Concerns were expressed about Edmonton's police service's response to racist and hateful messages

Members of the Somali Canadian Cultural Association in Edmonton were preparing for a Canadian Day event that felt rattling on Thursday night.

President Jibril Ibrahim said the man called at around 6:15 pm. He used the actual traceable number. A 15-second voicemail man began saying, "Hello, I was wondering if the Somali would be celebrating Canada Day tomorrow." The man then began to make racist and hateful comments.

"That's not right, it's totally unacceptable," Ibrahim said.

Read more: Edmonton police charged with six assaults believed to have been motivated by hatred

He contacted the police via the outreach email the organization said, but went one step further and called 911. The organization also requested safety assistance for the celebration of Canada Day. As of Tuesday morning, Ibrahim said he had not met or heard police officers after making the call.

"We don't want to be threatened by anyone, so we decided to move on. We were expecting 300 people — only about 100 people appeared because we were afraid that something might happen, so it's not good to have that feeling

Ibrahim said he kept the door locked to monitor who was coming in. He felt the police weren't taking their complaints seriously.

"They haven't taken any meaningful action to stop the hatred in the city. We shouldn't feel this way."

Alberta Temitop Oriola, a professor of criminal science at the university, said the voicemail left behind poses no direct threat, but needs to be considered in the context of the vulnerabilities faced by the Somali community in Edmonton. rice field.

In recent months, there have been several attacks motivated by hatred against Muslim women wearing hijabs in the city.

Read more:Edmonton rally demanding increased protection of Islamic women in recent attacks

"Some Muslim hijab-wearing Somali women were attacked on the streets of Edmonton while performing legitimate missions," Oriola said. "These were provocative attacks, so we can understand the concerns of this community when receiving such voice messages.

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"People don't report hatred A message for fun. They want these I don't make a message. It's often the result of a very serious and terrible situation, so it's important for society to respond as quickly as possible. "

Oriola said the police. Said he did not consider this a serious threat and did not make this report a priority.

After Global News contacted Edmonton police, the inspector in charge of its downtown department connected with Ibrahim.

In a statement, police said the EPS dispatch received a call on the night of June 30.

In the evening, at that point, given a late time, it was postponed. On July 2, the reason was undecided and I couldn't answer the phone. "

“Other EPS employees only receive emails from Mr. Ibrahim to various government, police and other contacts. I noticed my first complaint ..

"Metropolitan police should prioritize many service calls, especially on holidays and major events, but this delayed response is acceptable. I know it wasn't or wasn't useful.

“Since noticing this error, the inspector in charge of the downtown department has personally connected with Mr. Ibrahim, providing apologies and explanations on behalf of EPS, identifying the next step in investigating the case.

Ibrahim said he welcomed the call, but that wasn't enough and he had to work.

"What is done to prevent this from happening again?" He said. "This could have been worse and should not have been underestimated."

Society also asks the government to do something meaningful to stop hatred. I contacted the state for a request. Ibrahim said they had not received a response either.

In an email to Global News, the state said: Organization. "

" All Alberta deserves to feel safe and secure in the community, regardless of their place of origin or method of worship, "the statement said. "All threatening behavior, including alleged hatred-motivated crimes and incidents, must be reported to local police.

" Alberta has hatred-motivated crimes and allegations. We take the case very seriously and have been actively working to eliminate hatred while helping our target audience. The Hate Climb Coordination Unit offers many resources and laws throughout the state. Established earlier this year to organize executive support, including the Alberta Security Infrastructure Program, which provides grants for security improvement and training to organizations subject to hate climbs. Includes initiatives such as the Hate Climb Community Liaison, which is beginning to work directly with hate climbs and biased cultural communities.-Motivated crimes. Liaison better prevents hate climbs and protects victims. We advise the government on how to help. "

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