City councillors condemn assault on police chief, raise concerns about safety

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/08/2022 (1522 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police are carrying out a review after Chief Danny Smyth was assaulted at a Folklorama pavilion, with the incident highlighting concerns about the safety of public figures at events.

Smyth, who was wearing his police uniform, was introduced as a VIP guest before a man poured a pitcher of water over his head at the Japanese pavilion Monday night.

A 22-year-old man, who was apprehended by the pavilion’s security team following a brief chase, is facing a charge of assaulting a peace officer.

Pavilion co-ordinator Les Kojima previously said he didn’t notice any security with Smyth, who was assaulted while sitting with other dignitaries inside Petrus Hall, near Inkster and Brookside boulevards.

A police spokeswoman said Smyth is not doing any interviews on the incident.

She would not comment on the security measures available to him when he attends public events.

“The incident is being reviewed,” she wrote in an email Wednesday.

City councillors who spoke to the Free Press condemned the incident.

Some recounted stories of facing aggression or unusual behaviour from members of the public.

“Now that it’s happened, I’m sure there will be a heightened level of awareness surrounding (Smyth),” said Transcona Coun. Shawn Nason. “I was kind of shocked somebody would be so bold to assault the chief of police.

“Today’s society, we seem to be out of sync with what is normal conduct. There is no place for that kind of civil disorder.”

Nason recalled the time an individual became aggressive toward him while he was hosting a town hall-style event.

Coun. Devi Sharma called the assault “an act of cowardice” against someone trying to serve Winnipeggers.

“If you do not agree with the policies, you are free to speak your mind and make your viewpoints known, but it’s not an excuse to assault anyone,” Sharma (Old Kildonan) wrote in an email. “When violence like this occurs, it hurts all citizens by forcing more security and restrictions to be put in place, forcing those in the public service to be more cautious and less accessible to citizens.

“As speaker of council, I will continue to push our public service to ensure systems and strategies are in place that protect all of council and help ensure they can continue to serve the citizens of Winnipeg in an open and safe manner.”

Coun. Janice Lukes said she experienced a “bizarre” incident Tuesday, when someone recorded their conversation without informing her until the end of the discussion.

“It was very disturbing. I will say I engage in public events with a different level of caution than I ever have before,” said Lukes (Waverley West). “I’ve not stopped attending, like I know is occurring with some party-based elected officials but, for sure, I have a more heightened sense of awareness of my surroundings at events.”

While the motive for the assault is not publicly known, Lukes and Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie said they’ve noticed the COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse impact on some people’s mental health.

Some people are taking out their anger on politicians, said Eadie.

“I think people are just on the edge and are doing things they wouldn’t normally do,” he said.

Premier Heather Stefanson said provincial Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen met with Smyth Wednesday.

“No one wants to see that happening to anybody,” she said of the assault. “Crime is an issue in our province, and we need to take it extremely seriously.”

Stefanson, who was attending a funding announcement for the Hudson Bay Railway, did not say if she has any concerns about her safety at public events, when reporters pressed her on the matter.

Goertzen said listening to people’s criticism and concerns is part of the job when politicians attend events, and almost everyone he meets is respectful.

“What happened to the police chief… isn’t an acceptable way to express whatever concerns an individual has,” he said.

As for their safety at events, public officials have to make some of that determination for themselves, according to Goertzen.

“The Winnipeg Police Service would probably be uniquely positioned to make that determination about what kind of security any of their officers require, including the chief,” he said. “We all have to make a little bit of a judgment about how comfortable we are in certain situations as public officials.”

Mayor Brian Bowman was not available for comment, a spokesperson said.

— With files from Carol Sanders and Erik Pindera

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching