6-year-old Black girl handcuffed by Peel police at school awarded $35K in damages

The Human Rights Tribunal has awarded $35,000 in damages against Peel police ruling that officers used “racially discriminatory force” against a six-year-old Black girl while at school in 2016.

Ontario’s Human Rights Tribunal said the damages against the police force include psychological and trauma counselling.

On Sept. 30, two white Peel police constables attended a public school in Mississauga after administrators asked for assistance with the girl, who they said was acting violently at the time.

During their interaction, the Human Rights Tribunal said that the constables placed the young girl on her stomach and cuffed her at the wrists and ankles.

She was then kept in that position for 28 minutes until paramedics arrived.

“I am happy this rather lengthy and difficult chapter is finally over,” said J.B., the child’s mother and litigation guardian

“I can now focus on what lies ahead, which is making my daughter whole. This decision gives my community hope where we often feel there’s no recourse.”

The family’s identity is protected by way of a publication ban.

The officers in question have defended their actions, saying they tried to verbally de-escalate the situation before the six-year-old girl was restrained in handcuffs.

In a statement from Peel police to 680 NEWS, Const. Sarah Patten confirmed officers have developed “specialized teams that include mental health experts.”

“These officers were investigated by the OIPRD pursuant to the Police Services Act,  no formal charges of misconduct were laid as a result of the investigation,” Patten said.

“However, it was determined that these officers, and all officers responding to schools, would benefit from further training involving crisis intervention techniques.”

It had been the fourth time the police were called by the school for assistance with the child.

“The applicant has suffered implicit harm in experiencing anti-Black racism at a very tender age,” wrote tribunal adjudicator, Brenda Bowlby.

“[T]hat the applicant would experience anti-Black racism at such a young age is alarming: it is clear that, because of this incident, she became aware that as a Black person, she may be subject to different treatment than a white child. The full impact of this is unknown but it is now part of the applicant’s lived experience and will affect her into the future.”

Bowlby wrote that although the officers “conducted themselves throughout the incident in a professional and polite manner,” she said that their actions were “disproportionate to what was necessary.”

The family asked the tribunal to order revised training and implement an interim protocol response for its officers at schools but the tribunal declined, saying it found that Peel Police had recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

“I’m pleased with the Tribunal’s decision,” said the girl’s mother. “But I do hope the MOU isn’t just smartly worded and celebrated while police officers continue to have harmful interactions with Black bodies on the ground – with little risk of even professional consequences.”

“I hope it’s a meaningful step toward trusting police to be protectors of our community. These policy changes need to affect our daily lives,” she added.

Peel police said that moving forward, the force and its surrounding officers will “continue to work closely with internal and external stakeholder groups to ensure a change is meaningful, timely and helps improve service delivery to those who need it.”