From the violent take down of Chief Allan Adam to the tragic death of Abdirahman Abdi and Chantel Moore (Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation), Black people, Indigenous peoples, and people experiencing mental health crises are disproportionately subject to incidents of police violence that often leads to serious bodily harm and even death. So, who holds the police accountable? Why do police officers frequently go unprosecuted?
Join us for a chance to hear lawyers across Canada discuss where police get their powers, the police oversight bodies designed to hold police officers accountable, the problems with these oversight mechanisms, and how to strengthen police oversight and accountability.
Panelists:
Meghan McDermott is Senior Staff Counsel with the BCCLA. She advocates for law reform at all levels of government to defend and promote civil liberties and human rights, particularly in the area of privacy rights and police oversight and accountability.
Tom Engel is a proud member of the first graduating class of the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law. He has handled many important precedent-setting cases and has worked tirelessly to improve the state of policing and civilian oversight of police in Alberta.
Knia Singh is the principal of a social justice law firm focusing on criminal defence and has dedicated his legal career to advocating on behalf of those who are discriminated against, receive unfair treatment, and are trying to make a positive change in their lives.
Moderated by Dr. Asad Kiyani, Assistant Professor in Law at the University of Victoria. Dr. Kiyani researches and teaches in domestic and international criminal law, immigration and refugee law, evidence, postcolonial theory, legal pluralism, and comparative law.
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