Security video shows Indigenous man and granddaughter being handcuffed by Vancouver police
Security video showing an Indigenous man and his 12-year-old granddaughter being handcuffed in downtown Vancouver more than a year ago has now been made public.
While the police are defending the officers' actions in response to a human rights complaint filed following the incident, the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is now looking to intervene in the case, and is calling for action on systemic racism.
The 45-minute long video shared by the UBCIC and the Heiltsuk Nation shows two police officers with Maxwell Johnson and his granddaughter out on the busy sidewalk of Burrard Street.
The officers place them in handcuffs, and roughly 13 minutes later it appears the cuffs are removed from the child. More than 30 minutes after first appearing outside, Johnson and a police officer appear to head back towards the bank.
Johnson says the video is still hard to watch.
“I had to keep calm and keep a good head on my shoulders for my granddaughter, because she was crying,” he said. “That was one of the hardest things to see.”
Johnson went to the bank in December 2019 to open an account for his granddaughter, when staff mistakenly suspected fraud and called 911. Last fall, Johnson filed a human rights complaint. Now the UBCIC is also hoping to get involved, represented by lawyer and former B.C. child and youth representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond.
“These kinds of police acts, where people are handcuffed and humiliated and mistreated, and their rights are not respected, these are very serious issues that will not be tolerated,” Turpel-Lafond said. “There has to be proper justice here. There has to be proper change.”
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip with the UBCIC said his organization and other Indigenous people across the country are standing in solidarity with Johnson and his granddaughter.
“We have all experienced ugly racism that is very harmful and very traumatizing,” he said. “And in extreme cases, racism kills. It must stop. It must stop now.”
Johnson and the Heiltsuk Nation have also launched an online anti-racism campaign, called Strong As Cedar, where people are being encouraged to share their experiences, as well as help fundraise for legal fees.
Chief councillor of the Heiltsuk Nation Marilyn Slett said their leadership is supporting Johnson and his granddaughter, and want to empower their members to speak out and seek justice.
“In a just society, Indigenous people must be able to walk down the street, go grocery shopping, go to the bank, carry out ordinary activities of life without being assumed to be criminals,” she said.
In a response filed to the human rights complaint, legal counsel for the Vancouver Police Board deny the officers actions were discriminatory, and called their conduct “appropriate and measured."
The police department would not comment on Wednesday, citing an ongoing investigation by the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner.
Johnson said he’d like more education around government-issued status cards, which he had provided at the bank before an employee became suspicious and called police, and an apology.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.