Vancouver Island community organizes anti-racism rally over YouTube attack

By Ann Hui, Canwest News ServiceJuly 8, 2009 11:01 PM



VICTORIA — Residents of a Vancouver Island community rocked in recent days by allegations of racism stemming from a YouTube video showing three young white men attacking a lone black man are organizing a show of force against hatred and violence in their community.

“Racism is a problem in Courtenay. It’s also a problem in Canada,” said Shayne Stuchbery, one of the organizers of a rally Thursday. “Racism is largely an invisible problem in this community. Most people don’t acknowledge it.”

He pointed to the fact that the attack on Jay Phillips happened in broad daylight as evidence of this.

“Some people are saying we should defend Courtenay. I think we, as a town, need to stand up and say we’re not going to stand for it.”

Three men, aged 19, 24, and 25 are facing assault charges for the confrontation last Friday, something Comox Valley RCMP Const. Tammy Douglas called a “racially motivated” incident. The men have been released from custody and will appear in court on Aug. 27. RCMP are investigating whether to consider the confrontation a hate crime.

Douglas said that this is the first racially motivated incident that she knows of in the area, but added that a number of crimes likely go unreported.

The video, which was filmed by an onlooker, has been viewed almost 60,000 times on YouTube, and shows the three men shouting racial slurs at Phillips, 38, while kicking and punching him as he falls to the ground. Philips, in turn, is seen yelling at the men and fighting back.

Phillips said Wednesday that one of the three men has since written a letter of apology to him, although he has not yet read it.

Although Stuchbery said racism has been a problem in the town for some time now, Bruce Brautigan, one of the organizers of Comox Valley’s Welcoming and Inclusive Communities Roundtable, said it’s not worse than in any other small town across the country.

He called Comox Valley a “predominantly white community,” with roughly 85 per cent of its population comprised of Caucasians, but said that it’s a “friendly, safe community.”

Victoria Times Colonist with files from Jim Gibson and Canwest News Service

ahui@tc.canwest.com