Editor:
Re: Chief’s wife must not receive preferential treatment, letter to the editor, July 2
The incident with Lorraine Dubord and Kiran Sidhu has already garnered far more media attention and public mudslinging than it deserves.
I find the letter by the Neufelds where they state they have "extreme disgust and repugnance" for Dubord's behaviour to be a little over the top. They have prejudged and labelled this incident as an example of systemic racism based on what? The limited video that has played repeatedly on the TV news?
In your July 2 edition, much more information is disclosed, primarily by Sidhu. While I don't dismiss or excuse the name calling or the water spraying by Dubord, Sidhu appears to be a willing participant in this childish behaviour which reminds me of two children throwing sand at each other.
However, Sidhu states her own racial and sexist bias in your newspaper, so I feel that I must comment. Sidhu acknowledges that she calls Dubord a "Karen," a phrase that is considered a slur by definition and then repeatedly plays the race card, saying how unwelcome she feels in what she describes as "white space."
She says this "white space" occurs on the Tsawwassen beach, in her work environment as a teacher in Richmond and in her position as a union rep. I wonder how her coworkers feel about this statement and the way she says she feels around them?
When she calls the police, she specifically asks for a "woman of colour officer" to attend and then implies disappointment when two white female officers are dispatched. By doing and saying this, she shows her own racial bias against Caucasians, both male and female, and as she is employed as a teacher and a molder of young minds, this bias is disappointing and unsettling.
Since when does anyone have the right to choose a specific race or sex of a police officer being sent to a call for help, especially a call of this insignificance?
So now we have a Delta Police Department investigation, an RCMP investigation, a Vancouver Police Department investigation and I presume a human rights tribunal and subsequent lawsuit are probably not far off.
Tens of thousands of dollars are being spent to investigate this little episode of name calling and water spraying. Enough is enough. The 15 minutes of fame are over.
Bob Lait
