Moments of Hogan's Alley Revival

A young child about 4 years old and her mother witnessed a homeless indigenous man arrested unjustly and beaten on Commercial Drive. Ga'axstsalas Cheryle Williams and LJI video journalist Olivia Leigh Novak met the mother and her daughter at the Hogan’s Alley Revival. Her daughter was holding two signs and wanted to show the police standing close by. ’Stop Killing Black People’ and ‘Defund the Police’. With much courage and support from her mother, she showed her signs to the police. After getting the police's attention, Gunargie told them, "this young girl is scared of you." One officer tried to console her but the young girl sensed the disingenuous tone in his response.

Where is the root of the problem? How do the police perceive humans and specifically BIPOC humans. Film maker and journalist Olivia Novak said "I was told yesterday that VPD officers get a robo call in the morning dispatching them to locations where their presence is deemed necessary. How can they get a sense of a situation. All they know to do is to come in with force. So they gear up for the worst case scenario and they are faced by peaceful protestors, homeless camp refuges with strong communities, indigenous leaders helping their community and people struggling with addiction, mental health and housing issues. Are they trained for this?"

According to the VPD, 1 in 5 Canadians live with a mental illness and when untreated they are 15 times more likely to be a victim of crime and 23 times more likely to be a victim of violent crime.  Television and media narratives of police have long emphasized the threats they regularly face, and the violent responses that are needed to control, "criminals".

But who do these narratives criminalize and how do the shape the perceptions and actions of police with the power to permanently alter and take away human lives?  People supporting Defund the Police movements say it's a vicious circle and our current systems of policing, mental health care, and social services is perpetuating this violence.  Change is needed, they say and revaluation of budgets is crucial.