Surrey RCMP is continuing its investigation into the whole sordid affair that has set off a firestorm in the community. “We will not be releasing details about the individuals involved or details of the allegations at this time,” said Cpl. Joanie Sidhu in an email to the Optimist on Monday morning. “We are committed to doing a thorough investigation and while we cannot predict an exact date for our investigative tasks to be complete, our officers will work diligently to complete their work in a timely manner.”
DELTA — They’re calling her “Karen” after the white-privilege packing middle class white women who are ignorantly being racist to minorities and unfortunately this label is being applied liberally to Delta Police Chief Neil Dubbord’s wife Lorraine after she sprayed an Indo-Canadian woman with her hose near her Crescent beach home in Surrey.
While Dubbord made a statement in regards to the incident and the wife apologized through the media but a storm is brewing after the Delta police did a shoddy job of dismissing the incident and Indo-Canadian-South Asian community members are asking for a proper apology given the effects the incident has had on the community.
UVIC law student Naya Dhatt told News 1130 she’s sent a letter to Dubord asking for more of an apology for his wife Lorraine’s actions and insensitivity towards Kiran Sidhu, who was hosed down with water and called fat.
“I had so much hope for the Delta Police Department’s leadership. I was positive that someone like you, who had accomplished so much academically and seemed to have a modern outlook, would spark positive change in the community where I attended elementary and high school,” Dhatt writes.
“This is why I was so deeply hurt and shocked by your wife’s assault of Kiran Sidhu and your department’s handling of the assault.”
Dhatt writes, the toll on the assault for South Asian women like herself matters as members of the community “feel less safe and valued in Delta when the police do not take a racist assault seriously.”
“How can the South Asian community in Delta and other minority communities in Delta have faith in you to protect them when you cannot acknowledge the extent of the damage caused by your wife’s actions? How can we have faith in you when you cannot even acknowledge that your wife’s values impact your own values and in turn the department’s values? How can we have faith in you when your wife’s apology is so woefully inadequate? Consistent with recent events in Canada and in the US, this assault highlights the racism inherent in our police,” she adds in her letter.
Dhatt tells NEWS 1130 she is not satisfied with the chief’s response and she would like him to acknowledge the harm that happened to Sidhu particularly.
“The harm that his wife’s actions have caused to the South Asian community in Delta, as well as other racialized communities in Delta, who now may not feel confident that the police chief is going to take the steps to protect them,” she says.
Chief Dubord has said through a statement the matter at hand in no way reflects the values of the Delta Police Department. Lorraine has apologized but Sidhu told NEWS 1130 she’s hopeful for a more sincere apology.
In the meantime, Surrey RCMP is continuing its investigation into the whole sordid affair that has set off a firestorm in the community.
“We will not be releasing details about the individuals involved or details of the allegations at this time,” said Cpl. Joanie Sidhu in an email to the Optimist on Monday morning. “We are committed to doing a thorough investigation and while we cannot predict an exact date for our investigative tasks to be complete, our officers will work diligently to complete their work in a timely manner.”
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) announced on Tuesday afternoon that they have initiated an external investigation into allegations of misconduct related to the Delta Police Department’s handling of a case involving the wife of Chief Neil Dubord, reported Delta Optimist.
““The OPCC learned of the incident initially in media reports and requested additional information from the Delta Police Department,” said the OPCC in the release. “The office subsequently received a misconduct complaint from an affected person. After reviewing the complaint and responses provided by the Delta Police Department, the OPCC deemed the complaint admissible and assigned the Vancouver Police Department to carry out an external disciplinary conduct investigation into the matter.”
