WRPS Board Chair Karen Redman Sends Community Message - "We Can Only Get Better by Coming Together""

On behalf of the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board, I want to acknowledge that we stand together with members of this community and are in full support of the planned peaceful KW Solidarity March for Black Lives Matter.

This event, being held in Kitchener on June 3, 2020, will see our community come together to support each other, call out for an end to anti-black racism, and take collective action for change.

This is something your Police Services Board fully supports.

The recent events that have unfolded in the United States and Canada – and that unfold throughout our entire world – cannot be ignored. We must do better as a community to ensure no one fears for their safety or wellness because of who they are.

The Waterloo Regional Police Services Board shares the commitment of the Waterloo Regional Police Service to ensure a community that is safe and that feels safe for every single resident.

Members of the Waterloo Regional Police Service go to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ensure this safety is provided for you. But the Service, on behalf of Chief Bryan Larkin, acknowledges, and this Board also acknowledges, that there is work to be done.

We can only get better by coming together. You have our commitment that this will happen.

While we are currently facing a health pandemic, we can’t ignore the fact that we are also facing an extreme amount of anger. We can’t ignore that this is a time when we need each other. If attending the Solidarity March, you are encouraged to please take all proper health precautions to ensure your safety and the safety of others in attendance. You can also join the event virtually on Facebook.

However you decide to take part, I want to thank you on behalf of the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board. Thank you for taking action, for standing up, and for fighting for change that will have far-reaching, positive impacts for our future generation.

Your voice matters and it is what you do with your voice today that will mark the beginning of a new chapter for our community, our country, our entire world.