Kayla MacInnis
12666 72 Avenue,
Surrey, BC V3W 2M8
kayla.macinnis@email.kpu.ca
(604) 599-2100
Surrey, BC V3W 2M8
kayla.macinnis@email.kpu.ca
(604) 599-2100
March 3rd, 2020,
Information and Privacy Coordinator
Vancouver Police Department
3585 Graveley Street
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada V5K 5J5
To whom it may concern,
This is a request under the Freedom of Information act. I request that you provide the following information:
- police reports from the Black Lives Matter protest at the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts on June 15th, 2020
If possible, please provide the information in electronic format, either mailed to my address on a CD or emailed in any format (Excel, Word, or PDF) to me at kayla.macinnis@email.kpu.ca.
If any concerns arise, contact me by phone at (604) 599-2100.
Please notify me when the requested material is available for release.
Warm regards,
Kayla MacInnis
EXPLANATION: I am curious about the police reports from this protest because I would like to compare the number of BIPOC arrests at protests with the number of arrests of non-POC at protests. Police action is being brought into question lately, with Indigenous rights and Black Lives Matter in the media's forefront. My curiosity into the arrests at this event would potentially lead to an expose to police involvement at protests, which means I would more than likely be requesting similar information from other protests in the last year to compare. When we look at the storming on the United States Capitol and how few armed forces were involved comparatively to the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States where there were numerous armed forces and arrests, it makes you question whether or not race is a contributing factor (it obviously is). Comparatively, in Canada (especially in BC), with Indigenous Rights protests, there have been many violent arrests and mistreatment by the Vancouver Police Department. In comparison, when you look at events held by Trump supporters or anti-maskers in Vancouver, there never seems to be the same amount of police involvement.
Here are some examples of news articles that showcase police involvement at protests:
- https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/arrests-at-pipeline-protest-calling-vpd-action-in-to-question/
- https://bc.ctvnews.ca/overnight-rally-protesting-outrageous-jail-sentence-blocks-traffic-outside-port-of-vancouver-1.5331998
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/anti-back-racism-protest-georgia-dunsmuir-viaducts-vancouver-1.5612295
- https://bc.ctvnews.ca/blacks-indigenous-over-represented-in-vancouver-police-stops-10-years-of-data-1.3973823
- https://thetyee.ca/News/2021/02/23/VPD-Review-Own-Violent-Arrests-Indigenous-Pipeline-Protests
- https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vpd-open-letter-anti-mask-rally
- https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/vancouver-news/heres-why-vancouver-police-didnt-shut-down-the-anti-mask-protest-on-nye-3235467
Hi Kayla, nice FOI request. I really like the way that your explanation is well detailed.It would have been nice to have a name for the FOI coordinator but in that case there was any. Otherwise, great job !
ReplyDeleteHi Kayla! I think this is fantastic topic to cover for today in light of recent events that have occurred both here and in the United States! I loved all of the links you included and how thorough your explanation was! There was a few errors on some punctuation, but overall, amazing work!
ReplyDeleteHey Kayla, this is an excellent FOI request. I like the content of your request. "Indigenous rights and Black Lives Matter" has been controversial in many countries, and there are some facts that many people want to know. However, it would be better if there is a name of coordinator in the FOI, but in general, this is an interesting FOI. Well done! Kayla.
ReplyDelete