On September 23, 2020 the Haldimand Police Services Board released a position paper directed
towards the Ontario Provincial Police. The intent of the position paper was to express concerns
received by citizens of Caledonia about the police response to lawless acts committed by the
Land Defenders on August 05, 2020. The concerns raised were directed to the OPP and the
Board’s position was that in Canada there should be only one law applicable to all and enforced
in an unbiased, non-prejudicial manner and that it should apply equally to all Canadians. The
Board also requested that the OPP policy “A Framework for Police Preparedness for Indigenous
Critical Incidents” needed to be reviewed and revised as recommended by Justice, Mr. Sidney
Linden. This recommendation was made based on the fact the policy obviously wasn’t working
and a review was required.
Unfortunately, in one paragraph, the Board chose to use the words Terrorism and Terrorists.
The Board acknowledges that these words should not have been used. The Board also
acknowledges that Terrorism and Terrorists can only be legally determined by the courts. There
is a process in Canadian law where permission must be granted by the Attorney General in
order to initiate any allegation of Terrorism. In addition to this, Terrorism cannot be legally
determined until there is a finding of guilt at a trial conducted before a Judge in a court of
competent jurisdiction.
The Board apologizes for any upset this may have caused to any person.
I'm Saleh Waziruddin from
the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association (NRARA), thanks for
allowing us to speak this evening. I am also chair of the City of St.
Catharines anti-racism committee and while I'll be drawing on that
experience I am here tonight for NRARA.
There need to be separate
committees for anti-racism and LGBTQ2S+ from the beginning, right
from the start and not somewhere down the road, they cannot be
combined into one committee or operated as subcommittees of a broader
committee.
To start off, it's
important to point out diversity and inclusion are not anti-racism.
To show you what I mean, there is a local elected official who
correctly pointed out they are the first Polish Canadian to be
elected to their position. That may be diversity, that may be
inclusion, but that is definitely not anti-racism.
To have effective
anti-racism and LGBTQ2S+ committees you at least need people with
lived experience who have engaged in these issues. Diversity and
inclusion are much broader issues and so it will be difficult to get
a group of people who have lived experiences engaging in all the
different issues at once. It's tough enough to do anti-racism work,
to have to explain it to a majority of committee members who don't
have the experiences is an extra obstacle.
The table you have from
staff of what other municipalities are doing is a bit flat: it's
missing some of the changing trends. There was a trend earlier to
fold up anti-racism committees into broader diversity committees,
which posed the danger of watering down anti-racism work. This trend
is being reversed, municipalities are now hanging on to separate
anti-racism committees or establishing them.
In St. Catharines there
was originally going to be one diversity and inclusion committee but
after campaigning it was agreed to set up separate anti-racism and
LGBTQ2S+ committees. Fears that there would not be enough people
interested were unfounded and many of those who opposed separate
committees have come around and agree it was the right decision to
have separate ones.
Briefly recently the
LGTBQ2S+ committee had several vacancies at once and it was proposed
to them to merge into a broader diversity committee, but they refused
and maintained their committee needed to be separate. They were able
to easily fill the vacancies as they had an enormous interest in
applications. I am sure there is an enormous interested across the
Region as well, now is the time to harness it. It's not unrealistic
or unmanageable.
In Niagara Falls also
staff initially wanted to have one diversity committee but have set
up a separate anti-racism committee.
The Region should be on
the good side of the trend, it's important that anti-racism and
LGBTQ2S+ issues be not mixed with the important and broader issues of
diversity, equity, and inclusion, and be run as separate committees
if they are going to have any chance to deliver results for you and
our residents. Please amend the motion tonight to create separate
anti-racism and LGBTQ2S+ committees from the beginning of this
process.
I'm
Saleh Waziruddin from the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association
Though
I'm a Canadian I got my start in activism while I was living in the
USA, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
I
was working there as a Canadian and so wasn't a US citizen so was
very careful not to get publicly involved because I was afraid it
would affect my work visa.
Then
9/11 happened – some of you may be too young to remember what a
change that brought about. Among many things there was a big rise in
open racism that went hand in hand in support of war, similar to the
rise in open racism we've seen over the last few years.
There
were many civil rights and anti-racism organizations in Pittsburgh
but almost each month after 9/11 one person had been arrested as a
terrorist in Pittsburgh without any evidence. These were people whose
lives were being destroyed but their whole communities were also
being cowed into silence and fear. I reached out to them to help but
they were too scared, until the 3rd person who had no
choice but to accept help from me as he had no one else.
But
I still didn't want to be public. We organized a press conference and
I refused to give my name to the media. A journalist laughed at me
saying how can I give a press conference but not give my name.
I
realized at that moment that he was right, no one else was helping
these people who were arrested and so I had to do it, and if I was
going to do it I had do it all the way and do it right, and be
public.
I
didn't do it alone, we approached all the existing organizations and
made a big coalition that got the person freed after a year-long
campaign and that stopped the arrests in Pittsburgh of people made
out to be terrorists. It was a victory for the BIPOC communities and
for everyone, but it took stepping forward where no one else was.
Fast
forward to you in Niagara in 2020. I have some good news for you that
doesn't sound very good: we are behind in Niagara. We are behind many
of the places right next door.
With
the police, they are still clinging to racial profiling, which they
call street checks or collection of identifying information. This is
disgusting and was one of the first things other police forces said
they would stop doing. Toronto and many other cities across Ontario
and Canada, and now the RCMP, are adopting body cameras, not because
some study says they work or because the price is right, but because
they decided they would listen to the communities that are asking for
them, Do we in Niagara deserve any less?
It's
not just the police but we are behind on the Opioid crisis and in
many other areas.
But
the other side of this is that there is a big hunger for change. Not
just among the people in general but even those in power, governments
including elected officials at all levels, business, institutions are
reaching out looking for ways how they can be part of the solution.
You
are in the right place at the right time!
Remember
that we're living in Harriet Tubman's home town, a woman who took
initiative to fix what was wrong without worrying about limited by
conventions or obstacles or what was acceptable to those who had
power and wealth. Today in Niagara we are not too small or too far
removed from what's happening in the world to be pioneers and show
the way forward.
So
if you see something wrong that needs to be fixed, and no one seems
to be doing anything about it, now is a great time to step forward
all the way and to gather all the support that is around you and take
it on, make a difference for your community. If you're not sure how
to take the first step then reach out to one of us or another
activist or leader in your community for advice.
And
if you don't see anything you can do that no one else isn't already
doing, then the answer is pretty simple: join in with those who are
already working to break down inequality and patriarchy and racism
and the power of the wealthy and add your full voice, one of the
pieces we need to make our efforts stronger.
Your
community is waiting for you to add your missing voice.
Bylsma not backing down on ‘all lives matter’ statement
West Lincoln mayor violated township council’s code of conduct
The Standard (St. Catharines)
ALLAN BENNER THE ST. CATHARINES STANDARD
JULIE JOCSAK TORSTAR FILE PHOTOProtesters gathered at West Lincoln township hall in June following comments from Mayor David Bylsma they described as homophobic and racist. Township council voted to reprimand the mayor and order him to undergo sensitivity training.
Despite being reprimanded by the council he leads and being ordered to undergo sensitivity training, West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma said he continues to believe in statements he made in June, described by complainants as “racist, homophobic and disrespectful of citizens who are not of his ilk.”
“I’m disappointed,” Bylsma said in an interview Tuesday, the morning after township councillors voted to implement most of the recommendations of integrity commissioner Daria Peregoudova from Aird & Berlis LLP.
Peregoudova’s investigation determined the mayor contravened three sections of the township’s code of conduct.
As a result of complaints about comments Bylsma made during a June 11 radio interview with CKTB 610, the integrity commissioner determined the mayor contravened a section of the code that calls for councillors to show respect and equal treatment; as well as a section that prevents harassment or discrimination.
Peregoudova also determined Bylsma contravened his duty to serve constituents in a conscientious and diligent manner by failing to communicate having received a request from Pride Niagara to raise the organization’s flag at township hall during Pride Week.
Although Bylsma was given 90 days to complete sensitivity training, he said he has already completed half that training as a result of Niagara Region’s inclusive municipalities initiative.
Still, he stood by the comments he made that led to the complaints against him in the first place.
“I mean, I thought I understood all lives matter to be an inclusive broad term, and I guess it has a connotation that I don’t understand anymore,” he said. “I’ll leave it at that.”
That statement, often used to criticize the Black Lives Matter movement, has itself been criticized for failing to recognize systemic racism and implying that all lives are equally at risk when statistics show they are not.
But Bylsma said: “If I truly believe that all lives matter, there’s no issue is there?”
“If you’re alive, you matter,” he added. “You can’t get much simpler than that.”
When concerns about failing to recognize systemic racism were pointed out to him, Bylsma said “if all lives matter, wouldn’t that matter to me as well?”
“I’m telling you that’s the truth — all lives matter,” he added. “If that’s now considered pejora
tive speech or loaded speech, then I guess the media, they’ve captured something.”
Township councillors also voted to carry on with developing a new flag-raising policy, to post a previous apology from the mayor on West Lincoln’s website and social media sites, and subject the mayor to exercising improved diligence with respect to the management of electronic communications and requests.
Ward 3 Smithville Coun. Cheryl Ganann, who chaired Monday night’s meeting, said only one recommendation from the integrity commissioner was not implemented; It called for sensitivity training for all members of council.
“If, as a council, we opted to do it at some time in the future, we didn’t want it connected to this decision,” Ganann said. “No one was objecting to having such training, but we didn’t want that connected to the integrity commissioner report because those things were directed at Mayor Bylsma.”
“My hope is coming out of this is that this will be the end of that, and we can just get back to being West Lincoln. We have a wonderful community,” she said.
Ward 2 Gainsborough Coun. Harold Jonker was alone in opposing the motion to implement the integrity commissioner’s recommendations against Bylsma.
“I don’t support what council did. I actually agree with the mayor that all lives matter,” he said.
Jonker called it “mind-boggling” to say Bylsma needs sensitivity training.
“He’s a very caring person … He’s a man that cares about his community, cares about his family, cares about where things are going.”
Although Pride Niagara chair Enzo Dedivitiis called Bylsma’s response to council’s decision “really unfortunate,” he said he hasn’t given up hope that the mayor may yet understand the concerns.
“People make mistakes and part of evolving is learning. As long as we together are learning and changing in a positive direction, that’s what being an ally is.”
Saleh Waziruddin from the Niagara Region Anti Racism Coalition said he, too, was pleased with council’s decision.
“Everybody can benefit from education,” he said. “We definitely hope the mayor benefits from it, but that other people are also open to undergoing the same type of training.”
Haldimand mayor feels undermined by St. Catharines “leftist agenda”
by Don Rickers
Protestors in Caledonia set tires on fire in protest of a housing development.
Renaissance polymath Leonardo de Vinci once aphorized “the greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.”
Let’s give the benefit of the doubt to the City of St. Catharines’ Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, and City Council. Perhaps their motive was simply to be instructively helpful to the citizens of Haldimand County, suggesting the fashion in which the Indigenous blockades at an urban development construction site in Caledonia should be handled. Communication, not confrontation. Talk, not tasers.
Mayor Walter Sendzik and his Council have talked a lot about support for First Nations. In fact, they have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoE) with the Niagara Native Centre, and commence every council meeting with a statement acknowledging the land occupied by the City is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois, or Six Nations) and Anishinaabe (Ojibway and Mississauga) tribes, and that our “standard of living is directly related to the resources and friendship of Indigenous peoples.”
At the opening of the Oct. 19 video-conferenced council meeting, Sendzik put his cards on the table, stating that “it’s important for communities like St. Catharines to articulate the importance of working with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, and getting to a place of better understanding, whether it be out on the East Coast as it relates to the lobster fishery, or in Caledonia. The use of force, and the use of violence and aggression, is never a good tool towards reconciliation.”
What came next was a recommendation put forward by the City’s Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, which was presented by Coucillor Greg Miller and endorsed unanimously by Council. The resolution was sent to the Haldimand County mayor and council, Haldimand Police Services Board, and Premier Doug Ford, urging that “police not be used to escalate the conflict, and instead use nation-to-nation negotiations and meaningful consultations to settle all claims.”
Haldimand mayor Ken Hewitt responded with an email to Sendzik, in which he said he felt undermined by the “offside” and “leftist” resolution, which “assumes that racism is driving the efforts by (me) and Council, the police, and the courts”… as they “attempt to resolve the illegal occupation” by the protestors.
Such are the pitfalls of dispensing unsolicited advice.
Saleh Waziruddin, Chair of the Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, asserted that the reason the Haldimand Police Services Board was included in the resolution was because a communiqué from the Board referred to the Caledonia protesters as “terrorists.” Waziruddin considered that rhetoric to represent a “dangerous escalation”, and referenced the Ipperwash Crisis 25 years ago in which native protestor Dudley George was killed by an OPP officer.
“There are residents in St. Catharines, and people who work in the City, who are at Caledonia out of solidarity with the protestors, and they could be vulnerable to police violence,” said Waiziruddin as a further explanation of his committee’s interest in the Caledonia dispute. He also noted that a St.Catharines-based Indigenous journalist, Karl Dockstader, had been arrested at the site. “Haldimand is right next door, and it would be wrong for St. Catharines to do nothing,” insisted Waziruddin.
Asked if he felt that the blockades in Caledonia, and similar Indigenous actions earlier this year such as the rolling blockades on Highway 401 near London and Kingston, and on the Via Rail tracks near Belleville, should be allowed to proceed unencumbered, Waziruddin responded, “It’s not in our committee’s mandate to take a position like that. But many people in Hamilton support the (Caledonia) protesters, despite the inconvenience of the blockades.”
Sendzik’s response to Hewitt (a three-term mayor in Haldimand County) via email acknowledged that “the motion would have been better if discussed within a time frame that would have permitted more understanding of the situation.” He insisted that the spirit of the motion was pure, and not tied to a leftist agenda.
When asked for comment, Mayor Sendzik’s office referred The Niagara Independent to Councillor Greg Miller who brought the motion to council. Miller did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
Hewitt suggested that the more appropriate and respectful action for St. Catharines Council would have been to defer a vote on the motion until he and Sendzik could have had a conversation. He questioned whether, if First Nations protestors had taken over Montebello Park, local government would have been so tolerant.
With regard to the arrest of Karl Dockstader, Hewitt commented “this individual is playing a bit of a game with the public at large by saying that he was there reporting. He was actually there playing lacrosse, participating in activities with protestors on site. If you’re a reporter, if you’re there performing a function, that’s fair. But if you’re involved beyond your duties, then you should be charged just the same as anyone else. Did it ever occur to ask why no other journalist that’s been at that site has been arrested?”
Hewitt believes that the mainstream media continues to portray the people at the blockades as peaceful protesters. “I’m not afraid to say what’s really going on, and what’s going on here is a lot less than peaceful. Through experience, they know how far to push. At what point do we take a measured approach? At what point do laws apply?,” said Hewitt.
“To those who believe that we’ve stolen this land (from Indigenous peoples), that all of this land is theirs, that we’re all squatters, I say ‘you lead the charge’…. show me that you really mean that and go over to Six Nations and say ‘here’s the title of my property, because I stole it from you’. Yeah, well….you know it’s not going to happen.”
Ontario Superior Judge R. John Harper ruled last Thursday to ban all barricades in Haldimand County, and limit access to the housing development in question. Clashes between barricade defenders and the OPP occurred several hours later, as the police moved to enforce the court injunction. Protestors accused the OPP of using rubber bullets and tasers, while the police responded that several cruisers were heavily damaged as the protest grew more violent, and the police used “appropriate, non-lethal force in response.”
Foxgate paid $4 million to purchase the property in 2016 from private owners. The land has been in private ownership since 1853. The claim being advanced by the protesters at Caledonia is that prior to 1853, the Crown should not have allowed the land to come under private ownership.
The deal to purchase the land was signed by Foxgate with the elected council of Six Nations. The protestors are claiming that there was not enough community consultation and that the Six Nations elected council doesn’t have a legitimate mandate to speak for Six Nations band members.
Foxgate gave $352,000 in cash and transferred 42 acres of land to Six Nations as part of an accommodation agreement.
Don Rickers’ career in education spanned over three decades, and included stints as a teacher, student recruiter, coach, boarding school housemaster, enrollment management director, and headmaster. He has travelled extensively and visited hundreds of schools around the globe, and served for almost ten years on the governing committee of the Association of Boarding Schools based in Washington, DC. Now a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists, his freelance articles have been featured in newspapers, blogs, and educational journals. A former national team lacrosse player, he holds a masters degree from Brock University, and is a member of the board of directors of the South Niagara Rowing Club. He resides in Fonthill.
The mayor of Haldimand County is accusing St. Catharines city council of jumping on “a leftist agenda” that is “more damaging than helpful” after councillors asked that police not be used to escalate conflict in an Indigenous land dispute in that community.
St. Catharines council unanimously passed a motion Monday night on the recommendation of its anti-racism advisory committee, asking officials in Niagara’s neighbouring community to continue to negotiate rather than call in police at 1492 Land Back Lane.
“My frustrations are with your motion that undermines a situation that directly affects us here in Haldimand,” Mayor Ken Hewitt wrote in an email to St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik Wednesday night.
“Too (sic) simply jump on a leftist agenda and assume that racism is what is driving mine, the OPP, and our courts as we attempt to resolve this illegal occupation of validly owned land by Losani is plain and simple wrong.”
But Sendzik defended the council motion in an email back to Hewitt, obtained by the One Dish, One Mic CKTB radio program and posted on Twitter.
“This isn’t a leftist agenda,” Sendzik wrote. “The action in the motion states that police force not be used to escalate the conflict and to focus on nation to nation negotiations to settle the land claims. That was the spirit of the motion and one that we should all should (sic) support.”
The issue involves property south of Caledonia that was slated for a residential development and has been occupied by Indigenous land defenders since July.
The city’s anti-racism advisory committee passed a resolution on Oct. 7 recommending St. Catharines council send a message to the Ontario and Haldimand County governments and the Haldimand County Police Services Board asking that police not be used to escalate the conflict and that meaningful consultations be used to settle all claims.
Merritton Coun. Greg Miller, who moved the motion Monday night, said Thursday that at the end of the day council was suggesting that instead of having police action there continue to be a nation to nation negotiation and discussion.
“Emotions are pretty high around this issue, but I feel pretty safe saying an email like that from Ken Hewitt doesn’t help,” Miller said.
“What we wanted to see, and I think what our anti-racism committee wanted to see, is to take some of the emotion out and have a discussion and equitable negotiation and, unfortunately, when you refer to the occupation as illegal, that’s just stoking the flames and I think that’s really unfortunate.”
Hewitt wrote in his email to Sendzik, which he asked to be shared with the rest of council, that the St. Catharines motion “does not serve the 200 or so innocent home buyers who are patiently waiting for their dream home to be built.”
Hewitt added that contractors are waiting to earn the incomes they deserve and the community wants to see the “constant sources of intimidation and threats of violence” come to an end.
“You see what you may hear or read about on mainstream or social media is not fully capturing what is happening here on the ground,” Hewitt wrote.
“Before I would support a motion that directly affects another community in the Province I would take the time (to) gainfully appreciate all sides of the equation prior to succumbing to some one sided agenda that is more damaging than helpful.”
Sendzik responded in his letter that members of St. Catharines council and the community have become more interested in the land dispute with the arrest by the OPP of a local journalist, referring to Karl Dockstader of One Dish, One Mic who was charged after reporting from the camp.
Sendzik added that the city has a memorandum of understanding with the Niagara Native Centre and it is a cornerstone of how the city is walking down the path of Truth and Reconciliation.
“Two members of the leadership at the NNC have been arrested by the OPP related to land dispute (one being the journalist) and in the context of what is happening in Canada recently (and its troubled past with First Nations, Metis and Inuit) it is clear that WE — the collective we — have a long way to go towards both understanding and building new ways to address issues that have been framed for generations against First Nations.”
St. Catharines city council is asking that police not be used to escalate the conflict at 1492 Land Back Lane, south of Caledonia, at the recommendation of its anti-racism advisory committee.
The parcel of land slated for a residential development in Niagara’s neighbour, Haldimand County, has been occupied by Indigenous land defenders since July.
The anti-racism committee passed a resolution Oct. 7 recommending St. Catharines council send a message to its government neighbours asking them to choose negotiations with land defenders over police action.
“What I’m asking us to do is support our anti-racism advisory committee who feel it’s important for the city to show leadership and support of the Indigenous community and First Nations communities, not just in St. Catharines but throughout Ontario and throughout Canada,” said Merritton Coun. Greg Miller, who brought the motion to send a message forward before council Monday night.
Councillors waived the notice of motion requirement so they could deal with the anti-racism committee’s recommendation immediately.
Miller said the issue is complex but there was an urgency because the committee felt council should weigh in on the matter before an Oct. 22 injunction hearing, at which time it’s believed Ontario Provincial Police may move in to remove people occupying the site.
Council unanimously voted to support sending a message to the Ontario and Haldimand County governments and the Haldimand County police services board requesting police not be used to escalate the conflict and instead, use nation-to-nation negotiations and meaningful consultations to settle all claims.
Saleh Waziruddin, chair of the anti-racism committee, told members during the Oct. 7 meeting there is an escalating situation in a neighbouring community where the mayor, council and police services board have advocated police action.
He noted that can be a dangerous escalation when looking at history and the Ipperwash crisis, during which Indigenous protester Dudley George was shot and killed by police 25 years ago.
Waziruddin said there is a local connection to Land Back Lane with the arrest of Indigenous journalist Karl Dockstader, who was covering the land dispute.
But he said it goes beyond that.
“It’s not just about the St. Catharines connection — the mayor has already made a statement in support of that journalist — but it’s also about St. Catharines’ role as a municipality with a dangerous situation next door and not doing anything about it,” Waziruddin said.
Dockstader, co-host of One Dish, One Mic on St. Catharines CKTB 610AM, was charged with criminal mischief in September after reporting from a camp at the land dispute. The arrest was strongly condemned by the Canadian Association of Journalists and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression.
While the motion had the full support of all councillors, a couple questioned whether the anti-racism committee was overstepping its mandate by dealing with issues taking place outside of the city and region.
City clerk Bonnie Nistico-Dunk said that was a question she would be looking at when she does a review of council committees and meets with their chairs.
The anti-racism committee also recommended city council request Niagara Region council and the Niagara Regional Police services board support the recommendation. That was struck from the motion Monday night because those bodies are not meeting before Oct. 22.
Anti-racism advocates remain hopeful for change in Niagara
Much work remains to be done to end racism in Niagara, activists say
LE
By Luke EdwardsNiagara This Week
Thu., Sept. 3, 2020timer4 min. read
The tone was one of exasperation.
As members of the grassroots group Matter of Black met last week the topic quickly went to Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisc. To them, it was just another example of systemic racism.
It was also a reminder of how much work anti-racist advocates have in front of them. Not only in the U.S., but here in Niagara, where local efforts have been met with varying degrees of success.
“We’re seeing the very basic first steps. Change doesn’t happen overnight,” said Erica Williams, a Matter of Black member.
The group was formed to reinvigorate the regional Emancipation Day event, and works alongside BlackOwned905, which shines a light on businesses owned by Black people in Niagara.
Garden City politicians recently dealt with a motion that came through the city’s anti-racism committee that recommended 10 changes for Niagara Regional Police.
It passed after three recommendations were removed: body cams for police officers, police demilitarization and ending street checks. It was then included as correspondence to Niagara Region and the police services board in a separate motion brought to regional council by St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik. That motion called for a series of reports from the NRP and was passed, though anti-racism advocate Saleh Waziruddin said much of the information was already published.
Waziruddin, a member of the St. Catharines anti-racism committee as well as the Niagara Region Anti-Racism Association, said he was frustrated with what he felt was politicians ignoring the comments of the Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC).
“Definitely there was a lot of resistance and just a lot of lack of listening,” he said.
An Indigenous man from Welland talked about being brutalized and racially insulted by police, but Waziruddin said he felt the man’s presentation was largely ignored by regional politicians who instead focused on the low number of complaints lodged against NRP officers. But with many people in the communities affected already distrustful of police, he said they’re not likely to come forward with complaints.
The Niagara anti-racism group is now setting its sights on the police services board, where Waziruddin said real change can happen. Members are planning a letter-writing campaign to convince board members to make changes.
“There’s a lot of activity going on still,” Waziruddin said. “There’s still a big opportunity for reform here in Niagara.”
Tamari Kitossa, associate professor of sociology at Brock University, cautioned that social movements take time, energy and money. In order for them to be successful, he said activists much continually recruit members who can bring fresh ideas and energy.
He also said advocates must learn from the past.
“They must, in fact, read history,” Kitossa said, adding that learning what worked and what didn’t work previously, can go a long way for current-day activists.
He also said supposed successes don’t always turn out that way. Kitossa used the work of Dudley Laws and the Black Action Defence Committee. The group formed in response to police shootings of Black men in Toronto and its work led to the creation of the Ontario Special Investigations Unit, which was supposed to provide more accountability.
Kitossa said the SIU has basically become “police investigating police.”
Though he’s cautious about this current movement’s ability to force real and lasting change, Kitossa said the local level is key, where activists can more easily access politicians and plead their case.
Siscoe doesn’t think the current movement is going to run out of steam before change is achieved.
“This is a bus that started rolling downhill and it’s not going to stop,” he said.
Waziruddin said the Niagara anti-racism group has formed partnerships with other groups including NEXTNiagara, the performing arts centre and Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre.
Williams said members must not focus solely on policing reforms, and that racism exists in all institutions.
Siscoe agreed. He said he’s committed himself in recent years to reading about the experiences of BIPOC, both in Canada and the U.S., and drew parallels between the experience of Black Americans and Indigenous people in Canada.
“We need to start making sure all public institutions reflect the community they serve,” he said.
The movement, he argued, requires buy-in from everyone.
“It’s not good enough to be not a racist, we have to be an anti-racist.”
Williams said the work starts in people’s inner circles.
“It’s that co-worker you know is being harassed but you say nothing,” she said.
Story Behind the Story – Months after the death of George Floyd spurred anti-racism protests around the world, reporter Luke Edwards checked in with local activists to see how their efforts are going, and how they keep the momentum up.
Clarification – Sept. 3, 2020: This story was updated to clarify the separate motions brought to St. Catharines and regional council.
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