Community calls for ‘systemic change’ to mental health crisis response by police

Community members called for less broad sweeps and more acute, concrete action from the Ottawa Police Service when it comes to providing mental health crisis response across the city.

It was a call that was made during a town hall consisting of community leaders, OPS members, and the Mental Health CHANGE Initiative (MHCI) team on May 22.

The MHCI was developed in response to a coroner’s inquest into the death of Abdirahman Abdi in 2016, who was arrested after allegedly groping a woman outside of a coffee shop while seemingly in mental distress. Abdi suffered blows to the head and ultimately died in police custody. The inquest labelled his death a homicide.

OPS says the MHCI was created with the goal “of identifying and addressing systemic gaps, coordinating efforts and driving meaningful improvements”.

“The CHANGE Initiative team is committed to amplifying voices from all backgrounds, experiences, and community organizations to build a more responsive, compassionate, and effective organization, and providing a space for open, honest dialogue with OPS,” police state in a press release.

The room buzzed as member after member of the community gave their input, with some calling for digging at the roots of injustice, while others focused on a more community-centred, bottom-up approach.

The one theme that arose from the voices was that systemic change is non-negotiable.

The CHANGE Initiative team is continuing to work with the community, engaging in dialogue and being transparent about the initiative’s progress.

“Success will look like building meaningful trust between police and the communities we serve, especially those who have historically felt unseen or unsafe,” Acting Staff Sergeant Devon Archer, the CHANGE initiative project lead, said in a press release. “Success is no longer just talking about change. We need to see it.”