A Barrie city councillor is coming under fire for a tweet he made eight months ago.

The Barrie Police Association is calling the tweet from Councillor Keenan Aylwin inflammatory and a direct attack on its members.  Alywin says the tweet that referred to an article written about the death of Barrie man Olando Brown is really about deeper issues.

It reads, “This is incredibly disturbing, but not surprising.”

In June, a video surfaced of Brown being tased by Barrie police during an arrest. 

Brown died while in police custody, and because the Special Investigations Unit invoked its mandate, officers were unable to comment about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Last week, the SIU cleared Barrie police of any wrongdoing saying Brown died as a result of choking after trying to swallow two plastic bags during a strip search.

The Barrie Police Association called out Councillor Alywin in a tweet of its own.  It reads in part, "Now that the facts are available, our members would like to know what you meant.”

In a lengthy reply, Aylwin explains why he was ‘not surprised’ by Brown’s death, writing, “I’m not surprised that our flawed justice system is continuing to fail people.  I’m not surprised that a system that fails to address the root causes of crime has produced another tragic outcome.  This system doesn’t adequately serve victims of crime, police officers, or a goal of rehabilitation.”

His response wasn’t good enough for The Barrie Police Association, which says the councillor’s reply talks in circles and blames others.  The association wrote in a statement, “These latest defences do not dupe us in an attempt to deflect attention,” and, “(The original tweet) added fuel to the fire and encouraged threats against our members and their families before any of the facts were known.”

The Barrie Police Association is asking Councillor Aylwin to issue an apology.  There has been no word on if or when that will happen.