Lawsuit threatens to test already tense relationship between Chief, community
Posted December 10, 2016 8:35 pm.
Last Updated December 10, 2016 8:36 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Reaction continues to pour in after Peel’s Police Chief was named in a $21-million lawsuit.
As CityNews first reported on Friday, the suit accuses Chief Jennifer Evans of interfering in an SIU investigation into the March 2015 shooting on Queen Frederica Drive in Mississauga. Suzan Zreik, who filed the lawsuit, was struck by a stray police bullet while standing in her kitchen as police confronted a man about a neighbourhood dispute earlier that day.
The officers were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing by the SIU. However, Zriek alleges that Evans visited her in hospital just hours after she had been shot, giving her a business card with her personal phone number written on it as well as assurance that she would help Zriek with her career goals which happen to be in policing.
There was already some tension between Evans, the police services board and community members stemming from disagreements last year over the issue of carding and the allegations threaten to add fuel to the fire.
“The Peel Board voted 4 to 3 in favour of suspending the practice,” said Knia Singh, a human rights activist. “However, Chief Evans defiantly opposed that motion and did not suspend carding and stated that she would continue to do it. So that was a sign that the police chief may be at odds with what the community wants.
Singh adds if the latest allegations are true, it starts to form a disturbing pattern.
“With this type of interaction and then repeated ones before it, it starts to set up a pattern that the community is going to be concerned about. From what I’m hearing, a lot of people are concerned, previously to this incident, but this is just pushing it over the edge.”
There was mixed reaction from Peel residents to news of the lawsuit allegations. Some said opinions should be withheld until all the facts are in while others were calling for answers from the chief.
The next meeting of the Peel Police Services Board isn’t until the New Year. Singh says that’s not soon enough.
“There’s three weeks until the end of the month and within those three weeks a lot can happen. So I would like to see the police board call an emergency meeting within the next two weeks, prior to the Christmas holidays, so that these allegations and the current state of the Peel Police Service can be addressed.”
The lawsuit was filed in Brampton court on Friday. None of the claims contained in the lawsuit have been proven in court. Those named in the suit have 20 days to file a statement of defense.
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