{"id":2027,"date":"2020-06-15T13:11:35","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T18:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learn.the-irg.ca\/june152020\/"},"modified":"2020-06-15T13:11:35","modified_gmt":"2020-06-15T18:11:35","slug":"june152020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/june152020\/","title":{"rendered":"Speak out against racism, demand wholesale change in Canada\u2019s police forces"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hill Times June 15, 2020<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the second quarter of 2020, racism and police brutality was brought to the forefront of the world\u2019s consciousness. Black Americans, Native Americans, and allies closed down American cities as a measure of the stark and desperate urgency to change whole systems. Racism and police brutality have no place in any democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The movement crossed over into Canada. Thank you to all Black Canadians who are speaking out for safety and belonging. Indigenous peoples share the demand for safety and belonging in our own country. Our demands and rights are stronger when we gather together. Obviously, the demand and urgency for safety and belonging for Indigenous peoples needs all the help and voice and amplification possible, given that certain high ranking police officers refuse to admit that systemic racism exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, systemic racism exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indigenous Canadians have a lower income than others, higher unemployment, much higher incarceration, and this is the result of systemic racism. An uncounted number of Indigenous individuals have died by police or in custody recently, many without vigorous or completed investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will not forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eishia Hudson, 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jason Collins, 36.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stewart Kevin Andrews, 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chantal Moore, the young First Nations woman killed by New Brunswick police during a \u2018wellness check,\u2019 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Debralee Chrisjohn, 39.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief Allan Adam was assaulted, an Inuk in Kinngait was doored, Elliot McLeod was kneed, there were 63 complaints of police abuse of Indigenous individuals in Quebec, another 30 in Nunavut\u2026 yes, there\u2019s systemic racism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just \u201cbad apples\u201d in police forces. The concept of \u201cbad apples\u201d in a police force is about as ludicrous as \u201cbad apple\u201d pilots. It is not too much to expect that police brutality be prosecuted as a crime and punished severely. In fact, it\u2019s part and parcel of maintaining a police force that can be trusted by its citizens. We do pay for the police salaries, they are accountable to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s another quote that\u2019s gone viral in social media: privilege is when you can learn about racism rather than experience it. Last week, I was pulled over by police in a routine event. Yes, I\u2019m fine. No, I was not charged or fined. Here\u2019s the thing: this type of experience might be routine for others, but it is far from routine for Indigenous individuals. I was scared, so scared I was trying not to hyperventilate. There were no witnesses nearby. Will the officers exhibit racist attitudes? Will I get handcuffed? Will I end up with hundreds and hundreds of dollars in fines, when I know that a non-Indigenous individual wouldn\u2019t be charged in the exact same situation? Will the officer overreact?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please don\u2019t attempt to rationalize this as my problem, because it\u2019s not \u201cmy\u201d problem. Fear of police and inability to trust based on historical events, that\u2019s our problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, not all police officers are risky, there are many who have integrity and respect every citizen they meet. It\u2019s too bad the officers and senior leaders did not also speak up to protect their organizational integrity, to hold the line inside the force. The silence is deafening, and now it might be too late. Trust is broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this makes you uncomfortable, good. Discomfort is required in this discussion. Discomfort won\u2019t kill you. But the fear and alarm that Indigenous peoples have when we have to interact with police, it might kill us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please use every single opportunity to use your voice, speak out against racism, demand wholesale change in Canada\u2019s police forces. Police officers are not above the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, no, I am not fine. Neither should you be.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hill Times June 15, 2020 In the second quarter of 2020, racism and police brutality was brought to the forefront of the world\u2019s consciousness. Black Americans, Native Americans, and allies closed down American cities as a measure of the stark and desperate urgency to change whole systems. Racism and police brutality have no place in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"disabled","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"trp-custom-language-flag":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"TheIRG","author_link":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/author\/theirg\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Hill Times June 15, 2020 In the second quarter of 2020, racism and police brutality was brought to the forefront of the world\u2019s consciousness. Black Americans, Native Americans, and allies closed down American cities as a measure of the stark and desperate urgency to change whole systems. Racism and police brutality have no place in…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2027\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-irg.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}