Police will wear T-shirts to march

Chief Bray says officers glad to attend and concern over uniforms not an issue

In the midst of a national debate pitting LGBTQ organizers against police in several cities, the Regina Police Service has agreed to march in T-shirts during next month’s Queen City Pride Parade.

It’s the second year Regina Pride organizers have asked police to leave their uniforms at home, according to co-chair Dan Shier. A statement he sent on behalf of pride’s board of directors cited a need to recognize the challenges of “under-represented and marginalized communities.”

It noted that reactions to police differ widely among those who want to march in the parade. Uniforms, the statement suggested, could be a barrier for some.

“I’ve heard from individuals about their experiences with the police and law enforcement,” Shier explained in an interview. “Especially people of colour, I think, feel a degree of threat or unease when it comes to a person in uniform with guns or Tasers and things like that.”

Pride’s statement also addressed the needs of immigrants and trans people, noting that many still carry the baggage of “traumatic lived experiences” that might increase distrust.

“This decision was not made lightly, but is intended as a way to find common ground where all might feel welcome and safe,” according to the statement, which added that RPS and RCMP officers are still welcome to wear their uniforms at other pride events, such as the market and community fair.

Regina Police Chief Evan Bray said he fully accepts the board’s decision, which followed consultations with the police service. He said he hasn’t heard negative feedback from officers over the issue. An email went out Friday morning looking for marchers. In roughly an hour, about a dozen members of the police service heeded the call.

“It’s important that we recognize that this is their parade,” Bray said of the LGBTQ community.

“This is their celebration, and if one of their requests is that we be there and participate but we don’t wear uniforms, we’re happy to oblige.”

He said the police are “100 per cent” behind the parade. For three years starting in 2014, they showed that by marching in uniform. Bray said it’s the easiest way to draw attention to their support.

“If you look at a crowd of people and you see a police officer in uniform you say ‘Oh, the Regina Police Service is here,’ ” he explained. “If you see Evan Bray in a T-shirt and jeans, you’re not necessarily going to know.”

But the chief said he’ll be there again on June 16. Last year, he rode on a tandem bicycle and enjoyed a lolly-pop while gallivanting with the crowd. He said he’ll again be happy to sport a T-shirt along with his fellow officers, saying it relieves him of a sense of being “on duty” during a fun and festive Saturday.

He said he’s aware the issue had proved controversial in other parts of the country — and particularly in Toronto, where police recently withdrew their application to march. The Vancouver Police Union president called a similar no-uniform policy “ridiculous.”

“I know in parts of Canada it is an anti-police thing,” Bray said. “It becomes a bit of a divisive issue. I don’t feel like that’s the case here.”

The chief acknowledged that police still have work to do in reaching out to the communities Shier and the board mentioned. He said it’s work he’s eagerly pursuing. He pointed to his recent attendance at a flag-raising ceremony with a trans advocacy group, where some community members shared their enthusiasm for police — while others aired concerns.

He also said the RPS is doing a lot of work on a Positive Space initiative and will be “one of the first” in the city to place an official sticker marking openness to sexual and gender minorities.

The Regina Pride board’s statement called that move a “significant step.” It comes after a sometimes fraught history. In 1990, Regina’s police chief denied a permit to the city’s first pride parade. For Bray, those days are long over.

“The fact that they want and encourage us to participate is really the key thing for me, because I think its valuable for us to be there.”