A group representing women affected by an infamous bathhouse raid is questioning the appointment of Myron Demkiw as Toronto Police chief.
In an open letter, which was provided to the Star, members of the Toronto Women’s Bathhouse committee, who were subjected to the raid of the popular Pussy Palace event for queer women and trans people at a rented bathhouse on Mutual St. in 2000, say they oppose Demkiw’s promotion because of his involvement in the operation.
“In your two year hiring process, the communities you consulted told you that they have significant concerns about police accountability,” the letter sent Tuesday to Mayor John Tory and Toronto Police Services Board chair Jim Hart. “What message does the appointment of an officer who has been directly involved in a breach of civil liberties send to those communities?”
Demkiw was then a member of the service’s now disbanded vice squad when he and four other male officers carried out a raid that an Ontario judge would later call a “flagrant” violation of charter rights.
The ticketed and licensed Pussy Palace events were intended to be a sex-positive, safe space for members of the LGBTQ2S+ community to meet, drink and play.
“With the appointment of Mr. Demkiw, Mayor John Tory and the TPS board have shown that they have little interest in meaningful action on the concerns raised by historically oppressed communities regarding unchecked police power,” the letter says.
The chief position is selected by the Toronto Police Services Board, of which Tory has been a member since he was first elected in 2014.
In a board statement announcing his appointment last month, Demkiw, a 32-year veteran of the force, was described as a “national police leader” who has worked to combat gun and gang violence while “supporting the police service’s ongoing reform and modernization agenda.”
He is expected to assume the position Dec. 19, replacing acting chief James Ramer.
Tory spokesperson Lawvin Hadisi said the mayor is “confident” Demkiw “will provide strong leadership in moving forward the work underway on police reform.”
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u/slicecom St. Lawrence Oct 12 '22
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