Speakers blast city police during virtual hearing
Many call for defunding, reforms amid stories of racial profiling
More oversight and less funding for Edmonton police were both ideas supported by a majority of speakers on the first of a three-day virtual public hearing that could see the department’s budget frozen.
Edmonton city council heard that policing in the city is flawed with several speakers saying they had experienced racial profiling.
Many supported calls to redirect funds from the police budget to support social services that were better equipped at responding to marginalized communities, and said more data must be collected and publicly released on interactions with police and other peace officers.
Others called for officers to receive better training in understanding trauma, racism and de-escalation, and for local, provincial and national reforms that improve accountability.
Shima Robinson said police brutality has affected her personally.
“I dealt with the police during times of severe instability. I can say with confidence that police here are unable to address situations of high tension with the critical skills of de-escalation,” she Monday afternoon.
“As a black woman who was born and raised in Edmonton, I fear calling the police for help, because I have overwhelming personal experiences of them worsening already strained situations.”
Juan Vargas also said he had been racially profiled. He said officers took him out of line outside a bar where he was standing with friends, saying he had a gun on him, and harassed him.
I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I wanted to make sure that doesn’t happen to anyone ever again.
He said that situation was traumatizing, and made him feel shame, fearful, and humiliated.
“I knew that I was lucky, because even though I’m a racialized person, I don’t face the same issues that Black, Indigenous people in the city face,” he said. “Every time I see a cop I cross the street, because every time that I see a cop my hands shake and my heart stops, because I don’t know when I’m not going to be lucky anymore.
“… I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I wanted to make sure that doesn’t happen to anyone ever again.”
Calls to divest from policing in Edmonton come in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody, sparking a wave of global protests against systemic racism and police brutality. At least 9,000 people attended a protest in Edmonton earlier this month demanding justice for his killing and an end to racism.
More than 11,000 people have now sent a form letter to city councillors from Black Lives Matter Edmonton demanding councillors freeze increases on policing, and redirect funds marked for increases to social and community services instead.
The motion discussed Monday, put forward by Coun. Andrew Knack last week, said the city would propose adjustments to give police $16.3 million less than previously approved. It also looks to gather data on calls for service driven by social and public health factors, transit officers’ uses of force, carding, and review accountability and oversight mechanism. The motion also asks for information on implementing body and dash cameras.
While most speakers supported more accountability, divesting from or even abolishing the police, some worried less funding for police could mean slower service times for critical calls.
Sgt. Michael Elliott, president of the Edmonton Police Association, said the demand for police keeps growing, and cutting funds without an alternative in place is a bad idea.
“We have been shot at, stabbed, beaten … for protecting our community,” he said. “Please do not think for one minute we do not care about every Edmontonian. … focusing the blame on our police members is short-sighted.”
Mayor Don Iveson said he was in “listening mode” Monday, and would keep an open mind for the remainder of the hearings.
“We heard dozens of Edmontonians from different perspectives, many who’ve had negative interactions with the police, others who’ve had positive interactions with police and a spectrum of views ranging from needed reforms to police accountability, whatever the system looks like in the future,” he said. “The need particularly for independence of investigations into public complaints about inappropriate use of force or other challenges with officer conduct. I think there’s an opportunity for the province to move very quickly on those changes.”
Iveson also said he heard strong agreement from the panels that while the city had some mechanisms to address racism and concerns with policing, other tools were in the hands of the provincial and federal governments.