Thread by @sandela

THREAD: Nora and I have a new episode out about what's next. And I want to take a minute to address something that comes up in the episode.

#BlackLivesMatter #DefundThePolice #CdnPoli #ONPoli #topoli

sandyandnora.com/106-ok-so-what…

We are witnessing quite possibly the largest social movement in our lifetime with the continued protests against anti-Black racism all over the globe. @BLM_TO has personally received support requests from the UK, Finland, Belgium, Australia, and Brazil.

In Canada, we're trying to track where all the demos are happening (currently mapped on the front page of defundthepolice.org). We have what we know is an incomplete list, with over 60 cities in every province and territory in Canada. I've never seen anything like it.

In the midst of all this, anyone else wondering why politicians are so quiet??? Nothing smells like anti-Blackness more than a giant uprising being ignored by power. Talk about social death.

Anyway, here are the stances from politicians after almost a month of social unrest

Let's start federally. @JustinTrudeau made a statement on June 2 saying essentially that his gov't has done a lot and that anti-Blackness exists in Canada. He has pivoted on questions about defunding the police. He supports body cameras (*increased* funding for police). #LPC

In the wake of the police killings of Rodney Levi & Chantel Moore, @JustinTrudeau said investigations should be made public. He also staged a photo op during demos for police killings of Black people in the wake of the deaths of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, D'Andre Campbell & others

Finally, in the latest estimates @canada/@CanadianPM provided the usual funding of $221 million to the @rcmpgrcpolice, without any care to demands to prioritize Black and Indigenous lives or the news that the RCMP may have been working with Gabriel Wortman who killed 22 ppl in NS

So basically, #LPC is doing nothing while pretending to do stuff. Either our democracy sucks or the #LPC is a part of the system devaluing Black and Indigenous lives. Probs both, tbh.

Now, what about the Conservatives? Well, here is a live look at #CPC actively engaging on racism:

Ok but seriously:

@AndrewScheer says: eliminate racism in the @rcmpgrcpolice but not defund them.

#CPC leader hopefuls @PeterMacKay & @LeslynLewis acknowledge racism exists, which is like acknowledging gravity so...sure.

@DerekSloanCPC & @ErinOTooleMP are like "wut's gravity?"

So the CPC only goes as far as to *maybe* acknowledge that racism exists maybe sometimes and a huge thank you for that #CdnMedia for asking the hard hitting q's there.

Moving on...up next #NDP:

The federal #NDP's record might surprise you...

Individual MPs @MatthewGreenNDP & @LMathys put out a statement at the end of May that appears on the NDP website. As far as I can tell, it is the only example of a federal party acknowledging the names of the recently killed.

But it's far from an official party policy (I'll talk more abt individual MPs later). What does #NDP policy say? They support "community policing." ndp.ca/communities. TAVIS, the pgrm overseen by @BillBlair that terrorized Toronto's Black communities, is community policing.

The more expansive #NDP policy talks about expanded training for police on matters like sexual assault and ending carding (action.ndp.ca/page/-/2019/Q2…).

But Sandy, you say, what about what happened last week? Okay, let's examine.

Last week, @theJagmeetSingh filed the pictured motion (which can be read here: ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer…), which is, yes, a call for an increase in non-police funding for intervention, but then also a call for a bunch of "reviews," which we do not need right now.

We need to #DefundThePolice. Urgently. This motion feels like it's out of the #LPC playbook (which, incidentally, allows the "centre" to be completely useless. I get that they wanted the unanimous consent motion to pass, but like. Release some policy and support what's right.

Yes, @theJagmeetSingh called out @atherrienpq's racism. But then released a petition (ndp.ca/racism) only to "stand w/ Jagmeet," "review " the @rcmpgrcpolice budget" & "increasing non-police investments in de-escalation & mental health." A mere step away from useless

Finally, I should mention that it *is* NDP policy to decriminalize drugs which should result in defunding the police. But it would be nice if they actually said that.

One final note on the Federal MPs.

The federal Black Caucus (yes, there is one!) released a comprehensive statement The federal Black Caucus (yes, there is one!) & others released a comprehensive statement endorsing a number of things--including #DefundThePolice (assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6949…).

The statement is not easy to find online (no party has endorsed it), but it is endorsed by a whopping 144 MPs. Which means there's a whole lotta MPs out there who know what the right thing to do is, but are either to scared to say so loudly, or parties are forcing them not to.

Where does this leave Black & Indigenous ppl? We continue to be devalued, despite the mass popularity of #DefundThePolice, which means we will continue to be killed by police. No amount of kneeling, photo ops, recognition of racism or reviews will change that. #cdnpoli

I'm too sad, angry, and annoyed to do #ONPoli rn. Come back later.