The violent detention of a 16-year-old Cree girl highlights the ongoing racial profiling of Indigenous people and a lack of cultural understanding, say leaders.
Indigenous leaders are calling for accountability after at least five security guards at Guildford Town Centre violently pushed a 16-year-old girl of Cree descent to the ground and restrained her.
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Videos posted on social media show the girl being forcibly restrained, her hands twisted behind her back and zip tied, and her feet held down by security guards.
Her friends videotaped the incident while crying and pleading for her to be released, and letting the guards know the girl was Indigenous.
In an email to Postmedia, the girl’s stepfather, Sino General, said that on Nov. 12, his stepdaughter, who was shopping with two friends, both of whom are white, was singled out by a security guard who falsely accused her of stealing from Victoria’s Secret.
“Despite cooperating fully by showing her belongings, which contained no stolen items, she was followed, publicly restrained and forcibly held down by multiple security guards,” even though she was unthreatening and compliant.
At one point, the girl exclaims that she couldn’t breathe, and a bystander screams that one of the security guards has his knee on her back.
Her friends were not accused of anything nor detained by the security personnel.
General said that the experience has left the girl with significant emotional and psychological impacts.
General said this was a case of racial profiling that highlights a broader and concerning pattern of discriminatory treatment against Indigenous individuals without cause in public spaces, and that this discriminatory treatment often involves “some members of specific communities who may have biases.”
On Nov. 19, Indigenous leaders from the First Nations Leadership Council demanded that Paladin Security issue a formal apology to the victim and her family, and called for an independent investigation.
A joint statement called the behaviour of the security guards “shocking and horrific, and a result of the deep and ongoing systemic racism (that) First Nation people, and particularly First Nations women, face across this country.”
“This ongoing cycle of violence and abuse is fuelled by racist beliefs and ideas which portray Indigenous peoples as stereotypes that are removed from any semblance of reality,” said Regional Chief Terry Teegee of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations.
Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs president Grand Chief Stewart Phillip expressed concerns that police and security guards “have grown all too comfortable employing excessive and violent force on Indigenous peoples without facing consequences,” adding that his organization joins the girl’s family in “condemning the excessive force used by Paladin Security,” and called for an Indigenous investigator to do “a thorough investigation into this incident.”
General said the family wants criminal charges laid against the security personnel involved, including assault, forcible confinement, public mischief and criminal harassment. The Surrey RCMP said it is investigating.
Hugh Braker, a First Nations Summit political executive, said it was clear that the security company racially profiled Indigenous people and considered them security risks.
The First Nations Leadership Council criticized police and security guards for their lack of cultural understanding, and “the failure of Canada to meet the minimum standards outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”
On Wednesday, Paladin Security issued a statement to Postmedia saying, “We are aware of an incident that took place at Guildford Town Centre that involved our officers. We are transparently working with Surrey police on the events leading up to what is seen in the video and are conducting an internal investigation to ensure the response of our team aligns with our procedural expectations and training standards.”
Citing an ongoing police investigation, Paladin declined to comment further.
In 2019, a Heiltsuk Nation man and his granddaughter, then 12, were wrongly detained and handcuffed after visiting a Bank of Montreal branch in Vancouver to open a bank account for the child. They filed a human rights complaint and received a settlement that included an apology for discrimination, undisclosed damages to the family, and a $100,000 payment to their nation’s restorative justice department. The Vancouver police board promised to improve police training on Indigenous racism and cultural competency.