It is the case that started a movement.
In July of 2016, Somali-Canadian Abdirahman Abdi died after a confrontation with police on a sidewalk in Ottawa’s Hintonburg neighbourhood. The Special Investigations Unit was called in to examine the circumstances surrounding Abdi’s death.
The incident caused much concern within the Somali community, and led to the creation of the Justice for Abdirahman Coalition, an advocacy group campaigning to “obtain greater transparency, challenge racial inequity, and bring positive change,” according to its website.
On Monday, one day before the six-month anniversary of Abdi’s death, representatives of the Coalition addressed the Ottawa Police Services Board, calling for an independent third-party audit of the Ottawa Police Service’s diversity and equity practises.
“I'm not going to say that the OPS is racist,” says Coalition member Dahabo Ahmed Omer. “I think that some of the laws that are there, some of the barriers that are there, are racial profiling. And I think that if we are able to really look on it from a neutral perspective I think that we're able to find that there are issues."
The group also wants the Ottawa Police Service to publically acknowledge it has a problem with racism.
“We acknowledge that there is racial profiling or prejudices that exist in society and can exist in policing, and that's something that we take seriously," responded Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau.
Bordeleau explained at the board meeting that plans for an internal diversity audit are already in the works, part of a diversity “work plan” that he says has come about in part from multiple discussions with members of the Somali community. He says the internal audit will involve an outside partner.
It’s not exactly what the Coalition was looking for, but for Dahabo Ahmed Omer, it’s a start. "That's a first step and it's a positive step so we're looking forward to hearing what's going to come out of that," she says.
As for the case that started it all, we are still waiting for answers. The SIU has yet to report on its investigation into the death of Abdirahman Abdi.
