Toronto mayor shouts at reporters, refuses to resign after ‘crack’ video surfaces

It’s been almost six months since reports of a group attempting to sell a video of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford allegedly smoking crack cocaine made the news. Now, the Toronto Police Department says it has a copy of that video. Ford isn’t going down without a big public fight, no matter how ill-advised that fight may be. In a Thursday news conference, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair told reporters that the police have a video that contains “images that are consistent with what has previously been reported” in the media. Blair said the video doesn’t contain enough evidence for the department to press drug charges, but that it will be used in the extortion trial against Ford’s friend Alexander “Sandro” Lisi. He added, “As a citizen of Toronto, I’m disappointed.” When reporters gathered outside Ford’s home Thursday, the mayor shouted at them to get off his property, even getting into a physical tussle with one photographer, before driving away. Sky News has video of that incident. Ford later held an impromptu press conference in a hallway decorated with a huge ghost decal and a “Do not enter” sign for Halloween in which he said he wished he could defend himself, but the decision was “before the courts.” Ford also said, “I have no reason to resign.” Thursday night, Ford’s attorney Dennis Morris told the Toronto Sun that Blair should be the one resigning. “The mayor has been convicted in the public by the police chief,” he said.