A Nigerian woman, Sarah Soyemi, who lives in Ontario, Canada, has alleged that she was dehumanized by police officers and was later charged with various offences.
The 36-year-old single mother of twin boys revealed that she was selling detox tea outside White Oaks Mall when she was grabbed by a police officer without explanation and another officer punched her, leaving her with a black eye.
Soyemi said: “It’s just been a lot. It’s so unbelievable.”
Meanwhile, the London Police Service (LPS) in Canada disclosed it is conducting an internal review to understand what transpired.
In an email, Const. Sandasha Bough wrote: “While we disagree with some of the particulars of how this interaction has been described, the LPS takes all allegations of this nature very seriously, and as such the chief has directed that a review of this incident be conducted.”
According to the police, an officer that was called to the mall saw a woman who had previously been banned from the property and was refusing to leave.
The officer arrested the woman and that led to a struggle that attracted more officers and left one of the officers and the woman with minor injuries, police said.
Soyemi however said she was in the White Oaks Mall parking lot telling people about the tea she sells as an independent contractor when a security guard approached her.
According to her, she told the guard her plan was to leave within an hour, “because I’m still new here in London, I haven’t met a lot of people and I usually go to the mall where people leave their homes and go.”
Soyemi moved from Toronto to London in Canada six months ago but she left Nigeria in 2018 and said she supports her family with her tea sales and money from the Ontario Works programme.
While talking further, she said when a police van pulled up beside her, she didn’t realize it was for her.
She said: “[The female officer] came out of the van and charged at me. She didn’t have any conversation, I didn’t get to see who she was — she just came right out of the van and tried to hold on to me.”
She said she moved back and yelled to the officer, “‘Don’t touch me. I didn’t do anything so why are you coming to touch me?'”
Ontario’s police watchdog has said it has been unable to speak with Soyemi despite various attempts.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) spokesperson, Kristy Denette, said all efforts made to contact Soyemi after the Unit was informed about an online fundraiser in which she claims to have a detached retina, an eye injury that can cause loss of vision if not treated were unsuccessful.
The fundraiser was created by Soyemi created through GoFundMe on May 19 — the day news media began picking up her story after it was posted by Black Lives Matter London — with the goal of generating $250,000 for surgery to fix her vision and sue the police.
Denette said an injury that needs hospitalisation normally meets the SIU’s classification as being serious, but documentation is needed to back up claims.
Denette said: “We need her medical records and to hear from her.
“The door is open. If she wants to contact the SIU and pursue this further we would encourage her to come forward.”
