A group of about 80 people marched under light rain in Ottawa on Oct. 2 in remembrance of Abdirahman Abdi, the 37-year-old man who died while being arrested outside of his home in Hintonburg in July.
After a day of speeches and discussion at the Hintonburg Community Centre, the marchers made their way towards a final panel talk at Tom Brown Arena — chanting “Black lives, they matter here,” “Somali lives, they matter here,” and “Abdirahman matters here,” while moving along Wellington Street West. The walking vigil stopped for a moment of silence at the building where Abdi’s family currently lives, and where he died on July 24.“We will continue this work day-in and day-out until there is justice for Abdirahman Abdi,” said Amina Mire, Carleton University professor and member of the Somali community.
Nearly two dozen speakers shared their thoughts on racism, justice, power and policing and mental health within marginalized communities. Many called for city officials and the Ottawa Police to ensure accountability and transparency in this case.
Ottawa Police received a call July 24 from Bridgehead on Wellington — Abdi had allegedly groped a woman in the Hintonburg coffee shop. He was outside when police arrived and ran about 250 metres to his apartment building at 55 Hilda St., where he was apprehended.
Witnesses have said they saw one police officer use a baton on Abdi, while bystanders repeatedly told police the man had mental health problems. Witnesses also said officers did not attempt CPR and were seen paying little attention to Abdi’s deteriorating condition as he lay on the ground. Doctors told Abdi’s family he was dead 45 minutes prior to his arrival at the Ottawa Civic Hospital.
Abdi’s fatal encounter with police coincided with the high-profile issue of the death of Black men and women at the hands of police in the U.S.
“To fight against racism, we need to go beyond the individual,” said Mire during the march. “We need to look at the relations of power in which the police are present.”
Why (are) the cases so far that have been explored, that have been examined, not transparent?”
She added: “What is the reason? Because (it) exposes (that) killing Abdi was not necessary. The manner in which he was murdered was uncalled for.”
A viral video that circulated shortly after Abdi’s death showed him lying on concrete and covered in his own blood.
Two cousins of Annie Pootoogook, the renowned Inuit artist whose body was recently found in the Ottawa River, were part of the audience. They publicly denounced racist practices within policing, making specific reference to online comments about Pootoogook’s death and the Aboriginal community that were recently posted by an Ottawa police officer.
Sgt. Chris Hrnchiar allegedly posted a comment on an Ottawa Citizen article about Annie Pootoogook’s death using a personal Facebook account.
“It’s not a murder case….it’s could be a suicide, accidental, she got drunk and fell in the river and drowned who knows…..typically many Aboriginals have very short lifespans, talent or not,” the comment stated.
The comments have been called racist by many and led to an official complaint to the Ottawa Police. Ottawa Police chief Charles Bordeleau said about the comments that “everybody has biases, whether you’re a police officer or a member of society, and our job as police officers is to ensure that those biases don’t impact the work that we’re doing” — a stance members of the community have also denounced.
The officer in question is still on duty.
“My message is: let’s stop discrimination, let’s stop racism and let’s change together,” said Dennis Nakoolak, one of Pootoogook’s cousins.
According to Muna Mohamed, co-organizer of the conference, its primary objective was to create a space for the community to heal and exchange.
“The importance of having a community event is that it provides a space for community members to build those networks, to understand that they’re not alone in their suffering, and to really promote community self-preservation,” she said.
While working within the Somali-Canadian community, the Justice for Abdirahman coalition also plays a liaison role between the community and city officials.
Dahabo Ahmed Omer, co-chair of the coalition, said the Ottawa Police has agreed to have regular follow-up meetings regarding the list of recommendations the coalition publicly shared last August.
“I think that by having these meetings and having these discussions, there is an admission of required change,” said Omer.
“I think they understand that what we’re talking about is real, it’s happening, and the changes we want to see are going to be good not only for the Somali community, but for all racialized groups.”
The Justice for Abdirahman coalition will soon be releasing a “consensus document” summarizing the issues and ideas addressed during Sunday’s conference.