Editor,
Re: Surrey police fatally shoot woman barricaded in room with child, weapon
The RCMP killing of Vanessa Rentería Valencia, a mother with a young child, is a devastating occurrence in our city. It has shocked the community and left many asking questions about the resources available, or not, to people experiencing crisis in our city.
Particularly, it makes us once again ask the question of why police are the first, and often only, response when someone is in despair and needs care and support. Police are organized for force. That is a fact we must acknowledge. They are not health-care workers.
In this case, the fact that Vanessa Rentería Valencia was, according to those who knew her, a recent immigrant with very little English proficiency, makes us ask about how police communicated with her and if they did so in her native Spanish. If not, were steps taken to have a Spanish-language speaker communicate with her? Neighbours have only reported hearing police commands in English.
Vanessa Rentería Valencia’s family, loved ones, and community deserve answers to these questions. We all do — policing impacts us all in one way or another. Unfortunately, we know that oversight investigations take a lot of time, and these answers may not be forthcoming soon.
It is past time to move to a model of community well-being that does not put policing at its centre. One that puts health-care resources first when health care, including mental health care, is required.
For now, we can only express our care and concern for Vanessa Rentería Valencia’s family, including her 18-month-old daughter, now left motherless.
Dr. Jeff Shantz, department of criminology
Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey
