Greater Sudbury police are investigating a racist incident that occurred in Sudbury over the weekend, one that was caught on video and circulated on social media.
The video is available here, but viewer discretion is advised. (Content warning for racism, heated arguing and possible violence.)
The incident took place at what appears from the video to be a convenience store. GSPS spokesperson Kaitlyn Dunn confirmed the establishment is located on Lasalle Blvd, and the call came in around 9 p.m. on July 9 regarding an “assault after the fact.”
“Information provided was that two individuals had been in a verbal argument where a man made racial slurs towards another customer resulting in a physical altercation between the two individuals outside of the store,” continued Dunn.
Police say the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
In the original Instagram post by the victim, now removed, the woman said she had stopped at the gas station near her home around 10:30 p.m.
“When I entered the store I could already hear yelling so I knew something wasn’t quite right,” she wrote. “The man paying (for) his stuff was being a complete —-hole to the worker. He kept going at it and I kindly asked him to stop.”
In the first video posted, the woman is holding the camera facing her, but there are voices in the background. One seems to be the store clerk, the other, a man yelling at him.
The woman then intercedes in the conversation, telling the man yelling at the clerk that “he needs to be nicer.”
In response, he tells her that she needs to “shut the f–k up.”
This is the first of four videos, and in each the situation escalates. The man in question moves from initially telling the woman to “shut her black mouth,” to repeatedly and aggressively using the n-word. In fact, the word is yelled at the woman more than seven times.
It is clear from the video that the situation is escalating, with both parties raising their voices.
The heated exchange continued outside the store.
“He wanted to get physical with me (and) tried to push me, so I slapped him across his face and dragged his body to the ground, where I punched him again,” the woman wrote in her instagram post. “I’m all in favour that violence is not the answer but (that) night it was. Words weren’t going through his head so yes, I did punch him.”
At one point in the video, there is a loud crashing sound, the camera shakes, and soon after the two are discussing the case of coca-cola the man has in his hands, presumably purchased at the store. There is now a rip in the case itself, and a can on the ground. In the next video, there are several cans strewn through the parking lot.
Also in the post is a photo of the woman, who appears to have blood on her face as well, though it is blurred. It is unclear how this occurred.
On July 11, Black Lives Matter issued a statement about the incident, not only asking allies to speak up for those in need — the way the woman originally did when standing up for the clerk, who was of colour — but also emphasizing they feel that while this may appear to be a one-off, it most certainly is not.
“Despite the fact that a single individual perpetrated this act, we know this is not an
isolated incident,” reads the statement. “While Sudbury attempts to pride itself on being an inclusive, safe, and friendly community, the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) population and specifically Black community members continue to face attacks of this nature regularly and without hesitation.”
Black Lives Matter also refutes the suggestions that anything the woman did brought the actions on herself, saying it was clear the man was “looking for a reaction from the victim.”
The Greater Sudbury Police tweeted about the incident on July 11, and in addition to noting that they were investigating, stated that they “take reports of hate-motivated crime and hate-bias incidents very seriously” and that they recognize the impact and pain felt by community members when there is evidence of hatred.
“We want to assure the public that we are committed to investigating these situations thoroughly.”
But in its statement Black Lives Matter Sudbury said history has shown police don't always serve minority communities in the same way as white communities. This, BLM said, means people have to stand up and speak up for themselves.
“We cannot stress enough the importance of community care and keeping each other safe,” reads their statement.
They again renewed their call for allies to stand up and protect those who are facing any type of violence, including verbal.
“We welcome and encourage any BIPOC community member facing violence of any type to reach out to us,” stated Black Lives Matter Sudbury. “And to our allies, we urge you to speak up and intervene when you witness anything remotely of this nature. You side with the oppressor when you remain silent.”
