(Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)- There have been numerous efforts to build trusting relationships between the Black community, Indigenous, and other races in Edmonton. The age-long challenges facing marginalized communities in this region can never be ignored, considering how they affect lives and attract international attention.
In 2020, the Edmonton Police chief of police released a statement that highlighted how Edmonton police officers were taking ownership and stepping up. While reviewing the service’s commitment to listening, the chief talked about how they have met different community members, gathering information on how they could improve customer service.
The biggest complaints were against this customer services system. Blacks and other marginalized communities were being sidelined when it came to receiving fair treatment. This is not the first time such claims are coming up about the Edmonton Police.
An Age-long Tradition
The fight for equal treatment for the non-whites in Edmonton has been going on for ages. Every year, there are reports of a black person being discriminated against by the police. Even though the police have always tried denying these claims, the repeated incidences always seem to prove otherwise.
In 2016, critics came up strong, demanding proof from the Edmonton police that people of color were not harassed unnecessarily. Most incidences involved them being pulled over while driving.
In one incident, a youth of Somali origin was stopped for no reason – just one case among many. According to a report by the UN, carding affects people of African origin across Canada. The lack of race-based data and research that could help stop such issues makes it even worse. Racial profiling is still among the strategies and practices Alberta law enforcers use to incriminate colored people. The use of carding or street checks targeting blacks has been one of the biggest threats to their freedom.
Black Lives Matters in Edmonton – A Cry for Change
George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died under the knee of a police officer, pushing racism and police accountability to the light. A year later, in 2021, the Edmonton Black community came out claiming their relationship with the police had dropped to an even lower level. According to community leaders, the Edmonton Police Service has handled many issues in ways that show clear prejudice and racial discrimination. For example, their responses to a large protest and when fellow students beat up a young boy outside a school in early 2021 kept raising questions about whether this trend could ever change as the cases were not handled to expectation.
The racial awakening call that echoed the world after the death of Floyd reached every corner of Canada. Police accountability has remained a major topic of discussion, and many demanding something drastic be done to reduce the mishandling of people from the Black community.
There have been several actions against the police, though. For instance, $11 million was cut from the police service as a call to take more responsibility. Even though the EPS received an increase in tax dollars, the action to defund it shows these issues are being taken seriously. We can only hope that things will get better with time, allowing the Black and other colored communities to live in freedom.
