'Enough is enough': Black Halifax cyclist alleges racism after Macdonald Bridge stop
Ross Gray was accused by bridge patrol officers of riding his bike in a pedestrian lane, videos show he didn't
It was a warm, sunny July morning when Ross Gray walked his bicycle across the Macdonald Bridge on his way to visit his sister, only to be tracked down by bridge patrol staff and told he was violating bridge rules.
Videos and documents obtained by CBC News from Halifax Harbour Bridges confirm Gray was questioned, even though he followed the rules by pushing his bike in the pedestrian lane.
He said this isn't the first time he's been stopped on the bridge and he's looking for the authorities involved to be held accountable.
The camera footage from July 17, 2021, shows Gray walking his bike from Halifax to Dartmouth before being approached by bridge patrol staff when arriving at the Dartmouth side.
Two uniformed officers wearing safety vests stand alongside him and question him as he pushes his bike.
"I think they stopped 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 the officers he did not ride his bike at any point. One officer goes 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 through an access-to-information request — including statements from the officers involved — confirm Gray was told by the one who caught up with him that he was seen riding his bike on camera.
Passersby saw the incident unfold, which Gray called humiliating.
"I mean you've got everybody watching you and these two people are stopping you for no reason. My character is being damaged, even talking about it is pissing me off," he said.
Bridge officials acknowledged the error when an announcement was made over an intercom that it was in fact another cyclist riding in the area who had broken the rules.
The bridge patrol officer who chased after Gray apologized and went to deal with the other rider.
"It was insufficient, it was worthless. You can't take something like that back," Gray said.
The other rider was given a verbal warning, but did not receive a ticket for the infraction.
Several days after the encounter and after Gray filed a complaint, Halifax Harbour Bridges issued a written apology to him.
"The accusations made at that time were incorrect and unjustified, and for that we are truly sorry," it said. "The circumstances that contributed to the situation were human error and the appropriate counselling and administrative action has been taken regarding those involved.
In addition HHB is developing a Standard Operating Procedure to eliminate this type of situation from reoccurring. Again, please accept our deepest apologies for any trouble this has caused you."
Incident prompts procedural review
Halifax Harbour Bridges declined an interview request, but issued a statement to CBC News. It said in part that senior managers met with their teams to review the procedures for issuing warnings, "underscoring the importance of being culturally sensitive."
It also asked Commissionaires Nova Scotia, which is the contractor that provides bridge patrol officers, to do the same.
A Halifax Harbour Bridges spokesperson said there haven't been any changes in procedure since the incident.
It has offered to meet with Gray to talk about his concerns, but he has turned down several meeting offers. He said he doesn't believe they would be for his benefit. He would rather see the bridge commission take action.
In a statement, Commissionaires Nova Scotia said it has hired "an external equity, diversity and inclusion consultant to review all key policies and business processes through a diversity lens."
It clarified that while the hire was a recent one, it was not connected to what happened on the bridge. Rather, it was part of the organization's overall strategic plan.
Commissionaires Nova Scotia said it will implement any changes requested by Halifax Harbour Bridges.
Gray isn't satisfied with their response. He said he's speaking out because he has been stopped three times before on the bridge, but did not report those incidents at the time.
"To all the minorities in this province, when this stuff happens you've got to speak up, you've got to say something and if you don't get no results you've got to push the envelope," he said.
He's also filed an access-to-information request to get more information about the incident in an attempt to hold the organization accountable.
Documents obtained by CBC's access-to-information request say the case of mistaken identity stemmed from the two cyclists being "out of view" and thereby being "unable to distinguish between the two."
Gray does not believe this explanation as he thinks he was the only Black person in the area.
'Par for the course,' says expert
Gray has filed a complaint with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. He believes he should receive compensation for his experience.
Because of privacy reasons, the commission declined comment on this specific case. It makes cases public when they are referred to a board of inquiry hearing.
A Dalhousie University teaching fellow who specializes in Black Canadian studies said he is concerned by what he saw in the videos.
"Unfortunately, I think it's just par for the course," said Isaac Saney. "This may not be as overt as the street checks, but this does fit within the range of racial profiling from what I see."
Saney questioned why bridge staff didn't make sure they had the right cyclist before questioning Gray.
"They knew there were two cyclists ... I mean, that seems logical," he said.
Saney said bridge staff didn't need to react so quickly. With the video evidence, he said they could have spoke with the cyclist when they used the bridge again.
'What people want is meaningful change'
While he credits Halifax Harbour Bridges for making a timely apology, Saney said "what people want is meaningful change."
Rachel Zellars, an assistant professor at Saint Mary's University who studies and teaches anti-Black racism, sees problems with the way bridge patrol officers dealt with Gray.
"Being talked to by two white uniformed officers with one chasing after him, that for me appears to be threatening behaviour and all of those things are familiar with profiling actions," Zellars said.
No more bridge rides
After what happened on July 17, Gray has spent time talking to his fifteen-year-old son about how to react in similar situations. Before this event, these were conversations they didn't have.
While he still uses his bike to get around, Gray has not crossed the bridge since the incident.
"I'm very careful where I go now, I'm always watching everybody," Gray said. "I never used to do that before, so I'm nervous where I go because I know someone is going to be watching 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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