Employer Condemns Frequent Police Traffic Stops of Outreach Worker

A Downtown Eastside clinic says it is disappointed that Vancouver police have frequently stopped one of its employees while he has been working with vulnerable clients.

Tyler Nielsen, a Métis outreach worker, previously spoke with The Tyee about being pulled over by police while driving six times in the past 18 months, including one incident when he was briefly handcuffed and released with little explanation. None of the stops have resulted in a traffic ticket or charges.

According to Nielsen, the traffic stops started after he did media interviews about a video he took showing a police officer shoving a man in September 2020.

Nielsen’s video resulted in the reopening of a police misconduct investigation that had previously been deemed “unsubstantiated,” and led to a criminal investigation.

In a statement, Kílala Lelum Health Centre said the frequent stops are worrisome because they could lead to clients being unable to attend medical appointments in a timely fashion.

In four of the six traffic stops Nielsen has experienced in the past 18 months, he was driving as part of his job as an outreach worker. During two of the stops, he had a Kílala Lelum client with him in the car.

“Kílala Lelum is disappointed that the VPD has interfered with Tyler’s health care-oriented work,” the clinic says in its statement.

“Our membership has high rates of negative experiences with law enforcement and systems of incarceration, and this policing pattern has the potential to act as a barrier for our staff/clinic’s ability to build therapeutic relationships in our community-based work.”

Kílala Lelum primarily serves Indigenous people who live in the Downtown Eastside.

In videos Nielsen recorded during five of the six traffic stops, police officers give a variety of reasons for pulling him over, from wanting to check his licence and car registration to giving him a warning to wear his seatbelt. During one interaction, two Surrey police officers said he looked like the mug shot of a man with warrants for arrest, and pulled him out of his car and handcuffed him before releasing him.

In the statement, Kílala Lelum’s board of directors, executive director and clinical leadership team say Nielsen is a valued member of their team and they condemn the VPD and RCMP’s treatment of him.

“We share a consensus that he is very skilled, and well regarded by our membership and community within his role,” the letter states. “Our team will provide support to Tyler in whichever steps come next.”