Arrests made during Edmonton encampment cleanup, police confirm

Edmonton police say they arrested three people, who they describe as “demonstrators,” during the dismantling of the eighth “high risk” homeless encampment in the city Wednesday.

In an email to media, EPS communications advisor Carolin Maran said one man and two women were arrested for “obstructing police during cleanup” of the camp at 95 Street and Rowland Road. Charges are pending, Maran says.

Police say the man is also facing charges in relation to an incident at Tuesday’s encampment response at Rowland Road. They allege he assaulted a High Risk Encampment Response (HRET) team officer, and say charges are pending.

“There have been some questions about whether the male was tasered; he was not,” Maran wrote. “During the arrest, police activated the taser without using it, as the male was resisting arrest.

“The demonstrator was treated on scene for minor injuries sustained when he resisted arrest. He was taken to hospital at his request and has since been released. The officer was also treated for minor injuries on scene.”

Meanwhile an editor with online outlet Ricochet Media says police arrested one of his reporters, Brandi Morin, as they broke up the homeless encampment Wednesday.

Ethan Cox says Morin told him from police custody that other people were also arrested in the police action.

Cox says Morin has been covering Edmonton’s response to homeless encampments and was on the scene when police made their latest move. 

He says she was arrested after she refused to leave an exclusion zone that police had set up with yellow tape, saying as a journalist she needed to be able to see what was going on.

In a tweet, the Canadian Association of Journalists called on EPS to release Morin and not charge her.

Residents hold ground at Rowland Road camp

Police previously announced they were holding off on clearing out the camp on the east side of downtown after some residents refused to leave Tuesday. The city said in a news release late Tuesday that plans to close the camp had been “modified.”

In December, Court of King’s Bench Justice Kent Davidson heard lawyers with the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights argue for a temporarily pause in the city’s dismantling of encampments until this week.

The judge agreed with the city that some encampments are affiliated with organized crime, pose a risk to community safety and needed to be taken down immediately.

The police and city have said there is enough shelter space for the displaced residents.

–With files from The Canadian Press