Troubling Imaging Justifying Police Violence

Omar Ha-Redeye was quoted on the CBC website, in Facebook post shared by ex-Durham officers just ‘wrong,’ Ontario minister says,

Omar Ha-Redeye, executive director at the Durham Community Legal Clinic, said the image is clearly disturbing. The big smiles on the spectators are particularly unsettling, he said, because the suggestion is that violent interactions between police and people are enjoyable.

It is not known when the post was published, but Ha-Redeye noted that media coverage of the post comes after evidence was presented at the trial of Toronto Police officer Michael Theriault and his brother Christian Theriault in Oshawa on charges of aggravated assault and obstruction of justice.

The Theriaults are accused of severely beating Dafonte Miller, a young black man, nearly three years ago. Miller lost an eye. The trial, which began in October, is set to resume in January.

“I think we have to be aware of the context in which this photo was posted and perhaps people were liking it… where a young black individual in Durham Region has allegations that he was violently beaten by two off-duty police officers,” Ha-Redeye said.

“That’s a context that really does suggest that the youth in Durham region…. are perhaps getting the wrong message here, which is that people of colour are necessarily the enemy, they are necessarily criminals and perhaps that violence against these individuals is somewhat justified by law enforcement.”