Advocates and organizers assembled along College and University Ave during Toronto’s Pride parade to acknowledge "Abolitionist Pride."
The organizers, known as the No Pride in Policing Coalition, marched and held speeches criticizing the Toronto Police 52 division, who are responsible for the city's downtown core.
Mounting calls for defunding and dismantling of the city’s policing were at the forefront of the rally, denouncing what they call the continued racism and discrimination the police have practiced against persons of colour in the city.
"We must defund, we must demilitarize, we must abolish," said Professor Beverly Bain, a coalition organizer with No Pride in Policing."We need to defund police, we need to reallocate those funds to create sustainable communities."
The event brought attention to the city’s recent publication that Black and Indigenous people are almost three times more likely to have encountered physical force and held at gunpoint by police. The data was collected from 2020, and includes records of more than 900 incidents that involved force and about 7000
This follows the recent apology to Toronto’s Black community from Toronto interim police chief James Ramer at a press conference earlier this month.
Professor Bain was present at the press conference and during question period told Ramer that "the Black community does not accept his apology," and does not believe the police will do what they can to improve their relations with persons of colour.
Bain, who is a professor at the University of Toronto with a focus in women, gender and sexual studies, has been a central figure in calling for the abolishment and defunding of Toronto's police services for several years. Along with activist Desmond Cole, Bain has helped organize Toronto's annual scholar strikes.
CJRU contacted Professor Bain and the No Pride in Policing for comment about the city’s policing. No response was given at this time.
More details to come.
Listen to CJRU's coverage of the No Pride in Policing event here: