WHEREAS, the Ontario Police Services Act requires Toronto Police officers to safeguard the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Ontario Human Rights Code;

WHEREAS, the  City  of  Toronto  definition of community safety requires BOTH promotion of social justice AND elimination of violence;

WHEREAS, a  core  value   of   the  Toronto Police Service requires officers to treat everyone in an equitable, sensitive and ethical manner;

AND WHEREAS, the   conduct   of certain officers   in the Toronto Police  service , including :

The arrest of unarmed James Bishop (a Black man) on a basketball court, in front of his son, by several officers - seen on a video that went viral - was unacceptable police violence;

The killing of Michael Ellison, an unarmed mentally ill African Canadian  in February 2012 - was unacceptable police violence;

The grossly disproportionate stops of Black and Brown people by Toronto police officers, reported in the Toronto Star, violate their rights and freedoms. These stops are an indefensible abuse of authority and unacceptable police violence;

ALL CONSTITUTE VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN DIGNITY, EQUITY & JUSTICE

NOW  THERFORE, We, the undersigned,  demand   that the Toronto Police Services Board and the Toronto Chief of Police  state publicly  the specific steps they will take to ensure the  protection  of the  rights and freedoms of African Canadian residents .  community  members    and visitors;  to ensure that Toronto police officers know that inequitable, insensitive, unlawful behaviour will be reliably and consistently sanctioned;   and  to ensure that unlawful, unethical, inequitable violence ends now.

END POLICE VIOLENCE NOW - FREEDOM AND JUSTICE NOW