skip to main |
skip to sidebar
From
CTV:
A Vancouver police officer has apologized to a woman who has cerebral palsy, after he was caught on video pushing her to the ground in the city's gritty Downtown Eastside.
The surveillance video was uploaded to the Internet by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. It shows a woman walking in front of the Lux Hotel on East Hastings Street on June 9, when she comes upon three police officers walking side-by-side.
In the video it appears as though the woman tries to pass between them, when one of the officers pushes her to the ground.
The officer who pushed her then pauses, but does not help the woman up, before walking away with the two other officers.
The Vancouver police department held a news conference not long after the video hit the Internet.
"Our officers are well-trained, but they do make mistakes, and when they do, we've apologized for that," Cpl. Jana McGuinness told reporters on July 22.
The officer involved has apologized to the woman for his actions. The Vancouver Police Department said the officer reported the incident to his supervisor soon after it happened. His actions are now the subject of an investigation by the force's Professional Standards Section.
The officer remains on full duty pending the outcome of an investigation, which could take several months.
The two other officers are also being investigated for their conduct, for their lack of action once the woman was on the ground, reported CTV British Columbia.
The woman in the video (pictured), identified as "Sandy," told CTV News the officer pushed her down because he thought she might grab his gun.
"I told him three times I have a disability -- cerebral palsy -- and then all three of them walked away and didn't pick me up," she told CTV British Columbia in an interview.
Sandy, who was eventually helped to her feet by another woman, said she never thought she would have to defend herself against police.
"I get picked on all the time, but I never expect that from the officers or people that are higher power," she said. "I know they're good most of the time, but stuff like this happens. It's not right."
Sandy said she believes the Vancouver Police Department needs to train its officers to treat residents of the Downtown Eastside with more respect.
"They've got to have better training. They judge the Eastside a lot because we're poor, and they take advantage of us here a lot."
David Eby of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association says he's concerned the incident could be reflective of a "larger cultural issue within the VPD."
"There's so few interactions between the VPD and Downtown Eastside residents that are captured on tape, and if this is representative of what's happening, that's a real problem," he told CTV British Columbia.
Judy Graves, an advocate for the homeless, said she was shocked when she saw the video.
"I'm really hoping that this results in better training for officers and better training for the general public as well, to know what they're seeing and to be able to view (the residents of the Downtown Eastside) with compassion," Graves told CTV British Columbia.
"Sandy" has no previous record with police. The officer does regular foot patrols in the Downtown Eastside and has been on the job since March of 2009.
From CTV:
