Vancouver council votes in favour of abolishing street checks, but police board has final say – CBC

Street checks disproportionately affect people of colour, Black and Indigenous residents, police data shows

Jul 23, 2020

Councillors in Vancouver have voted unanimously to ban officers from conducting street checks — the process of arbitrarily demanding and recording identification, outside of any sort of police investigation.

Mayor Kennedy Stewart praised the outcome of the vote in a social media statement late Wednesday, thanking the almost seven dozen speakers who offered their opinions on his motion.

He said street checks disproportionately affect people of colour and the city’s Black and Indigenous residents.

Stewart, who also chairs the Vancouver Police Board, said only the board has the power to abolish the checks but he said he will pressure it to follow council’s lead.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/street-checks-vancouver-city-council-vote-1.5660122