Trans Twitch star files human rights complaint against London, Ont., police after swatting arrest

A transgender activist arrested at gunpoint in her London, Ont., home in a swatting hoax has launched a human rights complaint against the local police for discriminating against her based on her gender identity and expression.

Clara Sorrenti is asking the London Police Service (LPS) to change its record management, procedures and policies to accommodate transgender people, including wearing body cameras when interacting with them. She also wants mandatory human rights training for every officer who emphasises interacting with trans people.  

"LPS hasn't done nearly enough to start addressing the systemic issues that led to the encounter last year that left me in significant emotional and mental distress," Sorrenti said.

A statement of claim filed to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario on April 10 says Sorrenti is seeking $75,000 in damages for injury to her dignity, feelings and self-respect, plus $50,000 for loss of income and other special damages incurred as a result of the swatting incident. 

London police declined Sunday to comment on the matter. 

The 29-year-old Twitch streamer, known as Keffals, was arrested at gunpoint by LPS officers in August after someone used her name and address to send threats to London city councillors. Police also received information that she confessed to a murder, Sorrenti said.

The person who called in the threats misgendered Sorrenti and referred to her with her birth name, which she said she changed more than a decade ago. 

Five months before police came to her door, Sorrenti said she contacted the LPS to tell them she was worried she'd become a swatting victim. 

"There is simply no excuse for the LPS's records to have Ms. Sorrenti's old name and gender. She has had multiple interactions with them prior to the events in question to seek protection from the risks she faced due to her important work," said her lawyer, Justin W. Anisman. 

"It's concerning that they appear to have ignored her concerns, failed to update her records or make appropriate notes which could have protected her."

Former police chief Steve Williams did order an internal review and determined that officers acted appropriately given the limited information they had during Sorrenti's arrest. However, several changes were made as a result of the incident.

Williams acknowledged that police records weren't updated to include her changed name. The London force also created a new system to flag locations or persons who have been the subjects of previous swatting attacks. 

In September, the London Police Services Board (LPSB) drafted a policy called the Search and Detention of Transgender People, mandating officers to be sensitive to human rights and privacy issues, and to refer to individuals by their preferred pronouns. 

Traumatic encounter

Sorrenti left Canada due to harassment and threats she received after going public with her story, and as a result, hasn't been able to stream and interact with her followers in months, she said. 

Sorrenti said the encounter was traumatic and she's still reeling from its impact all these months later.

"It's been incredibly difficult for me to trust law enforcement and it's been really hard for me to feel safe in my own home after what happened," she said. 

Anisman and Sorrenti said their ultimate goal is to sit down with LPS leadership to talk about her experiences and the shortcomings in systemic policies so they can collectively find a way to improve them and ensure that everyone feels safe.

"I know that unless something changes, the chances of this situation happening to another member of the community is fairly high but another person who goes through this might not be as lucky as I am," she said.