A photo that made the rounds on social media over the weekend, depicting what appears to be officers and fire paramedics disrespecting a vulnerable person may not be what it seems, say Winnipeg police.
The photo was taken on Grant Avenue Friday afternoon, where police said a man was initially assessed for medical reasons by fire paramedics and ultimately determined to be intoxicated, which required a police presence to transport him to safe lodging at the Main Street Project.
Const. Rob Carver said Monday that people shouldn’t judge without knowing the circumstances.
“It’s easy to judge from an outside standpoint and look at it and go, ‘well, that was inappropriate’,” said Carver.
“It might be inappropriate if you don’t know what’s going on, but it might be absolutely, not only appropriate, but perfect in terms of getting that person to where they need to be safely and dealing with them in a way that makes them feel comfortable.”
Carver said he’s personally dealt with intoxicated people and done things to make them feel more comfortable which may have looked odd to passersby.
“I’m just going to caution people about making snap decisions about things where you don’t know the full details.”
Carver said the city and police are reviewing the situation and intend speak to everyone involved – including an interview with the man in the photo – to make sure nothing disrespectful occurred.
The original social media post, on Facebook, has been shared almost 1,000 times, with most comments accusing first responders of wrongdoing.
The photo even drew the attention of Mayor Brian Bowman over the weekend, who tweeted, “If valid, it’s obviously unbecoming of what’s expected by our emergency responders.”
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