Racism at play in RCMP investigation into complaint of Black woman arrested unlawfully, says report

One October night on a downtown street in the small southeastern Alberta city of Brooks, RCMP officers were in the process of arresting a man for drunk driving when he pointed at his passenger.

He told police she should be arrested for prostitution because he'd just paid her $300 for sex.

Selling sex is not illegal. Buying sex is. 

That means the woman was not doing anything wrong but, by his own admission, the man was.

The passenger was Black. The man and the officers were all white. 

RCMP Const. Robert Loder took the investigative advice of the allegedly intoxicated john. 

"You Black mother f–ker," said Loder to the woman as he removed her from the vehicle and brought her to the local Brooks detachment, where she was held overnight.

That initial interaction with RCMP and what came next is the subject of a report published last week that found racism in the public complaint process.

It also found that the woman, identified only as AB in the report, was the victim of, at the very least, the "appearance" of unequal treatment on the basis of her race.

The commission ultimately found AB's arrest was unlawful and said she should have been released during the traffic stop after officers were able to confirm her identity.

RCMP were asked for comment but did not respond.

In a phone interview with CBC News, AB says that night was the most frightened she's ever been.

"I didn't know racism was a real thing. I just thought it was prejudice, fear of the unknown, so when they get to know me, it'll be OK," said AB.

"But this was different. This was actual hatred, complete hatred. They didn't even know me to hate me that much."