NRPS Chief of Police Brian MacCulloch faced a barrage of tough questions in Niagara region’s council last night after a special meeting on racism heard from citizens who say they have been negatively affected by the way the police organization handles issues around mental health and relations with marginalized communities.
It was after St Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik brought forward a motion, asking the regional police service to produce reports on its practices around de-escalation techniques, carding, and data entry for racialized individuals among other things, that chief MacCulloch presented to council.
Asserting his organization's commitment to recognizing systemic racism, its work against officer bias, barriers, and ability to handle mental health calls, chief of police Brian MacCulloch said that there are still ‘difficult conversations’ ahead for the organization amidst the growing debate on the future of policing.
The meeting heard from Pelham couple Thomas and Kathleen Barns from Pelham, who said the way police handled their son’s case was an example of how the current practices from police contributed in sending him on a downward spiral, lined by mental health- and addiction concerns.
“Mental health is not a criminal offense, but it appears it is treated as such in many situations,” said Thomas Barns, recounting how an NRPS resource officer had told their son during an interaction that he was not ‘doing anything wrong’ after getting involved in a fight, and that the altercation was in fact only about ‘street cred’.
“Our son minimized his mental health issues,” said the couple.
Kerry Goring, a Black woman residing in St Catharines said she had been pulled over five times in the last three months while driving her car for no apparent reason.
“I fear for my Black son when he goes out the door, simply because of his baggy pants or hoodie,” said Goring, adding her skin color had forced her to carefully instruct her son of how he should interact if stopped by police including keeping his hands visible, fearing that he could be perceived as a threat.
She also said a friend had told her that NRPS officers in St Catharines had stopped a group of Black teens downtown and questioned them for no reason.
“When my friends are walking down the street they can be perceived as a gang. This is happening here, in St Catharines,” Goring said.
The number of questions from councilors after the presenters was so high that the council concluded that the police chief would have to come back another day to finish the session, which MacCulloch said he was open to.
