A video has been posted to YouTube that shows Waterloo Regional Police officers with guns drawn at a homeless tent encampment in Kitchener as they responded to a weapons call on Saturday.
It shows several officers approaching the tent with weapons drawn behind a shield at the encampment at Victoria and Weber streets.
Police issued a release on Sunday saying they had been called into the encampment after it had been reported that there was a fight at there involving a gun.
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They say that when officers arrived, they located a man who had been identified as being allegedly involved in the fight but they did not find a weapon and released him.
No injuries were reported to police as a result of the incident.
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“Given the nature of the call, police responded with high priority due to public safety concerns and to ensure the safety of those in the immediate area,” police stated.
The imagery of police drawing weapons has drawn criticism from some members of the community.
“The ridiculousness of the police response is performance. They are manufacturing threats to rationalize further violence. Expect more incidents like this as the region develops court case,” GroundUpWR wrote on Twitter.
Justin Buhr wrote on Twitter: “So far it looks like the biggest threat to safety in the encampment is the violent police force funded by the region bringing in deadly weapons to terrorize residents.”
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