Investigation ordered into arrest of Indigenous man, granddaughter at Vancouver bank
Credit to Author: Harrison Mooney| Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2020 20:49:11 +0000
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner has ordered an investigation into the arrest of an Indigenous man and his 12-year-old granddaughter at a Vancouver Bank of Montreal branch last month.
The Dec. 20 incident, reported last week by CBC News, occurred when 56-year-old Bella Bella man Maxwell Johnson brought his granddaughter to the BMO branch on Burrard Street, seeking to open an account for her.
BMO employees questioned the identification presented — government-issued Indian status cards, his birth certificate and her medical card — and called 911. Vancouver police responded and wound up detaining and handcuffing both Johnson and his granddaughter.
Public outcry has been swift.
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, who also serves as chair of the Vancouver Police Board, released a statement Monday saying he “felt sick” when he first heard about the incident, and he finds it “unacceptable that the Bank of Montreal turned what should have been a positive occasion into one that reinforces our colonial past.
“BMO needs to do right by this family, take full responsibility for their actions, and ensure this does not happen again,” Stewart said.
The Bank of Montreal is not the only organization being blamed. The Police Complaint Commissioner said Tuesday that it has requested information from the VPD and, “as a result, the Police Complaint Commissioner has concluded an investigation into the matter is required.”
The probe, authorized under the Police Act, will examine potential or attempted misconduct, and will consider any VPD policies, procedures or training that may be a factor.
“It is important that there be a thorough and independent investigation of this matter,” said Andrea Spindler, deputy police complaint commissioner. “The investigation will carefully examine and assess the circumstances of this incident including the legal authority to detain, arrest and use restraining devices such as handcuffs as well as any relevant questions of policy or training.”
The Office has also decided this investigation cannot be conducted by the VPD, “given the nature of this matter and the public comments of the Vancouver Police Department.” The Delta Police Department will conduct the investigation.
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