This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

TORONTO- During a press conference Friday, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders unveiled a mural honoring the local LGBTQ community.

The mural was to meant to celebrate the LGBTQ community and act as an apology for raids that took place in 1981 where 286 men were arrested in four Toronto bathhouses.

During the press conference, Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters arrived, chanting and carrying signs that read “No pride in policing”.

https://twitter.com/JohnnyOatley/status/746448890551992320

Toronto’s local BLM co-founder Rodney Diverlus, 26, said the cop’s gesture was nothing more than a publicity stunt “used to mask the reality of police relations among the queer and trans community, black people, indigenous people, sex workers et cetera”.

Const. David Hopkinson, a police spokesperson, said the chief’s apology for the raids and the new mural aren’t empty gestures, “I believe the chief was heartfelt in his apology for the bathhouse raids. He was sincere in his words.”