My Black friends ended up in a cop car
My light-skinned complexion granted me special treatment from Ottawa police officers
During the Ottawa Police Service Board’s most recent meeting on Feb. 22, Chief Peter Sloly gave a report on the “responsible” actions of his officers about the incident that occurred on December 27, 2020.
But the reality is far from those words. That evening, police officers were dispatched to a mall parking lot; pointing rifles at six Black young men. The young Black men were meeting in a public space to discuss plans for a film production to spread awareness about issues that impact our communities.
However, there is a problem with that report. The count is off. Chief Sloly left me out. I was the seventh person at the scene. They were looking for “five Black men in ski masks that were armed” and ended up handcuffing six of my friends.
Behind my COVID-19 mask, I was seen as a “white-passing” male by officers. My light-skinned complexion granted me special treatment that day. I watched as officers pointed guns at my darkskinned friends, aggressively searching them, huddling them to the floor and handcuffing them.
The invisibility of my presence was made known. I was there. I was standing next to my friends. I existed at the scene. The mall CCTV footage would reveal my connection to the group. I could not help but wonder, why is it that I was treated so much better than my darker-skinned friends?
Suddenly, it became clear. I knew why I had the luxury of remaining arrest-free that day. My hands were never restricted. My knees were never forced onto the cold concrete ground. My face was not obstructed by a gun pointing at me. Instead, I was approached calmy by officers and offered a warm seat in the back of the police cruiser. I was told, they didn’t want me to get cold, and that I seemed like a good kid.
I was a victim of privilege that day. I carry the trauma of watching my friends, with horrifying looks on their face, navigate an unexpected and deadly situation. Despite being left in the dark about why they were being taken, my friends’ cautious co-operation allowed them to be set free and cleared of any wrongdoing. There are no charges to date.
After that, some of us relocated to a new meeting spot to continue the plans
for film production. We were not all driven home as police claimed in the report. Instead, we were being monitored by Ottawa Police cruisers who were circulating the new area even after we were deemed “not a threat” to the public. Our friend who was wearing a Nike hood as per COVID-19 protocols and the cold weather removed his mask out of fear. We had to practice invisibility — the practice of being seen less Black, less suspicious and less guilty.
We kept having to dramatically point to the film equipment, sending a signal to the officers that we were filming a project. What felt like a creative and yet innocent moment was criminalized. We left that night feeling defeated.
However, most recently, our experiences with Ottawa Police were discounted by Sloly in a matter of minutes publicly under what they called “transparency.” A transparency that signalled away from any form of police accountability and calls for change.
What remains factual is that his version of the encounter did not match our realities on that day.
This encounter is not unique or isolated in nature. This is a normalized experience faced by many young racialized men and in interactions with police. The only difference was, this time the public heard about it because we went to the media. This was our complaint in the light of transparency. However, it’s clear that Ottawa Police continues to see no issues with their approach. Sending a clear message and creating their own viral campaign of “misinformation and disinformation” that continues to erode community trust.
Our lived reality is not up for
dispute. Our experiences of trauma at the hands of Ottawa police are not “misinformation and disinformation.” They are real.
The viral social media campaigns for the #valued7 were calls for better police responses. They are real.
We declined to meet with Ottawa Police behind closed doors, because we have deep distrust. This is real. We didn’t file a formal complaint in fear of police retaliation. This is real. Key Shawn Bout is a university student studying Criminology. He aspires to be a human rights lawyer and is
passionate about social justice and equality. He volunteers with a grassroots organization as a community researcher exploring the impacts of mental health among young people. In addition, he has been learning photography and working with Kulture