A Toronto resident who was seen in a widely circulated photo that appears to show a police officer choking them during the clearing of a homeless encampment is speaking out about their “traumatic” experience and is questioning the characterizations by the police service of how minimal force was used.
“I actually have very little recollection of it happening and it was only through piecing together the photos and the videos that I actually saw what happened,” Jayme Carter told Global News in an interview on Friday when asked what they felt about the encounter, noting they temporarily blacked out at the moment.
Carter, a 23-year-old social work student, said they volunteer with the ALAB Resource Clinic, a community organization that provides front-line community supports (e.g. cellphones to access services) to those who are experiencing homelessness and have been living in encampments.
They said they and other advocates were told about the trespass notices from residents and were asked by those residents to come to Lamport Stadium Park on Wednesday to protect them and their belongings.
Carter said they were particularly concerned about their friend Jen, who has several disabilities and relies on a wheelchair to get around. They said she expressed worry that as a result of her conditions, her arms could break if forced behind her back. While walking around to assess the situation, Carter said they saw multiple officers around Jen.
“I just booked it in that direction and I had total tunnel vision, and it didn’t even occur to me that I would be breaching a loose line of cops that were in front of me. I didn’t say a word, I didn’t … nothing happened,” they recalled.
“They (police) just throttled me, they just threw me backward. Miraculously I didn’t fall on the ground and then I stepped forward because my glasses fell off my face and I was like, ‘I need my glasses to see,’ and they kept on pushing me after that.”
The interaction was captured by a photographer with The Canadian Press covering the hours-long process of clearing Dufferin Street and King Street West-area park. The image, along with other photos and video captured by journalists who stayed to cover the City of Toronto-led operation that saw dozens cleared out, went viral online.
“It took some time for it to sink in, like how bad it actually was. The photos started to circulate and they just kept on getting more photos, it went more viral and it just took a while for it to occur to me how bad it was. There’s just something about very traumatic experiences that don’t really hit you right away and then you kind of think about it after,” Carter said, adding it has been physically and mentally challenging in the days since the clearing operation.
“There’s so much blowing up on my phone that it’s overwhelming.”
A news release issued by the Toronto Police Service Wednesday evening said officers were at the park to support City of Toronto staff “where needed.”
“Crowds of protesters gathered at the closed park to interfere with the City’s efforts and confront police. Repeated efforts were made to engage with people and explain to them that a Trespass to Property notice had been served and they were required to leave,” the statement said.
“These efforts were largely ignored and the crowds became confrontational and hostile.
“As a last resort, and in partnership with City staff, officers carried out enforcement, responding proportionately and using minimal force. Objects were thrown at police, an officer was spat at, while an unknown noxious substance was also sprayed at police. As a result, three officers suffered injuries.”
Carter questioned the reference to “minimal force” when there were images showing officers “brutally beating people.”
“I don’t know how they can get up on Twitter with the news release and say we use minimal force when I have people in my networks and some of my friends are saying this is as bad as the G20. It doesn’t make any sense,” they said while calling for the abolishment of the police service.
Global News contacted the Toronto Police Service on Friday to ask for reaction to this story and the use of force described, but representatives for the service were unwilling to comment.
