By Submitted

"No child should be afraid to go hold a sign"

Letter: Time for mayor to lead in combating racism

Sep 22, 2020 | 10:23 AM

Mayor Veer,

I am writing to you today in response to events I watched unfold on Sunday, September 20, 2020 at Rotary Park.

My daughter and I went down to participate in an anti-racism rally to show our support as allies to BIPOC members of our community. Before going I was aware that there would be counter protesters, that they would be the same ones that had been present at local rallies in Ponoka and Innisfail. I believed that it would still be safe however for my 8 year old daughter, as I had faith in our City and Police to provide a safe place for a peaceful rally. I was sorely mistaken.

When we arrived at 3:45 p.m. we parked on the north side of Rotary Park since I had already seen the counter protesters vehicles at the main Rotary Park parking lot and wanted to keep our distance. Soon after parking and just as we started to walk to the rally, I told my daughter to lower her sign and walk back to the car as the truck that pulled up beside us was full of men yelling obscenities and I felt it was unsafe to be so far removed from the group alone with that truckload of men. Even from this distance (350 feet) the clash between the two groups was audible and it was clear it was escalating.

We then drove and parked on 47 Ave., directly east of the rear parking lot for the Golden Circle. I left my daughter safely in the vehicle and walked across the street to speak with members of the anti-racism rally that were on the sidewalk. It was at this time that a major fight broke out between the two groups about 150 ft. from where we were standing. Some RCMP officers had to be notified of the fights as they were standing on the sidewalk speaking with people with their backs towards the conflict.

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More and more RCMP officers showed up after that point, but most of them stood together behind one of their SUVs about 25-30 feet away from where the two protest groups were clashing. I know where they were, because we would end up being stopped by them and standing directly behind them. After the first fight I went to leave, telling my daughter it wouldn’t be safe for us to go to the rally today. She said to me “I’m not afraid dad. I want to go show I care”. So we did. We got out of the car, she held her sign up high, and we went to join the rally as safely as possible.

It was at this point that one RCMP officer stopped us and told us that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for a child to go any further, I agreed with him. I spoke to the officer briefly about how we had been to other rallies and this is the first one to get violent, he told me it is difficult because “both sides have the right to be heard.” This didn’t register with me much at the time, but over the next 12 hours it gnawed at me. One group wasn’t trying to be heard, they were trying to silence the other. They had megaphones inches away from the heads of protesters who were simply standing holding signs, yelling obscenities at them. There were threats of being beat, ran over by cars, killed.

I will not be naive and say that there was not aggression from the other side, but the violence and confrontation came from one, it was the side proclaiming themselves as Yellow Vesters, Sons of Odin, Northern Guard, and Urban Infidels. I am not asking you to silence one group, though. I am asking you to enforce the laws our communities have. If a counter protest wants to be a safe distance away or on the other side of the road, proclaiming their filth, there isn’t anything we can do about that being in a free society unless it crosses over into hate speech. But we have noise ordinances and bullying bylaws, what is the point of having any of those written down if it is not to enforce them at times like this.

The violence should have been stopped by the RCMP, charges should have been laid. They failed us on Sunday. But an event shouldn’t have to get to the point of violence before a response is expected from the police. I ask that you, and all of our City Council, start attending these rallies. If not as participants in solidarity, then at least as observers. I ask that you demand bylaw officers to go down, issue warnings, and then as needed issue tickets for those breaking our communities bylaws on bullying and noise. No one should have to have a megaphone an inch from their ear with hateful rhetoric being spewed at them. No child should be afraid to go hold a sign.

I look forward to your response, but not to me. There is no need to respond to a middle aged white man on these issues. Please respond to our BIPOC community members, let them know that this hatred and violence does not belong in our community. Respond to them with reassurance that our laws apply equally to everyone, that law enforcement will protect everyone equally. Let them know they are welcome in Red Deer.

Scott MacMillan

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The views expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of rdnewsNOW or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group. Column suggestions and letters to the editor can be sent to news@rdnewsNOW.com.