is it a common thing for black people to be murdered by the police in canada too?
I can’t speak for all of Canada but in my city, Toronto, there IS a history of unarmed black men getting shot, as well as inside jobs of corruption and drug trafficking. Do not let any Canadian tell you that this kind of shit doesn’t happen.
The TPS (Toronto Police Service) is a notoriously political and corrupt force. I’m not gonna get into this but if you just google “toronto police corrupt” there are thousands of results and cases of corruption, sexual abuse scandals, rape and murder. Whats more common in Toronto is the antagonization of black students (in particular) by the police. There are countless stories and accounts of police officers just coming up to young black boys AND girls. (this is important to note that girls are almost always fucking ignored in these instances). Anyway, personal instances I heard of or experienced myself include:
Police officers literally pulling you over and telling you to get out of the car and then making you sit on the curb, kneeling, while they go through your vehicle with 1. no permission 2. no probably cause 3. no warrant
Police officers making racist/islamophobic jokes to you. I was a witness AND a victim of this. My dad was pulled over for speeding by only like 5-6 KM and he said “I dont know how fast they drive in africa but in canada the speed limit is ___” with a disgusting, patronizing tone
Literal assault/abuse. They shove you into walls and literally act like schoolyard bullies. At a bar at my school, they humiliated this black kid by making him empty out his backpack and then they shoved him into the glass (I have pictures/video of this) and they laughed at him and made him clean the mess THEY made
Ask very invasive/personal questions when the situation does not warrant even close to that. My friend was telling us a story about how a police officer asked if she was a virgin.
they participate in very gross, non-professional behavior like cat-calling and hitting on women while they’re on the job
They stop you in the street, when the weather is like -30 degrees celcius and ask why your hands are in your pockets, ask you to empty out your bag, take off your coat, etc etc.
Then there are notable cases of misconduct and police murder against blacks:
In 1988, Toronto Police were under scrutiny for the fatal shooting of Lester Donaldson. The shooting was the first of eight over the next four years, in which mostly unarmed Black Canadians were victims. Three days after his death, the BADC (Black Action Defense Committee , a group of local activists, was formed. The group made headlines when they introduced the issue of Race in the coroner’s inquest into Donaldson’s killing. In 1990, Toronto police officer David Deviney was charged with manslaughter in connection with the killing, though he was later acquitted.
On May 4, 1992, tension between Toronto Police and the city’s Black community reached its peak. After the fourth police killing of a young Blackman, in as many years, a peaceful protest on Yonge street turned into a “riot" 30 people were arrested and 37 police officers were injured in the uprising.
On May 5, 2010, 18-year-old Junior Alexander Manon died after a short chase by the police and while in their custody. It was initially claimed in news reports that the teenager died from a heart attack. However, lawyer Selwyn Pieter had this to say on the subject, “There was blood all over. He had a neck brace on. His eyes were black and blue. The issue of a heart attack is a fiction. It seems that he died from physical force. He was a healthy young person.”The SIU cleared the cops, Sgt. Stuart Blower and Constable Michael Adams, of any wrongdoing in the death of Junior. At the coroner’s inquest, the provincial pathologist testified that the “cause of death was positional asphyxia after the chase and exertion.” The inquest jury’s official cause of death was attributed to “restrain asphyxia”, which suggests that the cops’ action stopped Junior from breathing properly, but it claimed the killing was an accident.
On August 29, 2010, a Toronto cop killed 25-year-old Reyal Jensen Jardine-Douglas, a Black man with mental illness. He died from multiple gunshot wounds to his body. The police dispatcher was aware of his mental health status, because it was Reyal’s family who called the police seeking help in getting him admitted to a hospital.The police claimed to have recovered a knife from the scene of the killing. The killer cop or subject officer was never publicly identified and the SIU cleared the shooter of any wrongdoing on January 27, 2011.
On September 1, 2010, 22-year-old Ohene Darteh had his rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedom violated by Constable Irwin “The Terminator” Correa of the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS). “The Terminator” charged Ohene with possession of cocaine and the latter asserted that the narcotic substance was planted by the cop. Ohene was also injured by the cops.Justice Brian O’Mara of the Ontario Supreme Court dismissed the drugs charge and found The Terminator’s behaviour “intimidating, overbearing and oppressive” during the arrest and questioning of Ohene. According Toronto Star reporter Alex Ballingall, Justice “O’Marra dismissed Correa’s testimony as “untruthful and unreliable,” finding it “highly improbable” that Darteh would “initiate physical contact with a larger uniformed officer while two other uniformed officers are present.”
On September 29, 2010, 26-year-old unarmed Eric Osawe was killed by Toronto Police Service’s killer cop David Cavanagh. Eric was a father of two and was killed in an apartment in Etobicoke. After a two-month investigation by the SIU Constable Cavanagh was charged with manslaughter. It was just the third time that a cop has had such a charge levied against him by the SIU for killing a civilian. But one might not want to get his or her hopes up about justice being served. The killer cops were acquitted in the two other cases. In February 2012, (the charge against the killer cop David Cavanagh was upgraded to second degree murder and the preliminary inquiry commenced on October 1, 2012.)
On February 3, 2012, Michael Eligon, a 29-year-old mentally ill Black man was shot to death by a member of the Toronto police force. He was set to be released on February 3rd from a 72-hour psychiatric evaluation at the Toronto East General Hospital. Michael was shot to death with a pair of scissors in each hand. The SIU exonerated the cop of any wrongdoing in the killing of Michael. Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin raised serious questions about the partiality of the SIU’s investigators who covered the crime scene for the supposedly independent agency. The investigators were caught on film wearing police insignia and rings as well as appearing to be in agreement with the police version of the shooting.
On February 20, 2012, Frank Anthony Berry, a 48-year-old Black man, was shot to death in the west end of Toronto (on Campbell Avenue, near Dupont Street and Lansdowne Avenue). The SIU investigated this cop killing in which one subject officer (the killer cop) and seven subject officers (cops on the scene of the killing) were implicated.
Other links and articles on the pervasiveness of race-motivated police brutality and violence:
The Toronto Police’s Long History of Racial Profiling
Fact Sheet on Police Violence against the African Community in Canada
Toronto police set to embrace institutionalized racism
How Racism Shaped Toronto
When racism is a gun to the head
A Critical Inter-disciplinary Anthology of Race and Racism in Canada
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turnnoffyourmind
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