There has been tension in our community and communities across this continent when it comes to policing. Regardless of your position on these issues, everyone has the right to go to work and be safe.
On Saturday, I received a text from a friend sharing a post about Victoria Police Chief Del Manak being assaulted at the legislature. My friend texted because she knows I am on the Victoria-Esquimalt Police Board.
Manak was at the legislature as part of an event honouring Chantel Moore, a Vancouver Island Indigenous woman killed during a police wellness check in New Brunswick last year.
Manak was invited to the event and blanketed by her family. In Indigenous culture, blanketing someone is done out of respect and honour. Later at the event, he was assaulted. Moore’s family publicly stated the attacker was not a part of their event.
“What happened to me was a symbolic attack on the profession of police, I recognize that, I am not happy about it, but I wasn’t hurt,” said Manak. “I want to put the focus where it should have stayed — on the memorial for Chantel Moore and the healing that needs to happen between police and Indigenous communities. I’d also like us to focus on the men and women of VicPD doing the work in the field with boots on the ground.”
Manak is referencing a string of attacks against officers in recent weeks. These incidents include two officers being sent to hospital after being assaulted during an apprehension, an officer violently attacked in Banfield Park, a patrol officer being bitten during an arrest, officers being headbutted and spat on, and an off-duty officer being attacked while volunteering.
I recently read the book How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, which mentions that whenever someone generalizes about a specific race, it’s a racist act. It’s dangerous to generalize when speaking about anyone, whether it’s about their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or occupation. When we generalize about groups of people, it is a blatant act of bias.
As a member of the police board, I assist in providing civilian oversight, which is is not something I take lightly. Police boards set municipal policing in Canada apart from that in the U.S.
“What we are seeing on our streets is unprecedented,” Manak said. “The officers’ morale is impacted, they are watching their colleagues get injured. At the rates and frequencies that we are seeing, it’s raising serious concerns at the police department.”
There are many complexities to this multi-faceted issue — many more than I have space to include in this column. The issue I want to focus on is the fact that these acts against officers and members of the public are unacceptable.
Working together makes all of us stronger. Chantel Moore’s family has been working with Manak to regain their own trust in policing. It takes strength on their part and a willingness on Manak and the VicPD’s part.
We do not always have to agree on everything to be willing to work together, but we can agree that everyone has a right to be safe regardless of their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or occupation.
