Keep Your Hope Alive

I consider myself to be an optimist. I have faith and hope. Perhaps this is the preacher's daughter in me. As the saying goes, the apple does not fall far from the tree. It is ironic that on Jan. 19, 2004, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, I began to have doubts about my outlook for Nova Scotia. As I read accounts of comments made by the Municipal Association of Police Personnel (MAPP) at a news conference responding to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission's board of inquiry decision in the Kirk Johnson matter, my heart sank and I once again worried about the future of my province.

I was born and raised in Sydney, in a place called Whitney Pier. I am proud to be from Whitney Pier, and equally proud to be a Nova Scotian. I can clearly remember sitting on the front porch with my friends waiting for our favourite police officer to pass by. As little girls, we all had a special officer that we admired. We were not afraid of the police, in fact I believe there was mutual respect between the police and our diverse community.

When Carl "Campy" Crawford became the first black municipal police officer to join the Sydney force, our community celebrated. When Campy died in November 2003, the tiny St. Philips's African Orthodox Church in Whitney Pier overflowed with people who loved him and wanted to honor his accomplishments. The police honour guard, police rank and file and top brass all paid their respects to Campy. He was the police officer everyone loved.

Campy was a people person who respected everyone regardless of their colour. We heard stories about Campy going out of his way to help people and to do good. We know that Campy must have had his challenges. Through it all, he never stopped smiling. He was always positive, always full of hope. He gave policing a good name.

Fast forward to Jan. 19, 2004. When I heard, and later read, the comments by Sgt. John Gardner, president of MAPP, I could not help but remember Campy and think of the black police officers on the Halifax force. I wondered what they were feeling. Did they agree with Sgt. Gardner? If not, would they remain silent? Who would support them if they disagreed publicly with the union? If they remained silent would the black community understand? These officers are in a difficult position. They have to work within the union and within the culture of policing. They have to survive.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who fought for justice and freedom. Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., where he went to give support to the union representing garbage workers. It is ironic that on his birthday, MAPP chose to dismiss the independent ruling of the human rights commission inquiry's board chair in the Johnson matter. The actions and words of MAPP can only be characterized as showing a lack of respect for a process that was fair and transparent. Is this the view of the majority of the police rank and file? If it is, I am concerned that race relations between the black community and the police has been set back by decades.

Looking at recent news coverage, it would be possible to conclude that there is something wrong with the culture of policing in Canada. Scandals have racked Ontario police departments concerning their interaction with visible minorities and aboriginal people. On the prairies, a public inquiry in Saskatchewan is examining whether there is police involvement in the death of Neil Stonechild, an aboriginal man, who was found on the outskirts of town and who eventually froze to death.

Police are entrusted with the duty to protect us and to enforce the law. We expect to feel safe when we see a police officer. I want to feel the way I did when I was a child waiting for the police to walk by, but MAPP's comments make that difficult for me. The union missed a golden opportunity to demonstrate leadership in policing and race relations when it chose not to embrace the Johnson decision.

I somehow feel we have been down this road before. Not long ago, our province was consumed by the inquiry into the Donald Marshall Jr. prosecution. Mr. Marshall, a Mi'kmaq man from Cape Breton, was wrongly accused and convicted of a murder in Sydney and spent 11 years behind bars before finally having his name cleared. The Marshall Inquiry made a number of recommendations to improve the administration of justice in Nova Scotia and ensure that what happened to Mr. Marshall could not happen again. In the wake of the Johnson decision, I wonder how much progress has been made since the Marshall Inquiry.

The Johnson case is a complex matter. The implications of this case go beyond the Halifax police department, Const. Michael Sanford and the black community. This case affects all citizens and all police officers regardless of their colour or gender. If certain members of our population cannot trust the police and vice versa then civil society and race relations in Nova Scotia will remain dysfunctional. We cannot move forward if healing does not take place. If there is no truth there cannot be reconciliation. The board chair issued a ruling based on the facts presented to him. He found "Const. Sanford discriminated against Kirk Johnson in the course of the ticketing and towing of his vehicle." MAPP's comments appear to suggest that the chair's decision was more arbitrary. Before making up their minds, every Nova Scotian should read Mr. Girard's decision and decide if that is so.

My dream, fueled by my faith and hope, has been to make this province a centre of excellence in human rights. I grew tired long ago of hearing people describe our province as one of the most racist places in Canada based on news coverage of Cole Harbour, Donald Marshall Jr., Africville and now Kirk Johnson. I believed Nova Scotia and its people deserved better.

But my dream has been shaken. When I left Toronto five years ago to return home to accept my position with the Human Rights Commission, many people tried to discourage me. They said: "You are black, you know how you will be treated." But Nova Scotia is my home and I came back to try and make a difference. Maybe with quiet reflection, prayers and inspiration from leaders such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mahatma Gandhi, John Humphries and John F. Kennedy, the culture of policing will one day be one that civil society can understand, embrace, respect and trust.

I commend Halifax Regional Police Chief Frank Beazley and Deputy Chief Chris McNeil for their acceptance of the Johnson decision and their willingness to move forward with the work mandated by the board chair. However, as long as the rank and file hold the views that were communicated by MAPP on Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, I am afraid their desire and goodwill will never be realized.

I wonder what Campy would have said to me these past few days? Yes, I think I hear his voice: "Girl, keep hope alive. Your hope is only shaken, it's not broken."