2.0 Anti-Blackness, Ableism and Disability-Related Misunderstandings in Law Enforcement Interactions
Content Warning: Police brutality, anti-Black racism, ableism
Black disabled people face a much higher risk of police violence and harm due to the combined impact of racism and ableism. These overlapping issues create unique challenges, increasing vulnerability during encounters with law enforcement. Often, police misinterpret disability-related behaviors as non-compliance or threats, leading to escalation and violence. This is particularly dangerous for racialized disabled people, particularly Indigenous and Black individuals who are already more likely to be viewed with suspicion and treated with aggression by law enforcement.
A deaf person may not hear police shouting commands, like “put your hands up.”
A paraplegic person sitting in a vehicle may be unable to follow commands to “get out of the car.”
When police rely only on verbal commands without considering that someone might not hear or physically respond, situations can escalate quickly, leading to unnecessary and dangerous use of force.
The following examples show just how dangerous interactions with law enforcement can be for Black disabled people and other visible minorities and the need for alternative crisis response that do not only rely on police intervention.
To address police violence against racialized disabled people, we need to understand how racism and ableism combine to create these risks and come up with real solutions to keep everyone safe.
Black disabled people face a much higher risk of police violence and harm due to the combined impact of racism and ableism. These overlapping issues create unique challenges, increasing vulnerability during encounters with law enforcement. Often, police misinterpret disability-related behaviors as non-compliance or threats, leading to escalation and violence. This is particularly dangerous for racialized disabled people, particularly Indigenous and Black individuals who are already more likely to be viewed with suspicion and treated with aggression by law enforcement.
A deaf person may not hear police shouting commands, like “put your hands up.”
A paraplegic person sitting in a vehicle may be unable to follow commands to “get out of the car.”
When police rely only on verbal commands without considering that someone might not hear or physically respond, situations can escalate quickly, leading to unnecessary and dangerous use of force.
- Police are twice as likely to kill Black people as white people.
- Almost half of all police brutality incidents involve disabled people.
- Half of those killed by police have a disability.
The following examples show just how dangerous interactions with law enforcement can be for Black disabled people and other visible minorities and the need for alternative crisis response that do not only rely on police intervention.
To address police violence against racialized disabled people, we need to understand how racism and ableism combine to create these risks and come up with real solutions to keep everyone safe.
Regis Korchinski-Paquet. Regis was a 29-year-old Black and Indigenous woman who died in 2020 during an interaction with Toronto police.
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Chantel Moore. Chantel was an Indigenous woman who was killed by police in Edmundston, New Brunswick, in 2020. The shooting took place during a wellness check, which is when police go to someone’s home to make sure they are safe and well.
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Natasha was a 37-year-old Black woman who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and
bipolar disorder. She died in police custody in the US in 2015 after being repeatedly tased
while she was restrained.
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D’Andre Campbell. D’Andre was a 26-year-old Black man who had mental health
difficulties. He was killed by Peel Regional Police in 2020.
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Resources:
- CBC Investigates: Most Canadians killed in police encounters since 2000 had mental health or substance abuse issues
- We Can't Breathe: The Deaf & Disabled Margin of Police Brutality
- Disability & Police Brutality: Toronto Neighbourhood Centres Community Safety Development Toolkit
- Autistic Self-Advocacy Network: What is Police Violence?
