Task force tackles violence amid calls to defund police
Calgary city council’s public safety task force held its second meeting Friday to continue work on a strategy aimed at addressing violent crime.
The task force was first set up this year to work with the community to tackle gang activity and gun violence, but Coun. George Chahal said that work also ties in with the city’s efforts to deal with systemic racism. Council passed a motion calling for a variety of actions on that front, including a public hearing next week for Calgarians to weigh in and tell their stories.
“That’s always been a part of the task force’s job,” Chahal said. “We’re going to be looking at everything we do through that lens.”
Friday’s meeting also comes after several shootings in Calgary in recent weeks, including an early June shooting at Eau Claire Market that left a man dead.
Calgary police Supt. Ryan Jepson said Friday that the force has seized more guns this year compared with the same time last year.
The public safety task force’s work is underway amid renewed calls to defund police services across the U.S. and Canada after massive protests against police brutality. Demonstrations began in response to the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
There have also been cases this year in Canada where Black or Indigenous people died in encounters with police, including times when police were called to do a wellness check for someone in crisis.
In Calgary, more than 5,000 people have signed a petition calling to defund Calgary police. LJ Parker, an organizer with Calgary Supports Black Lives Matter, told Postmedia last month that defunding the police is about making sure the budget is capped and the money is reinvested in community supports.
City council sets the police budget, but the service is overseen by the Calgary police commission.
Jepson said police are “open” to hearing from the community on what role they think police should play.
“And if there are other services available that are better suited to handle the problems that are in the community, we’re certainly open to discussing that.”
Chahal said Friday ’s meeting included discussions about moving funding around to different types of programs.
“That may affect the police service and what they do, and they’re at the table with us to have this conversation.”
He added there’s still plenty of work ahead gathering feedback from Calgarians and communities affected by violence.
“We have a changing city,” he said.
“I think we need more of a focus on crime prevention and youth engagement.”
Chahal said the task force will next meet in early September.