A popular Twitch streamer and transgender activist has filed a human rights complaint against London, Ont., police, months after a swatting incident.
On Aug. 5, 2022, Clara Sorrenti, known as Keffals on Twitch, was at the centre of a swatting attack after being doxxed by harassers who sent false death threats with her name and address to London city councillors, leading to her being arrested at gunpoint.
Swatting refers to a false report made to police that intends to lure a large number of officers to a particular location, often with the intention of targeting specific individuals.
A statement by Sorrenti’s lawyer Justin W. Anisman states she has filed a human rights application against the London Police Services (LPS) and the London Police Services Board, “based on the discrimination Ms. Sorrenti experienced due to her gender identity and gender expression, which is contrary to section 1 of the Ontario Human Rights Code.”
The statement says despite her warning the LPS in March 2022 that she was at risk of being a target of swatting, police “armed with assault rifles attended Ms. Sorrenti’s home without warning and arrested her at gunpoint for uttering threats.”
Sorrenti was later released from custody without charges.
Speaking with Global News on Sunday, Sorrenti said she’s still traumatized months after the incident.
“It’s something I’m still having a hard time processing. It’s been really difficult to trust law enforcement after what happened,” she said.
“I’m hoping that through this application, the London Police Service can be more accountable to the public and to ensure that other members of the transgender community don’t have to experience the same treatment that I’ve experienced by them.”
The complaint application argues that the LPS breached the Ontario Human Rights Code and discriminated against Sorrenti by:
- failing to investigate or adequately investigate the death threat before deciding to arrest her at gunpoint
- misgendering her
- calling her by her dead name
- treating her with disrespect and inhumanity while in custody
- having antiquated and discriminatory policies and procedures which do not accommodate gender identity and expression to the point of undue hardship
In addition, Sorrenti also alleges that at the time of her arrest, an officer groped her breast and said, “yep, it’s a she.”
In an email to Global News, LPS said that they “they will not be providing a comment in relation to the alleged complaint.”
Anisman says he hopes the complaint will lead to a meeting with LPS to address concerns and discuss how they can improve.
“We’re hoping to improve the treatment of police for not just people in the trans community but for all minorities, all vulnerable people who interact with police,” he said.
Sorrenti says that begins with more education and training for officers on issues related to gender identity and expression, “and there needs to be a better system in-place for reporting and addressing instances of harassment and discrimination.”
She also hopes the complaint will lead the LPS to enforce officers to wear body cameras when interacting with the trans community, “to make sure that they are accountable.”
— with files from Global News’ Ahmar Khan, Andrew Graham and Amy Simon