Earlier this week, Vancouver city council unanimously voted to ban street checks. CGSHE signed the Open Letter led by British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, Hogan’s Alley Society, Black Lives Matter Vancouver, Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, and WISH Drop-In Centre that called for the an immediate ban on arbitrary and illegal police street checks in Vancouver and across BC. The evidence is overwhelmingly clear that street checks are racist, specifically anti-Indigenous and anti-Black, and disproportionately target people in poverty.

The letter appeared before City Council on Tuesday, July 7th and was shared with Vancouver City Council, Vancouver Police Department and the Province of British Columbia.