Thread by @moirawyton

EXCLUSIVE: Indigenous transit riders are ticketed and warned at a rate more than seven times their share of Edmonton's population, recent statistics obtained by the @EdmontonJournal show.

#yeg #yegtransit #yegplan #yegcc #yegpoverty

edmontonjournal.com/news/local-new…

I spent the last month digging into the data and speaking to advocates about systemic racism on #yegtransit and the importance of mobility for equity. I'll be threading the urgent points I think this piece brings to light here throughout the day #yeg #yegcc #yegpoverty #yegplan

@edmontonjournal First of all, these numbers aren't *news* for Indigenous people living in Edmonton, even if they are newly reported. “It’s very, very commonly known within Indigenous people,”said Dusty LeGrande, a director at iHuman #yeg #yegtransit

@edmontonjournal These numbers aren't "proof" that racialized folks violate transit bylaws more often than non-racialized folks. They demonstrate bias in the system to check them for violations and use penalties more often than for white riders, for a variety of reasons the piece highlights.

@edmontonjournal Here are some excellent graphics by @LoriWaughtal (which ran in the print edition) showing some broad trends. Notably, warnings have increased fourfold, and tickets have also sharply increased since 2009. #yegtransit #yeg #yegpoverty #yegplan

@edmontonjournal @LoriWaughtal Another key concern, especially for youth, is how transit tickets can introduce them into the court system — which LeGrande notes has been a source of disenfranchisement and oppression for Indigenous peoples for centuries — for a relatively minor bylaw violation. #yeg #yegtransit

Another thing: Transit is particularly important for vulnerable Indigenous and racialized individuals to access services, said Erickson and LeGrande. The way it's talked about in the city is as a "drain," rather than a necessity, said #yegcc Coun. @Ward4Aaron
#yegtransit

Unlike in many other large cities in Canada, a recent city auditor report found Edmonton does not have an “effective system to manage fare evasion,” which accounts for about two per cent of ridership annually. And this is partially by design #yeg #yegcc #yegtransit

In sum: These stats are imperfect, but point towards serious challenges of systemic racism, what we consider essential public services (and for whom), and decolonizing our public spaces in #yeg. Thanks for reading + sharing #yegtransit #yegcc #yegplan #yegpoverty