When Richmond RCMP officers noticed a rise in hate groups and divisive behaviours creeping into the suburban community of Richmond, B.C., they wanted to help bring unity back to the neighbourhood. Richmond's diverse faith communities have been the target of protests, graffiti attacks, hateful language and violence.
"We wanted to do something to create an environment with more of a focus on what we can do together, rather than what's dividing us,
" says Cpl. Kevin Krygier, an officer with the Crime Prevention Unit, who helped organize the Shared Challenges Shared Opportunities forum last spring.
The detachment partnered with a local university to organize the event. During the forum, a number of guests spoke about their personal experiences, and about educating and empowering community leaders, law enforcement and grassroots organizations to acknowledge the negative experiences. But they also celebrate the good ones.
Krygier says that RCMP officers can benefit from more religious and cultural education to help them understand the behaviours of people they come across on duty.
"The lack of awareness even among our own members made us realize we should bring these groups together so they can understand each other a bit more, and so we can also understand them,
" says Krygier.
Beyond the backlash
The day-long public forum was emceed by RCMP Insp. Baltej Dhillon, who, 27 years ago, petitioned the RCMP to change its dress code policy to allow Sikhs to keep their beards and wear a turban while on duty. When the news hit the media, Dhillon says he experienced a level of backlash he wasn't prepared for, but that the support of good people — including an unexpected gesture from the Jewish community — outweighed the negativity.
"They lent their support in honouring the faith and tradition of the Sikhs by taking out a full-page ad in the Vancouver Sun, reminding people about the sacrifices that the Sikhs made, with their turbans on, in the Second World War, where they took part in defeating Nazi Germany,
" says Dhillon, who is the officer in charge of Operational Readiness and Response and Protective Technical Services at the RCMP's Surrey detachment in B.C.
Despite many advancements over the years, Dhillon says feelings of discrimination still linger, and Canadians need to continue the fight in celebrating diversity in the nation.
Last winter, then 18-year-old Noor Fadel was attacked on Vancouver's Sky Train for being visibly Muslim. Fadel, who was wearing a headscarf at the time, was on her way home from her first day at a new job when a man she describes as white, twice her height and speaking fluent Arabic, began a horrible encounter that lasted one stop before he got off.
In front of a handful of other passengers, the man approached Fadel aggressively swearing and threatening to kill her and all Muslims, before suddenly grabbing her head. But, it wasn't until he slapped her hard across the face that someone finally stepped in to help.
"I was in complete shock, I was terrified, my body just shut down. And I could just hear someone yelling at the guy to get off of me,
" says Fadel.
Her hero, a man in his early twenties, pushed the attacker away from Fadel, ending the frightening encounter. Shaken and crying, Fadel got off the train to call police from her cellphone, not realizing her hero had gotten off with her to make sure she was OK. "He is such an amazing person. He didn't need to do what he did,
" says Fadel.
Before the incident, Fadel was already actively speaking out against discrimination and racism, but her sudden fame has opened up new opportunities, such as speaking at the Shared Opportunity Shared Challenges Forum, the Vancouver Women's March, and local schools.
Tolerance and understanding
Though experiences like Fadel's are more extreme, news coverage of such incidents give the impression that evil is winning in the world, says Lisa Romalis, the vice principal at the Richmond Jewish Day School, who also spoke at the event.
"Conflict gets on the news,
" says Romalis. "There's some really good things going on in the world, but the bad stuff often gets advertised.
"
Romalis says education is the key to breeding tolerance and understanding, and she believes it should start young. For the last number of years, she has supported a partnership with the Muslim elementary school across the street.
Every fall, rain or shine, the schools get together and prepare packages of food for the homeless and then hand them out in downtown Richmond.
"They're side-by-side, but they're not talking about religion,
" says Romalis. "They're just hanging out and having fun.
"