Former Vancouver Police Officers Analyze Police Response to Man Getting Beaten at Transgender Event

A Vancouver Police Department patch is seen on an officer's uniform in Vancouver on Jan. 9, 2021. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER—A retired Vancouver Police Department (VPD) officer is questioning part of the police response to the assault of a man at a transgender rights event in Vancouver, while another retired officer urges further investigation before coming to a conclusion.

On March 31, Chris Elston, also known by his moniker Billboard Chris because of the sandwich boards he wears denouncing puberty blockers for children, went to the site of an event marking Transgender Day of Visibility in Vancouver’s Grandview Park. An altercation shortly after his arrival spurred Elston to call 911 to report that he had been assaulted.

However, Elston and his supporters were critical of police response on the scene, with Elston saying that the police “did nothing” as he was attacked. Online videos from the incident show people holding transgender flags surrounding Elston and yelling obscenities at him. A person is then seen punching him in the throat and throwing him to the ground. VPD officers then rush in to disperse the crowd.

Police said on April 1 that it has launched an investigation into the issue, and released photos of two people they are looking for in relation to the investigation. After learning of the investigation, Elston thanked his supporters for “putting pressure on the VPD.” He told The Epoch Times in an email this week that he hasn’t received any updates on the case from the police.

Chris Elston and other protesters demonstrate against gender-change surgeries on minors, outside of Boston Childrens Hospital in Boston, on Sept. 18, 2022. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Ivan DeSilva, a 27-year veteran of the VPD, says law enforcement need to balance situations differently, and that the public may not understand their methods in certain circumstances. Yet, he adds, while there may be a culture change at the department impacting decision-making, that doesn’t absolve police from acting professionally.

“One of the main jobs of police is to maintain peace,” DeSilva said in an interview.

“We know everything is being recorded out there, and there are these politically charged groups. The transgender rights [activists] are probably at the top of the groups everybody’s scared about, including the police. So that could be a factor that was in the minds of these police officers that we’re dealing with, but you can’t allow that to cloud your judgment as a police officer. You have to maintain a total neutral stance toward them, and also toward the counter-protesters.”

DeSilva said once police were at the site and there were signs that the situation might not remain peaceful, they should have kept the two sides apart.

“Somewhere, there was a breakdown of leadership,” he said. “As soon as the police were called—and there was a whole bunch of them that came—they should have realized that this could escalate very quickly and very badly. We need to keep these two groups separate.”

The Epoch Times reached out to VPD for comment but didn’t hear back.

DeSilva says the department will likely probe its response internally.

“I think what you’re going to find is a lot of follow up that’s happening internally, and this will not be publicized,” he said.

Still, he says, police are always faced with situations that are not easy to deal with.

“Every moment you put on the uniform and you go out in public, you are ready for the controversy,” he said.

Curtis Robinson, also a retired former VPD officer, says police are trained to evaluate the potential for protests to get out of hand, but regardless of how they handle these situations, at least one group always feels they were targeted.

“What people need to understand, from a policing perspective, there is no winning no matter what the police do. Someone’s going to be unhappy,” Robinson said. “If you move in when they’re yelling and screaming at each other in a group of 100 people with five or six police officers, you’re going to be criticized as using excessive force, there’s no question about it. And the next thing you know, the focus of the anger is going to be on the police department. This is what happens in these situations.”

Screenshots from the videos of the incident show that as Elston is being surrounded and attacked, one officer appears to be smiling, which prompted online commenters to object. Robinson says as he watched that video, he thought, “Man, I can see why they’re saying that.”

But he says police officers are under a lot of pressure.

“They need to go to work thinking about what their job is. Maintain the peace. Be professional. If you join the Vancouver Police Department, you better expect you’re not going to be the most popular person in the world.”

Public Comments

In a video Elston posted on Twitter after the incident showing a conversation he had with a VPD officer, the officer suggests the altercation was equal from both sides. “When we get into people’s faces and they get into our faces, it doesn’t really matter who does the first punch, it’s considered a consensual fight,” she said.

Elston is heard in the video telling the officer that he had been walking away from the people who were acting aggressively toward him so he could take part in a media interview, but said they kept surrounding him, “while the police do nothing,” adding that it was he who was assaulted.

The officer tells Elston, “you have the right not to be here,” to which Elston responds, “I have the right to be here,” and suggests it’s within his charter rights.

In another video taken at the site, a man approaching the same officer says, “Excuse me, did you just say [Elston] came here to incite violence by forcing his opinion on people?” To which the officer responds, “Yes.”

DeSilva says the suggestion that what transpired was a “consensual fight” is “complete nonsense.”

“That person doesn’t know what they’re talking about. You cannot have a consensual fight in this kind of manner,” he said.

Robinson says officers should avoid commenting publicly on issues best left to the the media relations department.

“I would have said, ‘Hey, you know, I don’t have a comment for you right now. I’m busy looking after business and am going to write a report. I suggest you get a hold of our media relations officer to find out the follow up,’” he says.

A day after the incident, VPD Deputy Chief Howard Chow issued a statement on Twitter defending his staff, telling critics to curb judgment while police conduct an investigation.

“Well, what I am embarrassed and appalled about are the vile and abusive comments this officer and other officers have had to endure on Twitter. This is #NotOkay. The incident is being investigated,” he wrote.

In response to Chow’s comments, Elston said on Twitter that instead of “playing victim,” the force should “arrest the assaulters.”

VPD said in a news release on April 1 that detectives from the department’s Robbery, Assault, and Arson Unit have been assigned to investigate the incident, and called for more witnesses who may not have yet talked to police to come forth.