Yahoo Finance Toronto needs a police chief who understands anti-Black racism, community leaders say
Toronto's next police chief should have a deep understanding of anti-Black racism and the challenges facing low-income, racialized people in the city, say Black community leaders and organizers.
"We don't just want a token person," says Stachen Frederick, executive director of Weston Frontlines Centre, also known as Frontlines, a youth charity that runs a centre with outreach services in one of the poorest communities in Toronto.
"We want someone that really, at the heart of what they do, is about engaging community that would result in a positive outcome, in a safe community for all, not just for some, but for all."
Frederick said the next police chief should have years of experience in justice and social inclusion, be empathetic and have good listening skills. Toronto needs, "someone who has a track record of taking action and has some accountability measures put in place that will keep the police force accountable to the communities that they serve," she said.
"We just don't want somebody who, within the last year, has taken up this mantle, but who has really had a track record in engaging in these conversations and doing the work."
The community is "tired of talking," she said.
"We hear the same stories over and over again. We are asked to sit on various councils, but we're not seeing the real change that we need to see in the communities."
Frederick's comments come after the Toronto Police Services Board moved one step closer to hiring a new police chief.
Firm holds 4 public forums on hiring of new police chief
Environics Research, hired by the board, conducted the last of four virtual public forums via Zoom on Tuesday evening. The last forum was for residents of North York. Three others were held for residents of Etobicoke, downtown Toronto and Scarborough. The forums included small group breakout sessions.
The firm will continue to run a public online survey for another month and 23 discussion sessions, or focus groups, in May to provide input into the hiring process. It will be doing consultations with specific groups, including those in mental health and addictions, and people who experience discrimination. It is expected to report on the consultations.
At the forum on Tuesday evening, Environics was told that the next police chief must deal with major issues facing Toronto police.
Issues identified by participants include accountability, transparency, gun violence, building trust, the need for an organized civilian response to mental health crises, over-policing of young Black, Indigenous and people of colour, an understanding and appreciation of the diverse communities that make up Toronto, and the problem of police in charge of policing themselves.
An executive search firm, Boyden, hired by the board last November, will begin its search for a new chief this summer. The board said it plans to put the job posting out this summer and hopes to select a new chief by the end of this year.
Frederick, for her part, has not taken part in a public forum, but she has seen the effects of negative policing on the young people served by Frontlines. Some have been victims of police brutality or some have relatives who have been victims of police violence.
"I've heard young people say to me that they are scared for what will happen to them when they come out of their apartment buildings, that police officers are so ready to profile them and to trouble them when they're simply trying to engage with their friends in their own community. And that's a really sad thing to think about that, in your own community, that you don't feel safe from the very same people who are supposed to be protecting you," she said.
"At Frontlines, we believe that everybody has a part to play in a young person's development and police officers do have a part to play. Their role is not just in terms of enforcement of the law, but it's about positive youth development."
'We need to rethink community safety'
Walied Khogali Ali, a community organizer based in Regent Park, said he would like to see systemic changes and he is not convinced that a new chief is the answer. He said that under former chief Mark Saunders, who is Black, the culture of policing did not change. A change in culture is needed, he said.
Khogali Ali took part in a consultation last month to share concerns of people who have taken to the streets to demonstrate for justice.
"What our communities have been calling for is investments in our communities to deal with the root causes of poverty and mental health, instead of killing or harming members of our community," he said.
"We need to rethink community safety and make sure that it's led by communities."
Ryan Teschner, executive director and chief of staff of the Toronto Police Services Board, said the consultations will provide valuable insights for the hiring process. He said the process is "certainly the most wide-ranging consultation that this board has ever held for the selection of chief."
Teschner said the job posting should be informed by skills, attributes and priorities that Toronto residents have identified as important. He said hundreds of Toronto residents have taken part in the consultations.
"The board still hopes to make a selection this year, but the process is important because this is the way in which the board can be informed about what it is that residents of Toronto want to see in their next chief," he said.
Saunders stepped down as police chief in July 2020, prompting the search for a replacement. James Ramer is serving as interim chief.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
