Toronto activist says he was carded unjustly by Vancouver officer
‘Claim made in the video is not accurate,’ force says in rebuttal to allegations
A Toronto journalist and activist says he was carded by a Vancouver police officer for no justifiable reason while visiting the city.
The claim is disputed by the Vancouver Police Department.
Desmond Cole claims, in a video posted to Twitter on Tuesday, that he was in Vancouver only about 24 hours before being stopped by police for no apparent reason and asked to provide identification.
Cole says carding is a very “coercive practice” that can lead to black and Indigenous people being arrested and beaten, or worse.
He claims he was walking on the sidewalk near Stanley Park, smoking a cigarette, when he saw a police officer drive by and then turn his police cruiser around and come back in his direction.
“I knew as soon as he was coming back that he was coming for me,” Cole says in the video.
He says the police officer told him he was breaking a bylaw by smoking in a public park, but Cole claims he was smoking on a sidewalk outside the park.
He continues on to say the officer asked him for his name, and that the officer was trying to obtain his personal information.
Cole alleges the officer threatened to put handcuffs on him and place him in the police car if he did not comply.
The VPD, however, says the claim made in the video is not true.
Vancouver police Const. Jason Doucette says police became aware of Cole’s video on Tuesday afternoon and looked into the allegations.
“The claim made in the video is not accurate,” Doucette said in an email.
“A street check was not conducted and no information was recorded. The officer did approach Mr. Cole about a bylaw infraction. In this case, our officer used his discretion and chose not to serve a bylaw offence ticket.”
Doucette says officers work through difficult situations every day and a key component of maintaining public safety is interacting with the public.
“VPD officers carry out their duties with integrity, compassion and respect and are accountable for their actions,” he said.
Cole has not yet returned a request for comment.
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association filed a complaint in June based on a release of figures under a Freedom of Information request that showed 15 per cent of all carding between 2008 and 2017 was of Indigenous people, yet they make up just two per cent of the population.
The data also said four per cent of those carded were black, despite the population in Vancouver making up less than one per cent.
Cole is an outspoken activist against police brutality and has called on the Ontario government to end the police practice of carding.