In more than a decade of journalism, I have frequently covered crime, policing and public safety issues.
Whether its reporting directly from the scenes of gun murders, exploring the impacts of violence on communities, or investigating in depth missing women cases or police misconduct allegations, my work has been published in This Magazine, Windspeaker, Vancouver Observer — and recognized with awards and nominations from both the Canadian Journalism Foundation and the Canadian Association of Journalists.
Below are some samples from my public safety portfolio.
Carrying red and yellow roses symbolizing the 600 aboriginal women murdered and missing, respectively, thousands marched in cities across Canada on Valentine’s Day, banging on the door of the Prime Minister’s office in Ottawa and bringing outrage to Vancouver’s police station steps.
Explosive allegations of gang rape, widespread abuse and anti-Native racism have rocked Canada’s national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which vowed on February 13 to investigate the claims by one of the world’s leading rights groups.
The release of Wally Oppal’s scathing final report from B.C.’s missing women inquiry was met with sobbing, drumming, and anger on Dec. 17 as families and friends began the next stage of grieving for their lost ones, and rights groups rallied around the call for a Canada-wide investigation.
Here’s a look back over some of my key stories of the last year.
Province pledges fast implementation of Commission recommendations. Critics demand more action on racism, systemic problems.
British Columbia’s Attorney General Shirley Bond has pledged to implement “systemic changes” after the release of the highly critical Missing Women Commission of Inquiry’s final report.
From the photograph, 16-year-old CJ Morningstar Fowler smirks out at reporters, her head tilted in an almost questioning expression. On Dec. 6, the Gitanmaax First Nation youth was found murdered in Kamloops.
British Columbia’s Missing Women Commission of Inquiry into the alleged police mishandling of the Robert Pickton serial killer investigation is taking another jab from some of the very groups who had fought for an inquiry into dozens of missing, mostly aboriginal women for years.
What would justice look like for B.C.’s missing women inquiry?
Eight months after they began, hearings into why police failed to catch serial killer Robert Pickton sooner ended much as they began: with families and aboriginal groups protesting outside.
David P Ball 