Police discriminated against 2 Black men, rules Alberta human rights tribunal

Anti-racism consultant expresses stress the need for a cultural change within the police and importance of holding individual officers accountable for their actions

OTTAWA, Canada – The Human Rights Tribunal of the Canadian province of Alberta recently ruled that police in the capital city of Edmonton had discriminated against two Black men.

The incident occurred in 2017 when the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) wrongly treated two men, Yousef John and Caesar Judianga, as criminals.

EPS Const. Jordan Steele used pepper spray on the men and subsequently arrested them.

During a subsequent interaction, another officer, Const. Celia Frattin, said they were lucky they were only pepper sprayed and suggested they could have been shot.

The court considered this remark discriminatory.

In 2018, John and Judianga filed a complaint with the EPS Professional Standards Division.

In 2019, Steele was convicted of misconduct for failing to warn about the use of pepper spray.

As a result, Steele received a disciplinary letter and was ordered to complete more force training.

Mawien Akot, a local community leader, called for an apology from the EPS and pointed out the fears in the South Sudanese community when dealing with the police.

Both men involved in the incident are of South Sudanese descent.

Shalini Sinha, an anti-racism consultant, stressed the need for a cultural change within the EPS and the importance of holding individual officers accountable for their actions.

The EPS has requested a judicial review of the tribunal’s decision, and a hearing will be scheduled to decide on appropriate remedies for the individuals involved.