Letter to OPCC calling for review of Vancouver Police Board decision on surveillance of Palestinian solidarity protests
West Coast LEAF has joined the BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and Pivot Legal Society in calling on the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner to review a recent decision by the Vancouver Police Board regarding the surveillance of Charter-protected protests supporting Palestinian people’s rights.
In our letter to the OPCC, we share the BCCLA and Pivot’s concern regarding the appointment of an external investigator who lacked expertise in human rights, systemic discrimination, and access to justice for marginalized communities. The resulting investigation lacked procedural fairness, cultural safety, and inclusivity. It also failed to address key issues of systemic and intersectional discrimination.
We join the BCCLA and Pivot in asking the OPCC to review the Board’s decision to close the complaint. We also recommend that the Complaint be reviewed by an external investigator with knowledge of the experiences of racialized and historically marginalized communities, and expertise in cultural safety, trauma informed practice, complex systemic discrimination, and anti-Palestinian racism.
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