Marion Aregheore was just trying to get to an anti-racism rally. But instead, she says she was targeted in a racist confrontation by a bus driver.
Aregheore and her boyfriend tried to get on the West Vancouver Blue Bus bound for the Black Lives Matter protest on May 31 carrying placards with the messages “End Police Brutality” and “No Justice No Peace!” But the bus driver refused to open the rear door for them to get on. Instead, he opened the front door and told them they couldn’t get on with the signs because the sticks they were mounted on could be used as weapons.
“I stood in the doorway just trying to talk to him saying, ‘We're just peaceful protesters. We don't want to attack anybody,’ she said.
Aregheore, 23, offered to remove the sticks and just take the signs but, she said, the driver became very aggressive.
“His tone of voice was very confrontational,” she said.
The driver then closed the bus door on Aregheore’s arm and leg. A woman standing nearby stepped up and demanded to know why he was treating her that way, Aregheore said.
Eventually, they gave their sticks to the woman and boarded the bus with their signs at the rear door. The driver got off two stops later and swapped out with a new driver.
Aregheore said there’s no question that her black skin was a factor in the way she was treated.
“I was just very shocked. With what’s going on, you think that there would be a little bit more understanding,” she said. “I didn't think that it was necessary for him to act towards me in that way at all, for any reason … I was feeling very unsafe like I didn't feel valued as a customer of public transit. In that moment, I felt excluded.”
She posted her experience on Instagram, which was shared hundreds of times. Many others wrote her to say they too felt unwelcome on transit.
Aregheore filed complaints with both the District of West Vancouver and TransLink. The next day, West Vancouver Mayor Mary-Ann Booth called her personally to apologize, which Aregheore said was appreciated.
Booth issued a statement on Friday saying she was “extremely disappointed” and that the incident would lead to anti-racism training for West Vancouver staff, including Blue Bus drivers.
“I’ve spoken to the customer, and what she experienced was painful, offensive, and wrong,” she said. “This incident is an opportunity to make things better. I thank the customer for having the courage to speak up, and providing us with the chance to do the right thing. On behalf of the District of West Vancouver I apologize, and want to assure her that this matter will be fully investigated and appropriate actions taken.”
Although the Blue Bus is not directly under the purview of TransLink, the transit authority’s CEO Kevin Desmond also called her to apologize.
“Based on conversations I’ve had with the customer and the District of West Vancouver, what the customer experienced was inappropriate and deplorable,” he said in a statement. “I want to be abundantly clear that racism has absolutely no place on Metro Vancouver’s transit system and should not be tolerated under any circumstance.”
Aregheore said Canadians who aren’t people of colour like to tell themselves that Canada is a tolerant place, especially when compared to the United States. But, she said, they’ve never known what it is to be treated differently because of skin colour.
“We are better in some ways. But we can't just ignore the fact that racism and prejudice does exist in Canada,” she said.
Aregheore said she is speaking up because she hopes her story will inspire others who face discrimination to do the same.
“They do have a voice and it will be heard. They don't have to feel alone and helpless,” she said.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 134, which represents 150 bus drivers and mechanics, could not be reached for comment on Friday.
