Canadians have a lot to be proud of, but we must face the pressing reality of the grave events happening in our own communities. Earlier this month, another member of our community, Sheffield Matthews was killed by police. Sheffield Matthews, a father who worked in a seniors’ home, was in crisis and needed help. But he was instead met with bullets from the SPVM, the people tasked with keeping the community safe. We are reminded of the killing by police of Nicholas Gibbs in 2018. Both Gibbs and Sheffield were black men and fathers, who lived in NDG for most of their lives. The frequency of such killings cannot help but make us think that we have a system which criminalizes mental health crises and poverty.
The killing of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), as well as of members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, is a systemic problem. We know that more police are not the answer. BIPOC face disproportionate levels of police violence in this country, and we know that other elements of identity further complicate these statistics. We cannot let these deaths go unanswered or ignored. We have to say their names, talk about what their lives meant to our communities and our families, and demand decisive action.
Rather than the heavy-handed intervention by police, the NDG-Westmount NDP wishes to see an expansion in police training in non-violent intervention techniques and the availability of non-police resources to support crisis management as well as prevention through the funding of upstream organizations that serve the community. The NDG Community Council includes many Organizational Members that serve the community. lease consider supporting these great local organizations, as well as writing to your MP, MNA, the City and Borough Mayors and other members of city council to discuss the importance of police reform. We cannot be silent on issues that face any one part of our community. Now is a time to build solidarity.
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