Peggy Revell
Crew worries
race maybe
played role
It wasn’t the small town welcome that they expected.
A crew—composed mainly of black men—working the region’s forest were dismayed after running errands in Fort Frances ended up with a small visit from local OPP.
It was an upsetting experience, commented Leonard—a crew member who didn’t want his last name to be used—but who spoke on behalf of the group Friday afternoon, while they completed their laundry at Suds & Tubs Laundromat.
Just half an hour earlier, OPP officers had stopped outside the local business, questioning and IDing those outside after having received a phone call from a member of the public who had thought errands—including apparently going in and out of banks multiple times—was suspicious.
“I was embarrassed,” said Leonard, who noted that the 16 crew members that are tree thinning in the region have come from all across Canada. “We work hard, we came here because they didn’t have people to work.”
The crew members had come into town to do a variety of things, he noted, such as personal banking, laundry, getting supplies—all of which required them to go to the banks to get money for these services and items.
“What is in my mind is, because this is a small town, they are not used to seeing black people. Big cities, it’s not like that.”
Local OPP Cst. Anne McCoy stated that police were acting in response to a phone call from a community member reporting suspicious behaviour of people coming in and out of local banks several times.
“If a call comes in, we have to respond,” stated Cst. McCoy, noting that as the call also concerned banks, it registers as a higher priority and response by local law enforcement.
In responding, officers ended up outside Suds & Tubs to investigate, she noted—an investigation which took only seven minutes before determining that there was nothing suspicious happening, and with the officers leaving.
ID was recorded as it is standard procedure for any investigation, she said.
“We want to reassure people that we responded to the behaviour,” stressed McCoy about the incident, saying that if people have concerns about the way any incident is handled, to contact the police. As well, she noted that all officers have training in diversity—pointing to their involvement with the Respect Campaign and the Celebrating Diversity Committee.
At the same time, Cst. McCoy also stressed that she hopes that this situation doesn’t discourage the public from contacting the police if they observe suspicious activities occurring, as this is an important part to community policing.
“I’m glad that the cops are doing their jobs watching out for the community—but this is not right. I don’t think anyway,” said Sherri Loveday, owner of Suds & Tubs who was working at the store during the incident.
Loveday questions whether if the crew had been white, the incident would have occurred at all.
“When my customers are upset, that upsets me, too.” she said, noting that other customers at her store were dismayed by the incident as well—apologizing to the crew on behalf of Fort Frances.
Loveday noted that the crew was also spending a great deal of money in town—$300 in her store alone to do laundry, alongside money elsewhere on gas, groceries and other supplies.
“It’s upsetting,” she said.
