Edmonton police will now be forced to pay $80,000 in damages to two Black men who were pepper sprayed and forced to the ground while they were trying to report a crime.
A remedial decision was made by The Alberta Human Rights Tribunal earlier in May, in the case of Yousef John and Caesar Judianga, two men of South Sudanese origin who were arrested after calling 911 emergency services back in in 2017.
Erika Ringseis of the Human rights commission found the two were each entitled to $40,000 in damages for “injury to dignity,” along with compensation for lost wages, medication and damaged clothing, plus interest.
The formal apology initially requested of the EPS was withdrawn as the police service is appealing the decision after Ringseis noted that any apology made during this time “would likely lack the sincerity needed to provide a benefit to the complainants.”
On May 5, 2017, John and Judianga called police after a woman allegedly threw a rock through the window of a car belonging to the wife of their roommate. Rather than arresting the woman upon police arrival, Const. Jordan Steele sprayed all three men with pepper spray, demanding them to fall to the ground and then proceeded to handcuff them.
While the men lie there on scene, in obvious discomfort, the alleged burglar, a white woman had given a statement to police was then given a ride so a friends home by another officer.
Ringseis found it more likely than not that race played a key factor in how John and Judianga were treated.
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