Abdirahman Abdi Black History Abdi Abdirahman – Outrage over Ottawa Police wrist bands in support of accused police officer blackottawa, 8 years ago Abdi Abdirahman Tensions have been running high between members of the Ottawa Police and general public, following reports that some members of the Ottawa Police service have taken to wearing specially made wrist bands in support of the officer charged with manslaughter in the death of Abdi Abdirahman. There is outrage especially in the Somali and Black communities, who regard this as an exhibition of contempt and insensitivity to the family who are still mourning the loss of their son. In a press release yesterday, the Justice for Abdirahman Coalition stated: “The Justice for Abdirahman Coalition (Coalition) is expressing outrage and disappointment concerning the solidarity campaign by members of the Ottawa police service to wear wristbands in support of the officer charged with manslaughter. Today marks the first step towards justice for Abdirahman after the community and family waited patiently for the SIU to complete its investigation, and the launch of a bracelet campaign is a direct insult to those of us who stand against police brutality. What’s more is the insult and total disregard to the suffering of the Abdi family who are still grieving the loss of their family member.The vile actions of this officer have traumatized this city. This particular act of solidarity demonstrates a blatant disregard for human life. “This is not a traffic violation we are dealing with, this is manslaughter, a cold-blooded killing of a civilian by an officer on the sunshine list” said Farhia Ahmed, Co-Chair of the Coalition. Charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon are serious allegations and nothing to be celebrated or supported. “Imagine if the tables were turned and there was a fundraiser or support campaign for a civilian who brutalized and murdered an officer, there would be outrage” said William Felepchuk, member of the Coalition. Ketcia Peters, co-chair of Ottawa’s Community and Police Action Committee (COMPAC), said she met Tuesday with members of the police service to express her concern over the bracelets. “Think of how the Abdi family will feel, knowing this. What kind of message does it send?” Peters asked. Peters said while she can understand the desire of some officers to show solidarity, she fears the community — particularly Ottawa’s black community — will be deeply offended by the message the bracelets are sending while the death of Abdi, a Somali-Canadian, is under investigation. “It’s going to set us back, in terms of trust and the relationship-building that we’ve been working on over the past year. It’s going set us back”. COMPAC Co-Chair Ketcia Peters Aisha Sherazi, another member of COMPAC, also had concerns.”I think it’s in bad taste that police are presenting themselves as judge and jury before a court case is over,” Sherazi said. “They wouldn’t do that for any other member of the public, and they shouldn’t do that for themselves.” In a letter to Black Ottawa Scene, retired RCMP officer Calvin Lawrence wrote: “The wearing of wrist bands by Ottawa City Police officers appearing to support one of their own in a court process is a flagrant violation of police neutrality. The police are constantly telling communities (including the black communities) to wait for the facts to come out by the court process. Yet it appears that the Ottawa police has deemed the charged police officer to be innocent before a trial by wearing these bands. This wrist ban actions leave questions about who is running the so called police service. Once again it appears that the Ottawa Police Union has not given thought how the wearing of these bands are going to raise racial tensions between the Black community and the police.” Retired RCMP Officer Calvin Lawrence Mayor Jim Watson said he also acted fast when he learned about the bracelets. “When I first heard about this I contacted the (police services board) chair and the chief to make sure that the policy was very clear, that when police officers are on duty and being paid by taxpayers, they should not be wearing any bracelet or button on any issue,” Watson said. “On their own time, we live in a free society and they’re entitled to wear whatever they want, as long as it’s not with their police uniform.” Police board chair Coun. Eli El-Chantiry, for his part, told the Citizen he found the wristbands to be “distasteful” and a threat to the work being done by the police force to rebuild strong community connections in the wake of Abdi’s death. “Since I’ve been on the board, it’s always been our goal to build a relationship with the community,” El-Chantiry said. “I don’t think this idea of a wristband would help anyone, whether you’re police, whether you’re a police union member or whether you’re the police board or whether you’re the community. This is a divisive issue. We don’t need to divide ourselves. We need to work together. “If we believe in the justice system, let the justice system take its course. Let this officer go to court and face the court. You want to support him by talking to him on your own time? That’s fine, I understand this. I understand that people like to share their support to their colleague, but let’s keep in mind, we don’t want to divide our community. We have respect for the law. We uphold the law, and yet, we don’t want to give the court a chance to process this?” In a statement issued by the board later Wednesday, El-Chantiry went on to say “as a community, we need to move away from an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mentality and remind ourselves of one of Sir Robert Peel’s most important principles of law enforcement, ‘The police are the public and the public are the police.’” El-Chantiry asked for a focus on “understanding and respecting each other.” In an email to staff sent Wednesday after CBC News brought the wristbands to light, Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau wrote that “community perceptions” must be taken into account. “We are all aware of wristbands that are being sold to show support for Montsion as he goes through the court process. I understand that sentiment. As we would for any member going through this type of process, the executive, the chain of command and his association have already put supports in place. Those supports will remain in place,” the statement from Bordeleau reads. Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau said the wristbands are not part of the uniform and should not be worn by officers during working hours. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press) “We must take into account the community perceptions of actions like these wristbands. There has already been a great deal of negative commentary and we should all be concerned about the long-term impact on public trust this could create. I am also concerned about how it may impact members during the course of their duties. “I want to remind you that they are not part of the Ottawa Police Service uniform and should not be worn during working hours.” Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press) Montsion is next scheduled to appear in court on May 1. None of the allegations against him has been tested in court. Const. Dave Weir, left, and Const. Daniel Montsion, centre, are seen kneeling by Abdirahman Abdi outside his apartment building on Hilda Street on July 24, 2016. (YouTube)
