Indigenous man, granddaughter who were wrongly handcuffed reach settlement with Vancouver police
A settlement has been reached in a human rights complaint filed by an Indigenous man and his granddaughter who were handcuffed by police during a 2019 incident at a Vancouver bank.
The settlement, announced Wednesday, includes damages, a community investment and a "two-year collaborative policy-making process to fight systemic racism."
Maxwell Johnson filed a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal complaint against the Vancouver Police Board in 2019 over racial profiling and wrongful detention.
In December of that year, Johnson and his then-12-year-old granddaughter went to open a bank account at the BMO on Burrard Street. However, after suspecting them of fraud because they were using Indian Status Cards as identification, a BMO employee called 911.
Two police officers responded to the incident and placed the pair in handcuffs. They were eventually released and the bank later apologized.
"One of the things I keep seeing is my granddaughter standing there on that street crying while she's being handcuffed. I don't think any parent or grandparent should ever see that in their lifetime,” Johnson said with a quivering voice at a news conference to announce the settlement.
“She must have been about 20 or 30 feet away from me and all I could do was stand there and not do nothing."
Surveillance video from outside the bank that day shows police leading the pair and putting the handcuffs on them as onlookers watch on the busy downtown sidewalk.
At the news conference, Torianne, Johnson’s now-15-year-old granddaughter, spoke publicly about the incident for the first time.
"I'm still healing from that day. I want to tell everyone that Indigenous people experience discrimination, including children like me. From when we are kids, we understand that people treat us differently,” she said. "I also want to tell everyone, especially Indigenous kids, to be strong and speak out when they face discrimination."
As part of the agreement, the Vancouver Police Board admitted the conduct of officers discriminated against Johnson and his granddaughter based on their Indigenous identities.
"The board recognizes the significance of the settlement we have reached with Mr. Maxwell Johnson and his granddaughter," a statement from the police board said.
"We are looking forward to this opportunity to work in partnership with the groups involved by reviewing and improving a range of culturally sensitive and relevant practices and policies, in particular those focused on Indigenous people … It is our sincere goal to create a more meaningful relationship with Indigenous communities, and we believe the terms of this settlement will go a long way in furthering this goal."
The agreement included confidential damages awarded to Johnson and his family. As well, $100,000 will be given to Heiltsuk First Nation's restorative justice department to be used on programming for at-risk girls.
The police board is also tasked with creating a position for an anti-Indigenous-racism office or officer to deal with future discrimination complaints brought forward against the VPD by Indigenous people.
B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner will monitor progress on the commitments in the settlement.
“As B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner, my role in this audit is to review and report on the parties’ compliance with the terms of the agreement related to systemic change in the police force, including the Vancouver Police Board’s commitment to take certain steps such as improving training for officers and improving accessibility of complaint mechanisms for Indigenous complainants.” Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender said in a statement.
Heiltsuk Tribal Council Chief Marilyn Slett is optimistic that some of the commitments made by the police board will have a positive impact on the community, particularly the funding for programming for at-risk girls.
“That will mentor and give confidence to young women in our community that have faced trauma in their lives,” said Slett. “There’s so much obstacles that our young people face but there’s so much strength in our community and these programs draw on the strength of our people.”
Members of the police board will also apologize at a special ceremony in the big house in Johnson and Torianne’s home community of Bella Bella next month.
"We hope it's the beginning of addressing the systemic discrimination and racism within law enforcement,” said Slett.
The Vancouver Police Department, which is separate from the civilian police board that agreed to the settlement, declined an interview request and told CTV News to direct all future inquiries to the Heiltsuk Nation.
It’s not clear if VPD Chief Constable Adam Palmer – who has previously said systemic racism does not exist in Canadian policing – or any other actual police officers will attend the ceremony in Bella Bella.
If only civilian members of the police board make the trip and participate in the apology, that could raise questions about whether VPD brass is actually committed to the changes set out in the settlement agreement.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.