A group representing women affected by an infamous bathhouse raid is questioning the appointment of Myron Demkiw as 海角社区官网Police chief.
In , which was provided to the Star, members of the 海角社区官网Women鈥檚 Bathhouse committee, who were subjected to the raid of the popular Pussy Palace event for queer women and trans people at a rented bathhouse on Mutual St. in 2000, say they oppose Demkiw鈥檚 promotion because of his involvement in the operation.
鈥淚n your two year hiring process, the communities you consulted told you that they have significant concerns about police accountability,鈥 the letter sent Tuesday to Mayor John Tory and 海角社区官网Police Services Board chair Jim Hart. 鈥淲hat message does the appointment of an officer who has been directly involved in a breach of civil liberties send to those communities?鈥
Demkiw was then a member of the service鈥檚 now disbanded vice squad when he and four other male officers carried out a raid that an Ontario judge would later call a 鈥渇lagrant鈥 violation of charter rights.
The ticketed and licensed Pussy Palace events were intended to be a sex-positive, safe space for members of the LGBTQ2S+ community to meet, drink and play.
鈥淲ith the appointment of Mr. Demkiw, Mayor John Tory and the TPS board have shown that they have little interest in meaningful action on the concerns raised by historically oppressed communities regarding unchecked police power,鈥 the letter says.
The chief position is selected by the 海角社区官网Police Services Board, of which Tory has been a member since he was first elected in 2014.
In a board statement announcing his appointment last month, Demkiw, a 32-year veteran of the force, was described as a 鈥渘ational police leader鈥 who has worked to combat gun and gang violence while 鈥渟upporting the police service鈥檚 ongoing reform and modernization agenda.鈥
He is expected to assume the position Dec. 19, replacing acting chief James Ramer.
Tory spokesperson Lawvin Hadisi said the mayor is 鈥渃onfident鈥 Demkiw 鈥渨ill provide strong leadership in moving forward the work underway on police reform.鈥
鈥淗e believes the Chief Designate is firmly committed to the reform and modernization work underway, and the selection process clearly identified a person in Myron Demkiw who will make it his highest priority to ensure that every resident in every community across our city feels respected and protected.鈥
Ryan Teschner, the police board鈥檚 executive director and chief of staff, said in an emailed statement they respect the court findings about the Pussy Palace raid and have 鈥渘o further comment with respect to this case.鈥
He said a subsequent settlement at the Ontario Human Rights Commission resulted in changes including police efforts to recruit more LGBTQ2S+ members and adopt a gender-sensitive policy.
Teschner also detailed the selection process for chief, which he said involved a 鈥渨ide-ranging鈥 public consultation and executive search firm. The criteria identified by the public consultation included 鈥渃ommitted to communities,鈥 鈥渁ccountable leader鈥 and 鈥渁nti-discrimination and inclusion focus courageous system changer鈥 among others.
Both the board and separately a spokesperson for the service pointed to Demkiw鈥檚 experience, including launching a report on missing persons investigations that is ongoing and has incorporated input from the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Demkiw is also the 鈥渆xecutive sponsor鈥 for the police鈥檚 Gender Diverse Trans Inclusion Program, their statement said, which includes mandatory training for members, and he is a senior adviser to the Black Internal Support Network on anti-Black racism and lived experiences of Black members.
Police spokesperson Allison Sparkes said Demkiw is 鈥渃ommitted to collaboration with all communities鈥 and 鈥渨elcomes the opportunity to continue that engagement and to building trust and having open and ongoing dialogue once he begins as Chief of Police.鈥
Though no one was arrested during the 2000 raid, two people named on the special occasion permit faced Liquor Licence Act charges that were dismissed after Ontario Court of Justice Peter Hyrn found their charter rights had been violated during the raid.
According to the ruling, 海角社区官网Police sent two female undercover officers into the event after receiving two anonymous complaints. Those officers told colleagues waiting nearby what they saw, the decision said, and five male police officers entered the bathhouse.
鈥淭he evidence of patrons testifying in this application, including the Applicants, was that they were upset, frightened, embarrassed and felt violated, intimidated and shocked,鈥 the decision said.
Hyrn concluded the raid amounted to an unreasonable strip search, quoting from a Supreme Court of Canada decision that likened these searches to 鈥渧isual rape.鈥
He adopted the findings of an earlier case that the search was 鈥渙utrageous,鈥 鈥渇lagrant,鈥 鈥渄eliberate,鈥 鈥渦njustified,鈥 鈥渘ot in good faith鈥 and that it would 鈥渟hock the public.鈥 The judge excluded all evidence the police had collected related to the liquor licence violations and the charges were dismissed.
Demkiw wasn鈥檛 named in the ruling, but all seven officers were identified in a successful lawsuit filed against then city councillor Kyle Rae for defamation after he publicly criticized the operation.
鈥淲e were not violating any community standards or norms at the time,鈥 committee member Chanelle Gallant told the Star this week.
She described what happened that night as 鈥渉orrifying.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just being viewed undressed without your consent, it鈥檚 by police officers who are authorized to record what they see and to put that in public evidence,鈥 she said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 an enormously serious problem in policing right now and we have grave concerns 鈥 that the appointment of Demkiw signals a doubling down on policing that targets marginalized groups.鈥
In 2016, then chief Mark Saunders said the service expressed 鈥渞egret鈥 for the bathhouse raids that began in 1981. He did not mention the Pussy Palace raid.
The committee is demanding a public meeting with Tory to address their concerns.
Tory鈥檚 spokesperson said that the request 鈥渨ill be carefully considered.鈥
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