Over 100 protesters rallied in McNabb Park on Oct. 24 to honour the late Abdirahman Abdi and protest the acquittal of Ottawa police Const. Daniel Montsion.
On Oct. 20, Montsion was found not guilty of manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon in the fatal 2016 arrest of Abdi.
Abdi, a 37-year-old Somali-Canadian man, died of cardiac arrest during a violent altercation with Ottawa Police Service officers. Abdi’s family has said Abdi was experiencing mental health issues.
Protestors gathered at 3:00 p.m. in a demonstration seeking police reform, support for mental health initiatives, ending anti-Black racism, and demanding justice for Abdi—something Abdi’s family and supporters feel was not served in the judicial decision.
The protest was organized by the Justice for Abdirahman Coalition, a group of activists and Ottawa community members formed in the days following Abdi’s death.
Five demands of the Ottawa community were put forward and posted on the Justice for Abdirahman Instagram account, including freezing of the police budget, reallocation of funds to Indigenous and Black communities, firing of violent and racist police officers, demand for municipal police control, and non-police methods for mental health intervention.
One protester, Sabir, whose last name was omitted from the article for privacy concerns, said he was upset with Tuesday’s decision, believing it was another example of racial injustice in Canada.
“I’m here to show my solidarity, being a minority myself,” Sabir said. “As I knew more about the whole episode with Abdi and the police and after reviewing all the footage and everything that I have found on the Internet, I don’t think the ruling was [just] at all.”
Sabir emphasized this is not solely an Ottawa issue, and said the police shooting of 62-year-old Mississauga man Ejaz Choudry during a mental health crisis in June 2020 is an example of this.
Demand for increased support of mental health initiatives
Attendees of the protest emphasized the need for greater resources towards mental health initiatives in the city.
For many, Abdi’s death highlighted the mistreatment of Black people by officers and the lack of adequate mental health training for police.
Samira Lavat, another protester, said she feels justice has not been reached for Abdi by Ottawa Police Services.
“I know people who are mentally ill who are also vulnerable to the violence of policing, and I think it’s really important that we recognize that policing is ultimately really violent and preys on the most vulnerable people in our communities,” Lavat said.
On Nov.4, the OPS released a statement regarding its 2021 draft budget, which includes a new Mental Health Response Strategy.
“The 2021 Draft Budget is focused on ensuring that our community can see and experience its return on investment in policing including improved public safety, social change and community building,” the OPS said in the statement.
On Oct.25 the OPS said it is developing a new Mental Health Response Strategy that will be included in its soon to be released, 2021 draft budget.
“They need to have more police who are able to handle mental health issues,” Lavat said. “There should be a mental health officer dispatched with every call. It needs to be less punitive.”
Farida Mohammed, who works at the Somerset West Community Health Centre, said she hopes to see more training and community involvement for police and greater “support for those that are at risk of altercations and misunderstandings with law enforcement.”
The next protest held by the Justice for Abdirahman Coalition is expected to take place on Oct. 28, the same day as the upcoming city council meeting.
“We need to hold Ottawa Police (Service) accountable and ask for justice because this is terrible and it should never happen again,” Lavat said.
“Abdi should still be alive.”
Feature Image By: Tim Austen
