Safety refers to feeling secure and being free from physical, psychological, social, and material harm. However, the meaning attached to safety varies depending on individual circumstances and life experiences where racial discrimination can be a limiting factor and create barriers for Indigenous, Black and diverse Racialized community members to feeling safe.

Police Services, EMS, and Bylaw services are some of most recognizable municipal or city level safety supports but access to transportation like Transit services, city infrastructure, and access to community resources can also shape a sense of safety for community members.

WHAT WE HEARD SUMMARY

Prevention tactics continue to target Indigenous, Black, and diverse Racialized communities: Commonly mentioned examples included incidents of racial profiling, feeling over-policed, and feeling unsafe when approached by the Police, and groups of youth from Indigenous, Black and diverse Racialized communities being approached by bylaw officers in parks more frequently.

Racism by Police, Bylaw and Emergency officials/staff: Examples included: harsh physical treatment and verbal harassment; racism reflected in the tone and style of speech; unnecessary questioning and suspicion that casts doubt and reflects prejudice; discriminatory behaviour due to an individual’s accent or level of English; excessive carding; and gaslighting.

Response rate is slow: police are slow in following up with concerns. The impact of these delays was a sense that The City services did not care enough and it was up to the community to find a solution on their own.

Mechanisms to resolve safety issues are not effective: There was a widespread sentiment that police, bylaw, and emergency services are ineffective when dealing with the concerns of Indigenous, Black, and diverse Racialized people.

Using services to target communities: Our consultations suggest that public safety services are used by residents to target members of certain communities.

Lack of awareness: Numerous consultations revealed that people, especially newcomers and immigrants, are unsure of where or how to report incidents of racism or hate crimes.

Widespread feeling of unsafety, racism, and discrimination: This racism came in the form of racial slurs, physical intimidation and violence, and more subtle ways such as microaggressions and being watched/stared at in public places.

Targeting of specific ethno-religious and other groups: For example members of the Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh communities highlighted how wearing religious items put them at an increased risk. The Jewish community also has specifically seen an increase in antisemitism prevalent in the anti-mask protests. Asian communities have increased experiences of racism since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indigenous women spoke to unique concerns related to violence, disappearances, and mistreatment by police.

Othering experiences with City services (Police, Bylaw and EMS): Stories in consultations revealed that individuals notice that they are treated unfairly and differently from white residents in Calgary.

Feeling unprotected: Numerous individuals across different racial/ethnic backgrounds spoke about feelings of being unsafe in certain public spaces. Calls for increased protection also included demands for infrastructure improvements, especially areas downtown and near transit (e.g. poor lighting), not necessarily an increased police presence.