This year, I have been virtually supporting actions against the homeless, but after COVID-19 restrictions were loosened and cases dropped, I felt it was important to come forward in person to support camp residents and the extreme demonstration of strength of our city officials. .
What he did not expect was that he would end up being unfairly profiled, searched and arrested by Toronto police.
On the morning of September 16, protesters gathered in front of Mayor John Tory’s residence to share their message. Organizers called for volunteers to hold posters with images of those who had been brutalized by police in a camp clearing earlier this summer. I raised my hand, a small but important gesture to show my solidarity and shed light on the actions of the city. When the speakers stepped up to the microphone to share their remarks, each of us took his place behind them. The crowd that had gathered was calm, receptive and supportive.
Midway through the conference, an organizer informed the crowd that there had been “suspicious activity” a few blocks away. They mentioned that one of their speakers had been kidnapped and arrested by the police on his way home. As a security measure, the organizers asked that no one leave the event alone.
When the event came to a close, I asked my fellow volunteers if they would accompany me to the subway station. Three of us crossed the street and entered the St. George subway station. Before I said goodbye, I assured them that I would let someone know when I got home safely.
As I went through the turnstiles of the subway, I noticed a man I saw at the press conference. At the event, he was looking at me while standing next to the speaker. He had been unmasked then, and he was now as we both headed south to the platform and boarded the train. Feeling uncomfortable, I held my phone in my hand until I reached the Queen’s Park tube station. On the street, I looked over my shoulder. He was there.
I started to panic. I made a quick call to my partner and blurted out, “I think they’re following me.” I did a mental math on how to divert my route to avoid taking this man home. When I turned to walk north on University Ave., I was attacked by men in plain clothes. My phone flew out of my hand, my partner was immediately out of reach and I started yelling “What’s going on!”
According to a passerby who filmed the interaction, four plainclothes officers jumped at me and four additional uniformed officers arrived on the scene. Officers searched me, took my driver’s license out of my wallet, and tried to identify me. It was clear that they had no idea who I was.
On the ground, they said he was arrested for assaulting an officer and possessing a weapon with the intent to assault. Those exact words. They said this was in connection with the events outside Tory’s residence and they also tried to connect me to the eviction of the Lamport Stadium camp in July. While I sympathize with those who showed up that day to support their neighbors in need, I had not been to Lamport Stadium or any of the camp evictions.
I was taken to the Division 14 police station and detained in a cell for hours in fear for my life and possible exposure to COVID-19. Later that afternoon, they released me unconditionally; the police simply dropped his life-altering claim that he had assaulted one of them. In their own press release they admit: “Further investigation revealed that the arrested woman was not the person wanted. She was released without charge ”.
This act by the Toronto police was terrifying, traumatizing and, frankly, disgusting. They had waited until I was alone to jump on me so that no one else from the protest would see what happened to me. No one would have known where he was if he hadn’t been on the phone when it happened.
All I did was show up at a press conference and volunteer to hold a poster. All I had on top of me was my backpack that contained my wallet, my cell phone, and a cookie. All he wanted was to get home.
And although I took the precaution of being escorted to the subway, the police followed me.
While the city’s ombudsman has said they will investigate the camp withdrawals, this does not include the police. This does not include other cases of serious abuse of power.
I ask the people of Toronto if they feel comfortable living in a city, where we cannot support each other peacefully without fear of retaliation. I would also ask Toronto police why they were comfortable tracking down and using excessive force against an innocent five foot four black woman who was simply trying to get home. And I ask everyone to consider what this level of violence and surveillance means to the homeless in Toronto every day.
Editor’s Note: The Star reviewed video footage of Ila’s arrest, along with eyewitness accounts and statements from her attorney. When asked for a comment, Toronto police directed the Star to a Press release acknowledging that officers released a woman from custody on September 16, 2021 after misidentifying her.
Reference-www.thestar.com