Provincial parties have set aside partisan divides to improve BC’s police department.

 In December of 2020, the legislature created a committee responsible for examining B.C. ‘s 1996 Police Act; this is undeniably a result of the ongoing Black Lives matter protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in April of last year that brought the issue of police brutality to the forefront of culturual discourse. The subcommittee created a place for eager members of the community passionate about this issue to submit their thoughts on this bill. KSS has no shortage of students spirited about social justice, so I asked a few of them what their thoughts were on the government’s choice to allow the public to have a say.

“I think this is a good way for certain laws to be decided” said Carissa Adams, a grade 11 journalism student.

“Of course this approach won’t work for everything but I think with the recent pushback from the public on police training, responses, and overall attitude, it is nice to see that the government listens to the public.”

Mistrust in the policing system has been growing, with the phrases “ACAB” and “Defund the Police” gaining popularity, however as Carissa points out, these phrases are misleading to the masses.

“‘Defunding the police’ is often misunderstood as ‘dismantling the police,’ whereas this sentiment actually works towards putting the right funds to the right places.” 

ACAB, which stands for “All Cops Are Bastardized”, sounds like an unfair and broad generalization at first read. However, what ACAB is actually saying is that the system these “good cops’ ‘ work within is inherently prejudiced in a way that cannot be negated without institutional change. By upholding for this orginzation, the cops become complicit in its bigoted nature.  All  cops aren’t bastarads but they are all bastardized by a corrupt system. 

The combination of gen-Z’s wide eyed optimism that comes with their youth, the plethora of resources they have access to thanks to the internet and the major historical events unfolding across their teenage years created a generation armed with knowledge and eager to change the world.

To make a submission to the BC Police Reform Act click here 

Submissions are due April 30th