The Waterloo police are all over social media saying how they have an orange squad car to spread awareness about truth and reconciliation. Truth is, I did not go to the event today because their presence disturbs me.
Last year, when I did go, the cops were the very first people thanked for being there. It felt like a gut punch. This is not ok. The police do not make me feel safe. They make me go into high-alert mode.
A few years ago, I stopped three Waterloo police officers from abusing a disabled woman. I heard screams for help and came running only to find them dragging her across the parking lot of the police station. She was not violent. She was not resisting. She was being assaulted. Her shirt was half off and her shoulder was dislocated. I didn't know what to do, but got out my phone to record. They let go of her as soon as they saw me with my phone. I stayed there until the woman got away. I made sure she was safe, and then I left, never turning my back on them.
The same year, an elder I know at Six Nations texted me in a panic because police were shooting at her and other Indigenous women with baton rounds.
Police presence at Indigenous events is not reconciliation. It is a threat dressed up as a photo op. It is a reminder of how police were integral to Indigenous children being stolen and placed in residential "schools."
#TruthAndReconciliation @WaterlooEvents @waterlooregion #OrangeShirtDay #police #PoliceBrutality #ResidentialSchools
