Disturbing the peace? What peace?

This week I found myself attending court in a little mining town in the middle of nowhere. It seems that there had been a cat fight on the street outside the bar after it closed, so the largest room in the community was reserved for court and filled with the local populace.

A fellow was called up before the judge and charged with disturbing the peace. The judge, curious as to why a male would be faced with such a charge when by all accounts the matter had been a brawl between several women, asked the fellow what he had been doing to disturb the peace. The fellow said that he had been shouting encouragement to the ladies. The judge noted that there is no law against shouting, and then asked the crown attorney to provide evidence as to whose peace had been disturbed.

A discussion ensued between the judge and the crown. It appeared that everyone within hearing distance of the fellow shouting was either participating in the cat fight, or cheering it on themselves. In fact, most of the people in the gallery had been charged with disturbing the peace. The judge found it difficult to believe that anyone’s peace had been disturbed when everyone was participating in the hullabaloo.

Facing such a dilemma, the crown stood up, and with great dignity told the judge that the police had had their peace disturbed.

There was a brief moment of silence, followed by chortling throughout the gallery. The judge then disturbed the peace of the crown attorney.

Gotta love life in northern Ontario. Why watch home-grown sons Bob and Doug McKenzie or Red Green when you have the real thing?