Someone called police on a woman doing tai chi in an Ottawa park
Ottawa police interim chief Steve Bell has responded to social media posts and a request from a city councillor regarding an incident in Dundonald Park involving officers and a woman doing tai chi with a sword.
A post on Reddit Monday claimed someone called police on the elderly woman in the Centretown park. The post said that police became aggressive with the woman, who could not speak English, but also that officers were eventually able to get someone on the phone who could translate before the woman was apparently told to leave.
The post received more than 1,200 comments and it was widely shared on social media.
Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney said they requested an explanation from police.
“What I am reading is exceptionally concerning and unwarranted,” they said on Twitter.
Umair Muhammad witnessed the incident. He told CTV News Ottawa's Colton Praill that the woman is often at the park.
"I often come to this park in the morning with my son and there’s often an elderly Chinese lady who comes and does tai chi in the playground area and sometimes she has this ornamental sword that she uses as part of her practice," he said.
Ornamental swords used for tai chi are sometimes retractable and are typically blunt.
Muhammad said the woman had put her sword away in a bag by the time police arrived.
"They grabbed the bag and started telling her to sit down and follow their instructions or that she would be arrested if she didn’t do that. I approached the scene and started asking questions about why they were even there and why they were treating her that way and tried to tell them that look, she’s often here, she’s not making any trouble, she’s just doing her tai chi," he said. "The police woman, she put her arm out and kept holding her at arms length, just saying, ‘Sit down, I’m at my limit, you’re going to be arrested.’"
He called the incident "absurd."
"The police were over-zealous. Maybe this park has a reputation, there’s reasons for them to be on their guard when they’re here, but there’s also reason to look at the situation in a sober way before going in over-zealously," Muhammad said. "I don’t know why the language barrier issue was something that caught the police off-guard, we’re a block or two away from Chinatown."
POLICE RESPONSE
In a response late Monday night, Bell said police were called at around 9:50 a.m. Monday. The caller was concerned about the woman’s sword, which Bell claimed was described as being “75 inches” (6-foot-3) in length. Bell said the caller hung up before more information could be gleaned.
“A patrol officer attended the Somerset St. West park at 9:59 a.m. and located a woman inside the fenced area of the children’s park. The officer was also directed to her by concerned parents,” Bell wrote.
“The officer attempted to speak with the woman but there was a language barrier and the discussion between the officer and woman became animated. The officer asked the woman to sit on a bench while they investigated.”
Bell wrote that police were eventually able to reach an officer who spoke Cantonese and Mandarin to translate over the phone. He said the sword was a collapsible device, which was indeed being used for tai chi.
“It (the sword) was returned to the woman. There was no arrest or charge and the elderly woman willingly left the park without incident. She was not directed to leave,” Bell claimed. “The officer chose not to ask for the woman’s identification to avoid escalating the situation further.”
Bell said the incident highlights that police officers are sometimes called to situations with limited information and misunderstandings happen. He also said social media can amplify those misunderstandings.
McKenney shared Bell’s memo on their Twitter feed. The Ottawa Police Service also published it in full in a 14-tweet thread.
The interim chief has asked for a full review.
“I have asked for the call to be reviewed from the initial 911 call to conclusion. It's important that our community sees this information and considers the impacts of misunderstandings and barriers like language. It is something we can all learn from,” he said.
NO DANGER FROM TAI CHI SWORD, INSTRUCTOR SAYS
A tai chi instructor tells CTV News Ottawa ornamental swords used in tai chi are harmless.
"There’s many ancient weapons but they are of course not used as weapons. For swords we use ornamental ones. In my 23 years of practicing I have never seen anyone who ever thought of buying a sharpened sword for tai chi," said Eduardo Molon, Chen Yingjun Tai Chi Ottawa instructor.
"We use them to foster special qualities in our movement. If a teacher wants to correct a student’s movement he might prescribe a sword," Molon explained. "If you bang yourself with a sword your arm will break it - the collapsable one - if you poke yourself, it will retract. There’s no danger at all for anyone."
Yukang Li, the executive director of the Chinatown BIA, said this was a "very sad incident."
"The fact that this incident happened, someone called police to report on an old lady practicing tai chi in a park? This reflects the very sad truth of our society," Li said. "This instance surely has a negative impact on community members who use the public spaces, such as Dundonald Park, especially, you know, people who are of a minority background; they would hesitate before coming to place this again."
Li said it was likely a case of ignorance of the practice of tai chi that prompted the individual who called police to complain.
"Why are we living in a multicultural society like Canada is and still not familiar with another different culture? That’s the question I have."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.