Black Lives Matter Vancouver demands removal of police float from Pride Parade
A Canadian Black Lives Matter chapter demanded a police float be removed from the Vancouver Pride Parade in an open letter Friday to police and march organizers.
Black Lives Matter Vancouver wrote that the Vancouver Police Department should agree to a “voluntary withdrawal” from the July 31 LGBT pride event “as a symbolic gesture and actual sign of support for Indigenous, PoC and Black communities.”
“Having the Vancouver Police Department on the ground to perform a civil service is understandable,” the letter said. “Having the institution participate on a float in the organized festivities of the actual parade is inappropriate and insulting to those who came before us to make Pride celebrations possible, some of who even died for the cause.”
Organizers with the Vancouver Pride Society had said earlier in the week that events like the Pride Parade “would not be possible without the support of our partners, including law enforcement.”
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Vancouver Police Sgt. Randy Fincham told The Canadian Press the department is aware of the letter and officials plan to meet with organizers and protesters to resolve the matter.
(blacklivesmattervancouver.com)
“We continue to work with all communities to build a more inclusive Vancouver, and protect the rights of all those who live, work and play in the city," Fincham said in an email.
The Black Lives Matter activists said they were standing in solidarity with Toronto Black Lives Matter protesters who stopped a Pride Parade earlier this month until organizers gave in to their demand that police not participate in future years.
The Vancouver activists plan to accept an invitation to act as grand marshal for the Vancouver Dyke March the day before the Pride Parade instead. Yet the activists offered an alternative to the police float at the Pride event.
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“We propose that a representative public service float, including police officers, firefighters, paramedics and others replaces the police-only float,” the open letter said. “This would still include officers who would like to participate. The float would no longer represent the police force as an institution that has been and remains fundamental to the perpetuation of structural violence against Black and brown bodies in North America.”
(Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Representatives for the Vancouver Pride Society didn’t immediately respond Monday to a request for comment on the idea.
The Society had released a statement three days before the open letter saying no organizations had requested that police be excluded from the parade but that organizers understood a police presence “may create barriers for some members of our community.”
“Criticism is a gift that offers an opportunity to do better for our organization and our community,” organizers said. “We have heard concerns about Pride's inclusiveness and diversity; we see those comments as such an opportunity. In the coming months Pride looks forward to respectful dialogue with other organizations and the broader community to work to address these issues. We can and will do better together.
A Canadian Black Lives Matter chapter demanded a police float be removed from the Vancouver Pride Parade in an open letter Friday to police and march organizers.
Black Lives Matter Vancouver wrote that the Vancouver Police Department should agree to a “voluntary withdrawal” from the July 31 LGBT pride event “as a symbolic gesture and actual sign of support for Indigenous, PoC and Black communities.”
“Having the Vancouver Police Department on the ground to perform a civil service is understandable,” the letter said. “Having the institution participate on a float in the organized festivities of the actual parade is inappropriate and insulting to those who came before us to make Pride celebrations possible, some of who even died for the cause.”
Organizers with the Vancouver Pride Society had said earlier in the week that events like the Pride Parade “would not be possible without the support of our partners, including law enforcement.”
Florida police car set on fire, Black Lives Matter note found
Vancouver Police Sgt. Randy Fincham told The Canadian Press the department is aware of the letter and officials plan to meet with organizers and protesters to resolve the matter.
(blacklivesmattervancouver.com) “We continue to work with all communities to build a more inclusive Vancouver, and protect the rights of all those who live, work and play in the city," Fincham said in an email.
The Black Lives Matter activists said they were standing in solidarity with Toronto Black Lives Matter protesters who stopped a Pride Parade earlier this month until organizers gave in to their demand that police not participate in future years.
The Vancouver activists plan to accept an invitation to act as grand marshal for the Vancouver Dyke March the day before the Pride Parade instead. Yet the activists offered an alternative to the police float at the Pride event.
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“We propose that a representative public service float, including police officers, firefighters, paramedics and others replaces the police-only float,” the open letter said. “This would still include officers who would like to participate. The float would no longer represent the police force as an institution that has been and remains fundamental to the perpetuation of structural violence against Black and brown bodies in North America.”
(Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images) Representatives for the Vancouver Pride Society didn’t immediately respond Monday to a request for comment on the idea.
The Society had released a statement three days before the open letter saying no organizations had requested that police be excluded from the parade but that organizers understood a police presence “may create barriers for some members of our community.”
“Criticism is a gift that offers an opportunity to do better for our organization and our community,” organizers said. “We have heard concerns about Pride's inclusiveness and diversity; we see those comments as such an opportunity. In the coming months Pride looks forward to respectful dialogue with other organizations and the broader community to work to address these issues. We can and will do better together.
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