The vote comes two years after an internal report showed Indigenous and Black citizens were disproportionately stopped in public to be 'carded'
This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy.Vancouver’s city council has voted unanimously to ask the local police board to ban the practice of street checks, two years after an internal report showed Indigenous and Black citizens were disproportionately stopped in public to be “carded” and have their various personal details recorded.
“Thank you to all the speakers who shared their stories and supported this important change – especially Black, Indigenous and people of colour who are disproportionately impacted,” Mr. Stewart posted to social media after the vote.Stephanie Johanssen, executive director of the board, said council may not direct the board in any capacity, but the motion passed Wednesday signifies to the board that ending street checks is a priority.
The VPD maintains the practice is vital to preventing crime even though these checks are used sparingly. In the first six months of this year, the force’s head of communications Simi Heer said in an e-mailed statement, the VPD recorded roughly 220 street checks, a 91-per-cent drop from the same period in 2019.
“It goes to show that the street checks you are conducting are not a valuable tool, are not necessary and are, in fact, holding onto an archaic relic of a policing practice that is illegal for that last 9 per cent,” said Ms. Farrell, who spoke to council Wednesday about her experience as a Black woman who has been stopped by police multiple times while walking.
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