It was a warm and sunny July morning when Ross Gray cycled across the Macdonald Bridge to visit his sister, only to be found by the bridge patrol staff and told her he was breaking the rules of the bridge .

Videos and documents obtained by CBC News from Halifax Harbor Bridges confirm that Gray was questioned, even though he followed the rules by pushing his bicycle into the pedestrian lane.

He said it was not the first time he had been arrested on the bridge and that he wanted the authorities concerned to be held accountable.

Camera footage from July 17, 2021 shows Gray riding his bike from Halifax to Dartmouth before being approached by bridge patrol personnel when arriving from the Dartmouth side.

Two uniformed officers wearing safety vests stand by his side and question him as he pushes his bicycle.

“I think they arrested me because it was racial profiling, I wasn’t doing anything wrong,” Gray said. “I’m here to say enough is enough.”

Gray said he told police he had never ridden a bicycle. One officer walks into the operations office to make sure they were talking to the right person, while the other runs after him.

There is no sound on the videos, but documents obtained by CBC News in connection with an Freedom of Information request – including statements from the officers involved – confirm that Gray was advised by the one who caught up with him that he was seen riding a bike on camera.

Passers-by watched the incident unfold, which Gray described as humiliating.

“I mean everyone’s looking at you and these two people stop you for no reason. My character is damaged, even talking about it pisses me off,” he said.

Bridge officials acknowledged the error when an announcement was made via an intercom that it was in fact another cyclist circulating in the area who had broken the rules.

The bridge patrol officer chasing Gray apologized and went to deal with the other rider.

“It wasn’t enough, it wasn’t worth anything. You can’t take something like that back,” Gray said.

The other runner received a verbal warning, but was not ticketed for the infraction.

Several days after the meeting and after Gray filed a complaint, Halifax Harbor Bridges presented him with a written apology.

“The accusations made at the time were incorrect and unwarranted, and we are very sorry for that,” he said. “The circumstances which contributed to the situation were human error and the appropriate advice and administrative action was taken regarding those involved.

In addition, HHB is developing a standard operating procedure to prevent this type of situation from reoccurring. Once again, please accept our sincere apologies for any problem this has caused you. “

The incident calls for a review of the procedure

Halifax Harbor Bridges declined an interview request, but released a statement to CBC News. He said in part that senior managers met with their teams to review procedures for issuing warnings, “emphasizing the importance of being culturally sensitive.”

He also asked Commissionaires Nova Scotia, which is the contractor that provides bridge patrol officers, to do the same.

A spokesperson for Halifax Harbor Bridges said there had been no procedural changes since the incident.

He offered to meet with Gray to discuss his concerns, but declined several dating offers. He said he didn’t believe they would be to his advantage. He would prefer the Bridge Commission to take action.

In a statement, Commissionaires Nova Scotia said it has hired “an external equity, diversity and inclusion consultant to review all key business policies and processes from a diversity perspective.”

He clarified that although the rental was recent, it was unrelated to what happened on the bridge. Rather, it was part of the organization’s overall strategic plan.

Commissionaires Nova Scotia has said it will implement any changes requested by Halifax Harbor Bridges.

Gray is not satisfied with their response. He said he was speaking out because he had already been arrested three times on the bridge, but did not report the incidents at the time.

“To all the minorities in this province, when this stuff happens you have to speak up, you have to say something and if you don’t get any results you have to push the boundaries,” he said.

He also filed an access to information request for more information about the incident in an effort to hold the organization accountable.

Documents obtained by CBC’s Freedom of Information request indicate that the mistaken identity case arose out of the two riders being “out of sight” and therefore “unable to distinguish between the two. “.

Gray does not believe this explanation because he believes he was the only black in the area.

“Par for the course”, says the expert

Gray filed a complaint with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. He thinks he should be compensated for his experience.

For reasons of confidentiality, the commission declined to comment on this specific case. He makes cases public when they are referred to a commission of inquiry.

A Dalhousie University scholar who specializes in black Canadian studies said he was concerned about what he saw in the videos.

“Unfortunately I think it’s totally normal for the course,” said Isaac Saney. “It may not be as obvious as the street checks, but it does come under racial profiling from what I see.”

Saney asked why bridge staff didn’t make sure they had the right rider before questioning Gray.

“They knew there were two cyclists… I mean, it makes sense,” he said.

Saney said the bridge personnel didn’t need to respond so quickly. With the video evidence, he said they could have spoken with the cyclist when they used the bridge again.

“What people want is a significant change”

While thanking Halifax Harbor Bridges for the timely apology, Saney said “what people want is a meaningful change”.

Rachel Zellars, an assistant professor at Saint Mary’s University who studies and teaches anti-black racism, sees issues in the way the bridge patrol officers have treated Gray.

“Being spoken to by two officers in white uniforms one of whom is chasing him seems to me like threatening behavior and all of these things are familiar with profiling actions,” Zellars said.

More walks on the bridge

After what happened on July 17, Gray spent time chatting with his fifteen-year-old son about how to react in similar situations. Before this event, these were conversations they did not have.

While still using his bike to get around, Gray has not crossed the bridge since the incident.

“I’m very careful where I go now, I always watch everyone,” Gray said. “I never used to do this before, so I’m nervous where I’m going because I know someone’s going to watch me.”

For more stories about the experiences of black Canadians – from anti-black racism to success stories within the black community – check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.

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