Police could attend rallies

The explanation offered by RCMP in the valley for not attending Black Lives Matter rallies is weak.

Their belief is people may feel uncomfortable attending a rally if there’s a strong police presence. The Mounties support peaceful demonstration and don’t want to discourage anyone from participating in a cause dear to their heart because of police being present.

RCMP respectuflly declined an invitational to participate in what was a grass-roots event at Gyro Park in Penticton, Sunday. They also haven’t been visible at similar events in the valley.

Nobody wants a police state at rallies, but it wouldn’t have hurt to have one or two officers in the audience — maybe the superintendent and another senior officer — not in uniform, but regular street clothes.

It’s unfortunate the police weren’t in attendance, Sunday, because they needed to hear what’s being said.

The Black Lives Matter rallies, at least the ones here in B.C., don’t focus so much on police brutality like the ones in the States. The issue is more centred around ending racism for all minorities, including First Nation. Since COVID-19, Asian Canadians (and those presumed to be Asian) have been targetted by hate crimes.

Let’s not beat around the bush, the Mounties in B.C. have had some bad moments with police brutality. (Buddy Tavares getting kicked in the face when he was lying on the ground. His crime — firing a rifle to scare geese on a golf course. Another thug pummeled a driver at the side of Highway 97 in a case of road rage. Dont’ forget Robert Dziekaski, the terrifying Polish tourish armed with a stapler.)

Police, like everyone else — media included — can do a better job.

The crowd on Sunday didn’t want to boo or jeer the police. They wanted some form of recognition that law enforcement here in B.C. does not and will not tolerate racism.

The key sentence here was “they were invited.”

Organizers wanted them there.

It wasn’t an awful thing that they weren’t in attendance and maybe it’s better to be cautious than sorry.

Let’s hope that post-COVID, RCMP take a seat at the table at similar events that are not rallies or protests and engage in conversation to help find solutions to ending a problem that should have been resolved years ago.

—James Miller Managing Editor