Somali-Canadians question role of race in Abdi’s death

As a community mourns the loss of Abdirahman Abdi, the Somali-Canadian who died in hospital the day after a violent arrest by Ottawa police, there are questions about what role, if any, race played in the altercation.

Those who witnessed the arrest at their Hintonburg doorstep on Sunday morning said they believe Abdi’s treatment at the hands of Ottawa police “seemed” race-related.

It’s the “first thing that comes to mind,” said the family’s spokesperson Nimao Ali prior to the announcement of Abdi’s death on Monday afternoon.

“I think that we all have a lot of questions and through time I’m hoping we’ll get more answers,” she said. “It is important for the community to pull together and say, ‘No, we’re not going to allow this – it has to stop.’

“We have to do right by our victims and whoever is doing something wrong, bring them to justice.”

Public outcry has erupted online in support of Abdi’s family through #JusticeForAbdi.

The shock of Abdi’s death prompted Ihsaan Gardee, the executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, to release a statement on Tuesday calling for “a thorough investigation” into Abdi’s arrest and subsequent death.

“Many members of the Ottawa Muslim and Somali communities have serious concerns about how this tragic incident unfolded, including whether prejudice had something to do with Mr. Abdi’s treatment,” he said.

The SIU (Special Investigations Unit), a civilian police watchdog that investigates circumstances involving civilians and police resulting in serious injury, death or allegations of sexual assault, began their investigation on Sunday.

Mayor Jim Watson said in a statement on Tuesday, two days after the arrest, that he is confident the SIU will conduct “a fair and thorough investigation” that will provide “comprehensive insight” into Sunday’s altercation.

He also expressed his condolences to Abdi’s family.

“It is always concerning when a life is lost in our city, and my thoughts are with Mr. Abdi’s family and friends during this difficult time,” he said.

In light of Abdi’s death a meeting has been called for leaders in the local Somali community to discuss how to move forward with a unified voice, said Abdourahman Kahin the founder of Ottawa group Muslim Presence, who will be attending the meeting on Tuesday evening.

Kahin, who was a neighbour of Abdi’s over a decade ago, said he was surprised by Abdi’s death after being arrested because the community didn’t have problems with police when he was living there.

“It’s not normal,” he said. “They way (the police) acted was not reasonable.”

But despite his shock, Kahin said the community shouldn’t be quick to “ethnicize” Abdi’s encounter with police without having all the facts. He said the community should wait for the result of the inquiry to determine whether race was a factor in Abdi’s arrest and death.

“We easily fall to the trap of the emotions to say, ‘Us against them,’” he said. “Especially what’s gone on now in America. We don’t want that kind of thing to happen, we don’t experience the same things as in America – especially in Ottawa.”

Kitchissippi ward Coun. Jeff Leiper, who spoke to Postmedia on Sunday, said police have been “fantastic community partners” in the neighbourhood where Abdi was arrested.

“You know I am looking forward to finding out what happened from the investigation, but I do trust that this is a fairly isolated incident,” he said.

Questions were raised on Sunday about the relationship between police and residents, said Leiper.

He said he looks forward to working with various community partners including the building management at 55 Hilda St. and Ottawa police to ensure the community’s relationship with officers is “as healthy as it can be.”

Ottawa police have a diversity and race relations section dedicated to outreach with communities across the city when instances like Abdi’s arrest arise. Part of the section’s mandate is to “develop appropriate responses to issues arising within racialized communities.”

Ottawa police Cst. Chuck Benoit said that the community does “a lot of outreach” with the Somali population in Ottawa.

So far, neither the Ottawa Muslim Association nor Muslim Presence has been approached for dialogue with police about Sunday’s incident.

The family was not available for comment Tuesday, as their spokesperson said they were not speaking with media anymore.

CASL stands united with the family of Abdirahman Abdi in the wake of his senseless death

“Police officers who engage in excessive force should be removed from their duties and charged”, urges the Canadian Association of Somali Lawyers (“CASL”), a national organization of Somali-Canadian legal professionals.

According to reports, Mr. Abdirahman Abdi, a mentally disabled Somali-Canadian man, was unarmed and allegedly brutally beaten by several Ottawa police officers following a foot chase from a local coffee shop. While Mr. Abdi lay motionless and bleeding, medical assistance was not provided to him until 15 to 20 minutes after he was placed in handcuffs. Reports also state that Mr. Abdi was already dead within 45 minutes of arriving at the hospital.

“Too often, police officers do not de-escalate or take appropriate care when dealing with African-Canadians, let alone African-Canadians with disabilities or in mental distress” says Billeh A. Hamud, President of CASL.

“More importantly, when police officers are subject to an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the courts have acknowledged that such officers are almost always exonerated. In addition, SIU investigation reports are not made available to the public,” says Hamud.

CASL calls on the Government of Ontario to amend the Police Services Act to make police oversight bodies, including the SIU, more transparent, bias-free and accountable during investigations of police violence against citizens.

CASL calls on the Government of Ontario to mandate that body cameras be worn on all police officers in Ontario.

CASL calls on the Government of Ontario to mandate anti-black racism, mental health and de-escalation training to all police officers in Ontario.

“Police officers who engage in excessive force should be removed from their duties and charged”, urges the Canadian Association of Somali Lawyers (“CASL”), a national organization of Somali-Canadian legal professionals.

According to reports, Mr. Abdirahman Abdi, a mentally disabled Somali-Canadian man, was unarmed and allegedly brutally beaten by several Ottawa police officers following a foot chase from a local coffee shop. While Mr. Abdi lay motionless and bleeding, medical assistance was not provided to him until 15 to 20 minutes after he was placed in handcuffs. Reports also state that Mr. Abdi was already dead within 45 minutes of arriving at the hospital.

“Too often, police officers do not de-escalate or take appropriate care when dealing with African-Canadians, let alone African-Canadians with disabilities or in mental distress” says Billeh A. Hamud, President of CASL.

“More importantly, when police officers are subject to an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the courts have acknowledged that such officers are almost always exonerated. In addition, SIU investigation reports are not made available to the public,” says Hamud.

CASL calls on the Government of Ontario to amend the Police Services Act to make police oversight bodies, including the SIU, more transparent, bias-free and accountable during investigations of police violence against citizens.

CASL calls on the Government of Ontario to mandate that body cameras be worn on all police officers in Ontario.

CASL calls on the Government of Ontario to mandate anti-black racism, mental health and de-escalation training to all police officers in Ontario.

CASL stands united with the family of Abdirahman Abdi in the wake of his senseless death.

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For further information: Billeh A. Hamud, President, Canadian Association of Somali Lawyers, 647-646-9517