Community Groups Call on Toronto City Council to Defeat Motion on Toronto Police Services Board decision
July 12, 2005
Community Groups Call on Toronto City Council to Defeat Motion on Toronto Police Services Board decision
Community organizations who want the City to respect the decision of the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) not to renew Chief Julian Fantino's contract will be hosting a press conference on July 21, 2004 at 11:30 am. , at Committee Room 4 , City Hall , 100 Queen Street West , Toronto .
The press conference is called by a broad diversity of communities in response to a motion being put forward by a group of City Councillors that wants to keep Chief Fantino on, and that is seeking intervention from the City Council to discredit the decision of the TPSB.
Community groups are concerned that the motion by the small group of councillors is being used inappropriately to challenge the power of a police civilian oversight body. As well, many community members are not convinced that the decision made by the Toronto Police Services Board is so flawed that it deserves to be overturned by the City Hall.
"We want the TPSB and the City Council to show leadership in re-establishing the trust between racialized communities and the police, and the best way to do so is to begin a positive dialogue on who should be our next Chief," said Debbie Douglas, Executive Director of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI).
"It is important that the Chief of Police in a City as diverse as Toronto demonstrate good will, responsibility and accountability. We need a person who understands community relations, particularly racialization and criminalization of communities, as well as the importance of maintaining law and order and upholding the sanctity of civil liberties," said Uzma Shakir, Executive Director, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA).
"There are so many pressing issues facing the City Council today, including the issues of homelessness and racialization of poverty, councillors should not be wasting time rehashing an issue that has already been decided by another body which is authorized to make the decision in the first place," said Avvy Go, Clinic Director of the Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic."
Speakers at the Press Conference include:
Debbie Douglas, Executive Director of Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
Kevin Morris, Youth Resident - Toronto
Uzma Shakir, Executive Director, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians
Member, Justice for Jeffrey Reodica Campaign; and
Avvy Go, Clinic Director of the Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
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Contact Information:
Amy Casipullai, OCASI Tel: 416-322-4950x239
Avvy Go, MTCSALC, Tel: 416-971-9674
Rachna Contractor, CASSA, Tel: 416-885-4345
acasipullai@ocasi.org