Street checks are illegal and racist - they must go!
- Details
- Published on Thursday, 17 September 2020 09:24
- Written by editor
Dear Friend,
The call to END police street checks in Vancouver and across BC is picking up speed; both Vancouver and Victoria City Councils have passed motions calling for an end to this unjust practice! Our next stop is the Vancouver Police Board, which meets today to discuss the call to end this racist and illegal police practice. We need your help to pressure the Police Board to take immediate action.
Our petition calling for an end to street checks has over 8,200 signatories. Having 10,000 people backing us would show that public opinion is clear – street checks must go!
We’re only 1,800 signatures away. Will you join us by adding your name?
We’ll be appearing at the Vancouver Police Board as a delegation alongside Black Lives Matter - Vancouver, Hogan’s Alley Society, Union of BC Indian Chiefs, and WISH Drop-In Centre Society to drive home that the Police Board must immediately ban police street checks in... the city.
Street checks are racist, specifically anti-Indigenous and anti-Black, harmful for low-income people, and fundamentally illegal. There is no law that authorizes street checks for any police force in BC. You can read more on the illegality of street checks in our latest FAQ here.
Let’s be clear: street checks are a form of arbitrary detention.
We’ve been told that street checks are voluntary. But because of the power imbalance between police and the public, for many – especially Black, Indigenous, and homeless people – this interaction is far from voluntary. In fact, the Supreme Court of Canada found in one case that when people were street checked, they were under arbitrary psychological detention.
This racist and illegal police practice cannot stand.
The civilian Vancouver Police Board has the power to immediately ban street checks in the city and end this practice once and for all.
Join us in pressuring the Vancouver Police Board to end the racist and illegal practice of street checks. Add your name to the 8,200 who have already signed!
Ending police street checks is one of many actions needed to end the harms of policing, and an absolutely necessary one. Help us end this harmful practice by signing the petition now.
Thank you for being part of the fight.
With hope,
Harsha Walia (she/her)
Executive Director
