What defunding RPS could entail

Neither Mayor Michael Fougere nor Police Chief Evan Bray support defunding Regina Police Service (Leader-post June 8 2020). Yet, both Fougere and Bray took the knee at the June 5 Black Lives Matter rally at the Legislative Building. Was it just a photo op?

The City of Regina spends vast amounts on policing. The 2020 budget allocated $96 million to the Regina Police Service (RPS), $3.6 million more than in 2019, and more than 20 per cent of the city budget. We keep handing the police ever-increasing amounts of money and nothing changes!

What might defunding the RPS look like? Here are four ideas, adapted from the Defund the Police movement, including the Defund Regina Police Service petition:

First, redirect funds from the RPS to Regina’s Plan to End Homelessness. Homelessness is an injustice, the consequence of growing inequality in our society. With a homeless population of more than 2,200 people, Regina has more homeless people per capita than most other Canadian cities. An annual contribution of $10 million, taken from the RPS budget, to the Plan to End Homelessness would begin to address the injustice of homelessness in Regina.

Second, decriminalize homelessness. Rather than working to end homelessness, city officials have put considerable effort into criminalizing homelessness. In 2009, city council passed the Parks and Open Space bylaw, which prohibits people from sleeping in parks. In 2015, the RPS launched its Unwanted Guest initiative, which allows businesses to ban individuals from their property. To meet basic survival needs while living without a home, a person needs to find a safe place to sleep and somewhere to shelter from the cold. Such basic life-sustaining activities should not be criminalized.

Third, demilitarize the RPS. RPS officers are now equipped with assault rifles and a military-style assault vehicle. A militarized police force does not make Regina a safer place for its citizens.

Fourth, ban street checks. Every time someone digs into street check data for a Canadian city, there is a finding of racial bias. There can be no doubt that this is also true in Regina. But Chief Bray says it would be difficult to collect data on the race of individuals checked. What makes the RPS different from police forces in other Canadian cities that are able to collect this data— cities such as Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, Kingston, Montreal, and Halifax, to name a few? Without this data, the RPS is able to claim that its street checks are not racially biased and thus Indigenous people continue to be harassed by street-checking police officers.

Mayor Fougere’s standard response to any criticism of the RPS is to say “Regina has the best police force in Canada.” He said it again at the June 5 rally. It is not a helpful comment.

Racism is systemic in Canadian policing, including the RPS. If Bray’s and Fougere’s taking the knee was a genuine act, it must be followed by concrete action—action that will make Regina a safer and more just place for everyone who lives here. Defunding the RPS is a good place to start. Florence Stratton, Regina