Police attack was racially motivated, victim says
Vancouver Police Cst. Jana McGuinness takes questions from the media after three off-duty police officers were arrested on allegations they assaulted and robbed a man in Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday January 21, 2009. The officers taken into custody work for police departments in West Vancouver, New Westminster and Delta, British Columbia. (CP)
This guy was beat up “because we don’t like your colour” on the day he was delivering papers with headlines all featuring Obama being inaugurated as president. Is it the white men’s way of showing their subliminal disappointment towards a black president?
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Globe and Mail, CTV, CP
A newspaper deliveryman who was allegedly beaten by three off-duty police officers spoke for the first time yesterday, recalling an attack that he charges was racially motivated.
Phil Khan, standing with his wife and young daughters, recounted the attack, first by one officer and then by three. He says he was kicked, robbed and told it was because of the colour of his skin.
“They’re telling me, you know what, we don’t like brown people,” he said. “[I'm] very afraid; I had a lot of respect for the police.”
Mr. Khan was working along Burrard Street in Vancouver around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday – delivering newspapers filled with coverage of the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama – when he says the racially charged attack occurred.
“[He said] ‘You come here fucking now,’ [and he] pulled my kangaroo jacket [over me] … and after that he started kicking,” said Mr. Khan, 47. He said two others soon joined in, and that the men stole $200 in gas money and a cellphone, and threatened to use a taser on him.
“When I asked for help, they told me, ‘We are the police, you don’t need help. If you don’t behave, we have a taser,’ ” he said. “I told them that I’m half-dead anyways, after you guys beat me up so badly, so you might as well use the taser and then kill me.
“They kept on saying, you know, like, we’re the Vancouver police. I tell them the police don’t beat the public, someone like me, right? And they said you’re going to get it, you’re going to get it.”
Passersby intervened and called 911. Vancouver police came and arrested Mr. Khan, according to witness accounts, before releasing him and arresting three men, all off-duty officers from nearby municipalities.
“Just amazing this didn’t happen on a back lane. I would have been, like, dead today. Buried,” Mr. Khan said.
Yesterday, Mr. Khan had bandages on his hands and one around his head, and said the attack left him with internal injuries. He said he lost a filling and chipped a tooth, and walked softly while gripping family members for support.
Vancouver police have said there were no serious injuries.
(CP)
No decision has yet been made on whether to charge the three officers, but the outcry over the attack has so far led to a Police Act investigation overseen by B.C.’s police complaints commissioner.
Yesterday, the public profile of the case forced Vancouver’s police chief to issue a rare statement on an ongoing investigation.
Chief Constable Jim Chu said that for the sake of preserving the public’s respect, he wanted to reassure people about the integrity of the process.
“We normally reserve any comments out of respect for the process and a reluctance to say or do anything that might influence the outcome. But for the sake of preserving the public’s respect, and belief in the integrity of that process, I believe it is important to reassure them on this matter,” he said.
“We are in the process of interviewing witnesses and examining evidence, including any video that may have been recorded. We are asking publicly that any witnesses with information about the incident please call us,” he said, adding that the case was being pursued “aggressively.”
He did not specifically address witness accounts, or Mr. Khan’s version of events.
Two officers alleged to have been involved in the incident, from the Delta and West Vancouver police departments, have been reassigned to desk duties, while an officer from New Westminster Police has been suspended with pay.
The three men spent most of Wednesday in a Vancouver jail cell before being released that evening.
The Crown is considering charges against the officers, who are all junior constables with fewer than five years experience.
Mr. Khan said he has had trouble sleeping since the attack, and will miss several days of work. His boss, Dave Breen, said Mr. Khan has been with Dolphin Delivery for 12 years.
“I feel very traumatized, very afraid now. I’ve always liked my job,” Mr. Khan said. “Now I feel very different, very afraid.”
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Statement from Chief Constable Jim Chu, Vancouver Police Department
Tags: Phil Khan, police, racism, VancouverVancouver Police Investigation into the Arrest of Three Lower Mainland Police Officers
I am aware that it is unusual for a Chief Constable to speak out publicly about an ongoing investigation. We normally reserve any comments out of respect for the process and a reluctance to say or do anything that might influence the outcome. But for the sake of preserving the public’s respect, and belief in the integrity of that process, I believe it is important to reassure them on this matter.This investigation is being pursued aggressively and fully. We are in the process of interviewing witnesses and examining evidence, including any video that may have been recorded. We are asking publicly that any witnesses with information about the incident please call us.
I know that my fellow Chiefs in the pertinent jurisdictions are taking the matter very seriously as well. I am also aware that parallel investigations under the Police Act are proceeding with all pursuant consequences. I am in consultation with all three Chiefs to ensure that we share our information so that they can continue their Police Act investigations and make determinations about the status of these officers.
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Short URL: http://www.chineseinvancouver.ca/?p=8571
It reminds me of Rodney King LA riot?
Nah, white people covering for each other, white people hate “brown” people, white people hate Hongcouver.
“White man’s justice, Black/Brown man’s grief”
you know i have a latino friend who was picked up by police and kicked and beaten for no apparent reason . this is called law enforcement fear tactic. but it just creates more hate and distrust and eventually race riots by youth, the underprivileged and all that. then the politicians will come out and say something smoothing and things will just go back to the same way as before. here we have a chinese canadian police chief and a brown Attorney General and these officers just show them no respect.
it is funny when it comes to race nobody wants to be “justice” thinker. the courts rarely believe abuse of power by racist officers exist. anyway the threshold is set so high that it becomes very diifficult to prove. in law if you cannot prove something then it can be regarded as it does not exist.
now if the threshold is the same as it is for you and I, we may have more justice but we may also have more crimes because then the police will be pixxed. they can’t do their job and all that. afterall the choice may well be do you really have to care abut these isolated incidents of police brutality if overall the police are doing a good job in protecting YOU and your nice neighborhoods?
Lawrence,
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anyway the threshold is set so high that it becomes very diifficult to prove. in law if you cannot prove something then it can be regarded as it does not exist.
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I think this guy says it best:
What’s even worse business is to constantly obfuscate, justify and attempt to cover up what’s been going on, and keep on exacerbating it.
In Canada you like to preach the virtues of cooperation, negotiation and “…being a nice chap…”, paying attention to appearances, and so on.
Then you turn round and refuse all cooperation to people who have been shat upon. You do this by a process of denial and obfuscation – and legalistic obstructionism, based on trying to exploit the law to pretend that the facts don’t exist or are “not relevant”, or some such.
And of course you are all concerned with continuing to LOOK LIKE you are interested in cooperation, negotiation and so on – when, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. You simply shit on people in trouble and then try to pretend that they don’t exist, or have “gone mad” and “should be ignored”, or some such. Not very clever and completely counter-productive. And what about the implications for the tax base, when you fuck around like this in order to stop somebody from functioning properly in society?
During the 80′s and the 90′s the Toronto Police were so corrupt that some members were peddling drugs on the side. Olivia Chow came onto the Toronto Police Services Board, an independant civilian police commission, and she really clean things up.
http://www.walnet.org/jane_doe/news/toronto_99/torstar-990622.html
Unfortunately she was forced to resign due to a technicality with her privately trying to convince the police to be civil during a riot in Toronto, she was supposed to go through the channels but there was no time with the riot looming.
It appears that the only public figures coming out about this racist attack on Khan are Jim Chu and Wally Oppal. There is no reason not to condamn such racist acts when a newspaper deliverer minding his own business gets beat up viciously by three cops. Where are the human rights people?
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these isolated incidents of police brutality if overall the police are doing a good job in protecting YOU and your nice neighborhoods?
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I think those concord securities or mall securities earning minimium wage are doing a better job?
What’s the crime-solving rate here? Property crimes and other crimes and we common people are most affected.
Chinktalk,
Please watch this video:
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/VUQaeF5inUY/
I watched the whole series almost 30 years ago.
I cant beleive that Khan would get arrested first, and after they finally figured out what happened they released him and arrested the other 3 officers, is this a joke ??? I feel disgusted at the polices forces of the lower mainland, they have inadequate training, taser people all the time, forget having the wise judgment one woul dexpect from a police officers these idiots dont even have the common sense normal people have. I dont know wehter to call them criminals in uniforms or retards in uniform. How do they recieve their traing before becoming officers, total morons!
I really hope these three off duty officers dont get off with a slap on the hand. They should be charged more severely than say, average 3 men committing these crimes because they were police officers who took a oath to protect the rights of people, not to violate them, the way they abused this poor man verbally and physically is going to follow him his whole life. shame on our police forces. This is a joke, 2 officers got desk jobs and another involved got a 30 day with pay vacation lol, wow!
Im Indo-Candian and I feel disgusted by my own community, no one seems to care what has happened to this poor man, we should protest infront of the police offices and demand answers from our provinical government. But nobody cares and these three men are going to get away with what they did, when the deserve to be stripped naked on the street and whipped to death.
HKboy thanks for the link.
My Chinese isn’t all that good so I didn’t understand most of it. Is there any with English subtitles.
Is it that the original Capillano bridge in the video.
Shawn – I have many Indo-Canadian friends and I think it is ashame that no Chinese politician has the chutzpah to condamn this racist act. Racism cannot be tolerated, no matter against any ethnic group.
I am a white male and am very upset at what has been happening within the police forces. The corruption and outright disregard for the law is appalling. Something needs to be done and done now, we all have to stand together and state we will not tolerate this. When a police officer is arrested for any reason he/she should be FIRED right away. Let off with pay and shuffled around is simply unnacceptable. This particular case is outrageous and should be demanding of resignations of unsaid officers and sent away (if guilty) for a long time.
Chinktalk,
Also read this:
http://www.straight.com/article/im-tired-of-hearing-people-call-me-a-chink
To the three idiot police officers who did such a horrendous crime, you bunch of back woods, neanderthal, red neck idiots! I am a white woman and you make ME – ashamed to me white when I hear stuff like this. To all of you others in this chat group – this does NOT reflect the views of white people. The world cheered for Obama just days ago and we are at a cross road. Times are changing. Justice has arrived and I have faith that these men will get what’s coming to them.
Love one another regardless of race and please, don’t let this change your view towards other white people. We are almost there, think back 50 years and how far we have come now.
JW,
No offence, but we are tired of you people’s useless speeches of damage control, because as you know, things like that will continue happen. Nothing will change.
While we talking crap, the cops involved are enjoying “carefree” desk jobs and paid holidays.
So is your problem with these specific police officers and the system or do you have a problem with “White” people in general. When you say “you peoples” what do you mean? I can tell you that there are hate crimes from every race and religion or any person in a position of power. There are Catholics and Prodistants (spelling?). Muslims and Hindus. Look at what China is doing to Tibet? Are you sure that you want to pin it all on white people or is the problem power itself? When given a position of power most people can’t handle it. Only a select few in history have been successful good leaders. Many have abused thier power. I would say the issue here is the screening process of the Police Department. They have a serious issue with decent people applying for the force. They need to try harder and screen better, make it more appealing to the population so that they have more people to choose from.
And if there are things in this world you know are wrong – protest or join them and make a difference from within. Don’t whine, storm in there and be heard.
hkboy, thx for the link to evelyn lau’s story. it’s well written.
look like lawrence’s worry applies again in this case. chief jim chu has suggested charges for 2 of the 3 off duty officers for assault etc but he said there’s not enough evidence to push for any hate crime charges. though he adds that the full victim’s statement from mr khan will be submitted to crown councel and the court, it proves once again how difficult it is to gather ‘enough’ physical evidence for hate crime.
hkboy, jw is new to civ. and i treasure any new commentators to join us. so please try to use a little more gentle wordings so that new ppl won’t be discouraged to participate in our conversation. thank you very much. :)
btw, jim chu seems to be quick in recommending charges to the officers this round. i wonder if he would be as efficient if any of the officers was from VPD
JW,
It is not only about these specific officers. Everybody knows the system is corrupt.
That’s why “you locals” give them nicknames like “pigs” or the “f-troops”?
Read here:
http://www.rcmpwatch.com/
You are correct about “there are hate crimes from every race and religion or any person in a position of power.” But in other comparable jurisdictions(UK, Germany, France, and etc.) , they don’t get paid vacations and desk jobs FOR committing a crime. Are you saying Canada is as BAD as some 3rd countries in Africa? Because they do atrocities in Afghanistan and Iraq OVER THERE, you HAVE TO do it locally in Canada, too?
Inspired by a hollywood movie, if three black cops assaulted an old White guy that night, saying “We don’t like white people, obama is in power now, hahaha), and they got the same desk jobs and paid vacations for it.
How would White people feel about that? Close your eyes and run that scene, again.
JW – welcome to this blog. Your opinions are valued. Like you say, please storm in and be heard. This blog is Canadiana with Chinese characteristics so you will probably run into differences of opinion with some of the bloggers, myself included. But please look at it as a townhall gathering in which everybody has something to say but it is all for the good of the community; in this case Canada. You will find the discussions sometimes heated and tunnel visioned; but never vitriolic. For we are all dedicated Canadians.
Yes, Canada is as bad as any other country for Hate crimes. A hate crime is the same anywhere. There is just less incidence of them here in Canada as there are in say… Gaza or Rwanda. The mentality of those committing the crimes are the same. Hate is hate.
I beleive the policy for a police officer that is caught drunk driving is a desk job with pay until it is investigated or put in front of a judge, so my question is… Is it a standard policy that police officers under investigation of ANY crime are put on desk duty or suspended with pay? In my recent memory of all the negative events that have happened within the police department – I beleive they were all reduced to a desk job or suspended with pay.
From what I beleive from the evidence so far, two officers committed a hate crime and one “supposedly” tried to stop them. What would happen if it was found that third person really did try to stop them – but he spent months awaiting trial with no pay?
I would like to see the police department screening their officers better before allowing them to join the force, and have regular psycological testing done to make sure they stay sane amongst all of the disturbing events that they have to deal with. There may be tendencies of racism, violence, alchoholism or other traits that are too subtle to pick up when in the recruiting stage but surface due to the person not dealing well with the stress of the disturbing events that they witness.
I would like to see the police accountable for creating policies of prevention for the future. This event just brings to light the problems they are facing from within the departments.
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Chu said there was not enough evidence to recommend charges against a third officer from the Delta police department, who was initially arrested along with the other two early Wednesday morning in downtown Vancouver.
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JW, the issue here is the Law doesn’t apply to everyone equally.
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What would happen if it was found that third person really did try to stop them – but he spent months awaiting trial with no pay?
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Lay him off temporarily? People do it in North America ALL THE TIME. No excuse for paid vacations BECAUSE he committed a crime. Try to intervene is not enough for an off-duty cop. Why didn’t he tackle the other two perpetrators? According to eye-witnesses account, he didn’t jack sh*t.
Also, some white friends of mine are asking why they are still not fired from their jobs.
How can they still be cops after this?
Another story from the internet:
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Several years ago in North Delta…. I was outside the BC liquor store which at that time was located on Scott Road in the Kennedy Heights Plaza… (it has since been moved to 88th Avenue on the Surrey side)
I observed a parking dispute between a group of 4 East Indian immigrant men vs 2 Caucasian men. The dispute was verbal only until one of the Caucasian men walked over to his pick-up and removed a rifle. The men proceeded to state “get the %$@#! outta here you stupid ######!” The East Indian men did not budge and continued to argue, with their very limited English, for what they felt was right. Someone eventually called police and two Delta Police officers showed up. The Caucasian man had put his rifle back into his pick-up prior to police arrival.
Immediately upon arrival, the police arrested two of the East Indian men and put them in the back of the police car. They told the other two East Indian men that they should leave immediately or they too would be arrested! The two Delta Police officers began to laugh and joke with the two Caucasian men about how “these f**king people speak no English and think they are above the law!” Another young East Indian male who spoke fluent English (probably Canadian born) approached the Delta officers and advised that he had observed the incident and stated that the Caucasian men had pulled out the rifle and pointed it at the other men. One of the Delta police officers asked the young East Indian male if he was directly involved with the incident? The man stated that he only saw what happened but he wasn’t directly involved. The cop proceeded to tell him to leave or else he would be arrested for obstruction of justice!
I was close enough to the situation to hear the conversation… but being white, I guess I wasn’t perceived as a potential threat or possible complainant by the cops.
I proceeded to drive home with my bottle of wine and never looked back.
I still think about the incident over a decade later and wonder why I didn’t do something or complain to someone.
When I heard that a Delta Police officer was involved in a racially motivated beating… it didn’t surprise me for a second.
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You beleive all police and RCMP are out to get minorities. When they commit a crime they are not entitled to the same rights as other criminals – they should be considered guilty until proven innocent. Lock them up and throw away the key. No trial for these people. You have all the evidence in the world that all cops are bad and that caucasion people are all in on a conspiracy against minorities. Your point has been made. I simply disagree.
JW,
Feel free to visit http://www.notcanada.com
I don’t think all cops are the same, however there are many who should never of been recruited to begin with. Just look at the RCMP requirements for recruitment, all you need is a highschool degree. NO post secondary edu.
With some post secondary edu, your able to meet other people of different experiences, backgrounds, and races. We are forced into a situation where tolerance and dialoge a respected. These are the people who need to be recruited.
They require 30+ references that they interview and they approach several of your neighbors whether you list them or not. If you are in a small remote town in canada they will send officers there to interview your neighbors as it is required. That’s alot of references. I agree with post secondary education, or equivilent work experience. But the education and work experience I don’t think would uncover racist tendencies. There are people of all educational levels that have these ideas.
I think if they are doing 30 reference checks, they should be looking here to eliminate bad candidates. If the recruits are young, I would say interviewing their highschool councellors would be a very good start.
UPDATE:
Both Klassen and Gillan have been suspended from duty with pay.
West Vancouver Police Cpl. Fred Harding said according to the terms of the Police Act, the officers who were suspended with pay will only be paid for 30 days from the time of their suspension “unless there is a change in circumstances.”
“That’s what the Act says and we have to abide by it,” said Harding.
well, you cant do much about racist police in canada. My friend got speeding ticket from Racist Delta Police, he was upset, caz police was making racist joke.
the best you can do about racist canadian police is , you have to protest in bcak home in front of the Canadian embassy.Another case, one immigrant didnt want to witness in some fight in starbucks, and he and she said , this is free country , for personal concerns we are not gonna be witness, later they got arrested, later they went to Burnaby RCMP , they told the RCMP that their friends gonna protest in front of the Canadian Embassy in Turkey, later on RCMP understood that they can not force people to be witness in cases.
SO the best thing is use your power at back home , if you are immigrant.
eye for an eye is the best solution for Racist canadian police force.Because law is not ruling in canada.