Cop kicked and berated homeless man outside Vancouver business, complaint alleges

Vancouver Police Department headquarters is seen in Vancouver, on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

A police officer "repeatedly kicked" a homeless man who was trying to sleep outside a business in Vancouver's Oakridge neighbourhood last month, according to a complaint filed with the city's police board.

The allegations were presented at Thursday's Vancouver Police Board meeting, where members decided to forward the troubling claims – none of which have yet been investigated or substantiated – to B.C.'s Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.

The complaint was lodged by the manager of a business near Cambie Street and 43rd Avenue, who said she initially called police for help on Sept. 16 after a homeless man refused to move his shelter away from the front entrance of the building.

In her complaint letter, the woman stressed that the homeless man "was not causing a disturbance in any way," and that she found the actions of the officer who responded unwarranted and "disturbing."

"When police arrived, as I peered through the window, I was shocked at the aggressive stance the officer took," she wrote. "The officer repeatedly kicked at the man's feet and lower legs and immediately started yelling at him to get up or he was going to jail."

The complainant – whose name is redacted in a copy of her letter posted onto the Vancouver Police Board website – also accused the officer of berating the homeless man, telling him to "get a job" and "quit being so lazy and entitled."

She said the homeless man eventually started crying, prompting her to walk outside and intervene. She said the officer "backed off a bit," but continued threatening the homeless man until he gathered his things and left.

"There was absolutely no reason the situation couldn't have been approached with compassion for this human being," she wrote. "My best friend is an officer. I know how much they deal with. But perhaps their day would also be less stressful if they chose compassion over aggression in the situations that allow it."

She ended the complaint by asking, "How am I ever to feel comfortable calling police for anything again with such an inappropriate and sickening response?"

The woman filed her complaint with the Vancouver Police Board on Sept. 22, and it was reviewed by a subcommittee that ultimately determined the allegations fell under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.

Rather than asking the woman to re-file her complaint, the board voted to forward her allegations to the OPCC and let her know the board had done so.

During Thursday's meeting, Chief Const. Adam Palmer suggested that if another complaint arises that is beyond the board's purview, swifter action could be taken to "contemporaneously advise the OPCC, (and the VPD's) Professional Standards (Section), and we can just start investigating it right away."

"This is not unlike other complaints that would come into the police department," Palmer said. "Now there's a month-long time delay, and we didn't need to do that. We could just get on it right away because we have processes in place to look after complaints like this."

CTV News has reached out to the business for a comment from the manager on the response to her allegations, but has not heard back. This article will be updated if a response is received.