Statement From Embark Regarding the Violent Arrest of a Black SFU Alumnus

Embark Sustainability Society would like to publicly express our condemnation of the violent arrest of a Black alumnus student on the evening of Friday, December 11, 2020. As it has already been expressed by many members of the SFU community, calling the police on Black students is a direct threat to their life and safety. The decision from SFU security to involve them in this situation was therefore irresponsible and reprehensible. 

Embark would like to express our support for the alumnus who was arrested in his recovery from the violence committed against him. 

We would also like to recognize the significance and the repercussions of this arrest on the SFU community. And it is important to understand and acknowledge that the infrastructure of our society and university is what led to this arrest taking place.

As a student-led sustainability organization, Embark firmly believes in the importance of strong, equitable and inclusive communities in which all people can participate without fear. Actions such as this arrest, which specifically and violently targeted a Black alumnus, further erode the ability of Black and Indigenous students to trust in their safety on campus. 

Embark supports the concerns and calls to action which are being expressed by BIPOC SFU students and alumni in response to the arrest. These include:

• That this arrest has widened the distrust between SFU and Black and Indigenous students. It had been previously requested that Security err on the side of de-escalation and have caution around involving police presence. SFU security needs to ramp up its racial sensitivity training and substitute current security with security who are aware and have lived experiences of Black and Indigenous community members on campus. There needs to be a focus put on community care and community-led safety rather than policing. 

• That SFU reevaluate its relationship with the Burnaby RCMP, including no longer allowing them to recruit on campus, and to stop calling the police on Black and Indigenous students if no harm is being caused to the SFU community.

• That SFU either change its policies on H1 rating for COVID-19, or not enforce it if there will not be an equal approach towards ensuring that all ID holders are asked if they are “community members.”

Sincerely,

The Embark team