or until the case against Baljit Buttar has otherwise been concluded…” the order states.
Buttar’s trial on charges of counselling another to commit an indictable offence and conspiracy to commit murder is expected to begin later this year before a B.C. Supreme court judge and jury in New Westminster.
According to sworn documents filed by investigators in Surrey Provincial Court after Jouhal and Buttar were arrested, the pair began planning the murder of Navtej Jouhal in July of 2006.
They allegedly tried to get another person, identified in the court document only as “E. Kramer” to commit the murder.
University of British Columbia (UBC), BC’s pinnacle post-secondary institution was the host of AWR yesterday. The screening took place for the eager minds of Professor Harjot Oberoi’s South Asian Beyond South Asian course. The screening was followed up with a Q&A where along with questions about the film, I answered questions about my personal experiences growing up and with the making of the film.
The students were very appreciative of my hard work to produce such a project. It is for the youth, I work so hard.
Later that night, Emerging Leaders of UBC (ELUBC), a club for students wishing to taking on a leadership role in their school and endeavours, kindly invited me to speak at their 3rd Annual Leadership Summit, appropriately titled, ‘In The Face Of Adversity’. The event hosted many speakers who came to share their stories of trials and tribulations. What a great event. I was given a great opportunity to speak about the issues of Marijuana Legalization and Gang Violence. It was also a chance for me to advise students on the power each of them has in making a difference. I sincerely hope I was able to spark a few minds.
The president of the club, William Tao, is a very hard working young student destined to make a difference in society. Props to him and his club for approaching such proactive endeavours.
You can find more information about the event here.
Shout outs to Professor Harjot Oberoi and William Tao.
Thanks to our old friend, Professor Heidi Currie, I was invited back to Douglas College (Coquitlam Campus) to showcase the short version of my documentary for the Sociological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour course. The screening along with an in depth Q&A session was a great success. Students seemed to be very engaged and motivated with their future career choices in the Criminal Justice fields.
As always, it was my pleasure to help educate young minds.
Shout out to Heidi Currie for setting everything up once again.
The legendary Celluloid Social Club, renowned for bringing the independent Vancouver film scene together, was kind enough to reach out to me to have me show my film’s trailer and do a quick Q&A to the always interested audience on the night of February 10th, 2010.
The trailer seemed to reach the audience in the manner intended, to advise them there is an issue and we need to do something about it.
The Club was a great place to meet other likeminded individuals and also to garner support for one another’s film projects.
To everyone in the Vancouver independent film scene that is unaware of Celluloid, click on their logo at the bottom to check out their website. Also, check out their partner website, First Weekend Club.
Shout outs to Alexandra Staseson & Paul Armstrong, your support of the industry is definitely appreciated.
Tonight my film was screened for local youth at Grand Taj Banquet Hall in Surrey. The screening was put together by the always hardworking Rubina Mudhar & Sandy Bachra, both of Mosaic BC, both of South Asian Community Coalition Against Youth Violence (SACCAYV). The event was youth motivated and driven. Rubina, Sandy, and myself believed that this event should stay focused on youth and not have picture hungry adults invited. The setting was comfortable for the youth, comfortable enough to have a strong Q&A session follow immediately after the screening.
It was a great intimate event and I want to send my thanks and shout outs to Rubina and Sandy for their hardwork. Though they stray away from recognition, these two are some of the real community leaders that need to be known. Thanks again ladies.
I am requesting everyone’s support to help the people of Haiti.
One of the poorest and unprivileged nations on Earth got the short end of the stick one more time as a massive 7.0 earthquake destroyed much of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Show your love and support by making a simple donation. The 2 most credible sites I found to donate through are the following;
Thanks to unsuspected phone calls from Assistant Professor Kym Clark and then Professor Reynaldo Ortiz from Binghamton University (State University of New York), my film was showcased via online streaming to the students of LACAS: 380-A: Asian, Latino/a, and African-American Gangs in NY and Californa: Stereotypes and Realities on January 6th, 2010.
Professor Ortiz advised me that the students were shocked to learn of some of the conditions/reasons for youth getting involved in gang activity in Metro Vancouver. Just as it is stated in my film, some precursors are considered abnormal reasons for motivating youth into this lifestyle.
I was happy to learn that my poetic footage was deemed ‘moving’ by the students. The use of strong metaphorical visuals and impacting audio seems to be working for bringing awareness. I hope to use such tools in my future film endeavours.
Currently, Professors Clark & Ortiz are working on bringing me to New York to showcase the film to a larger audience, along with a Q&A.
Shout outs to Kym Clark & Reynaldo Ortiz & Binghamton University.
A couple of months ago, early in the summer, I was approached by Mercer Creative to come in to check out their ‘project’. Mercer had been commissioned to produce a second music video for Daniel Wesley’s new hit single – Pilgrimage. The intent for this version was to showcase the sad outcomes of the gang lifestyle and bring further awareness to the BC gang issue. Its medium would be an online viral marketing campaign. Mercer had heard of my work with this issue and asked for my insights on their project and if I could ‘donate’ anything to it. I was humbled by their request.
After watching the music video a few times, both my manager, Sandi N., and I felt as though the gang lifestyle was glamourized and that the harsh realities were given a back seat in the music video. I offered to donate any and all footage from my film. After a few revisions we felt as though the message was clear and that it could be showcased.
Mercer Creative is not only known for their great design and marketing, but for all the pro-bono work they do for issues that effect our world. Such as tv-spots on human trafficking which you can watch here.
I want to give shout outs to the good folks at Mercer. Thanks to president/creative director Terry Mercer and associate creative director Deborah Kieselbach for taking on this project. And a special shout out to editing genius Dermot Shane, whose wisdom & character continues to amaze me. Dermot is by far the most knowledgeable person I have met in the film industry. I always jokingly mention to him that I will need his pro-bono services, the kind person he is says, ‘anytime.’
The spoken word rap in my film was done by Rupinder Sidhu a.k.a. Sunskript. His messages in his chosen medium are crossing barriers. Props to you my brother.
As the ‘gang’ issue steadily inclines, more and more communities around BC and across Canada are looking for ways to spread awareness.
A couple of months ago, I was kindly approached by a criminology professor to the possibility of bringing myself and my film to their University.
After many emails and phone calls, we were able to schedule a firm date to showcase my film and proceed with a Q&A session. Vancouver Island University were spectacular hosts and the criminology department went above and beyond to organize these events.
The film was showcased at the Parksville VIU campus on November 4th. The screening on November 5th took place at the Nanaimo campus along with the Q&A session with myself. The criminology students came prepared to ask questions and I hope I was able to answer them sufficiently. It is in our youth we must place our greatest amount of support. Without their intuitive and progressive thinking, issues such as gangs will surely not be resolved for future generations.
Worldbridger is a great organization that brings provocative films to many communities. Please show them support so they may continue to help spread valuable messages.
Finally I wanted to send a special shout out to a new friend, Professor Joanne Simister, Chair, Department of Criminology, Vancouver Island University. Professor Simister’s drive to educate youth and propel them to think outside the ‘box’ is very apparent. It is not often you find someone whose impressive acumen takes a back seat to humility and kindness. Professor Simister is as lovely and kind as she is intelligent and wise. I am blessed to have made this new friend whose views are very much aligned.
I write this blog today, with some disappointment, some frustration, and a little bit of anger.
Yesterday was Halloween, youth take to the streets, dressed up in costumes, and they trick or treat. Some of the costumes I saw this year as I handed out the candy in North Delta saddened me.
First off, let us establish that my neighbourhood is a fairly multicultural neighbourhood. There is no minority but an almost equal mix of different cultures.
Our house had about 100 kids knock on the door this year. Out of the 100, there were about 15-20 that were between the ages of 12 to 15. Their were a few young ladies between those ages wearing short skirts, knee-high boots, and not enough clothing on their upper bodies. Top that off with fish-net stockings and a whole lot of make-up. I asked them what they were suppose to be and they replied with nothing. Is this what our young ladies strive to be?
If that was not enough, this further increased my disappointment; I had 6 young men in the aforementioned age group, all of whom were South Asian, dressed up as hoodlums and wreaking havoc by throwing firecrackers at little kids. One young man came to my door, and I asked him, ‘what is your costume suppose to be?’, and with a golden smile and a tone of pride he replied, ‘a gangster!’
Six young men! Dressed up as hoodlums/gangsters/idiots/whatever you may wish to call them. And sadly, all of them South Asian.
Next year I will be handing out a copy of my film to young men such as this.
It is very apparent that striving for ‘gangsterism’, plagues are youth. More positive role models are needed. I send out a cry for help. Please come forward and educate the youth around you.
