Category: Racism

A Virginia school system has dropped Dr. Seuss from an annual event to encourage reading as district leaders accused the beloved author’s books having “strong racial undertones”.  The Loudon County schools will shift the emphasis of the annual Read Across America day on March 2 (tomorrow) away from Seuss and toward books more “inclusive and diverse and … Read more

The Trudeau government is bringing in its justice reform agenda. It intends the remove mandatory minimum penalties for drug offences and some gun-related crimes. The government says the penalties do not make Canadians safer, and unfairly affect Indigenous and Black offenders. The legislation would also allow for greater use of conditional sentences — such as house arrest, counselling or treatment … Read more

A survey by equity organization Catalyst Canada finds more than half of Indigenous people prepare themselves to regularly face racial biases at work. The survey of 86 Indigenous workers in Canada across a broad range of positions also found about 60 per cent feel emotionally unsafe at work. Catalyst says only four in 10 Indigenous workers feel safe enough in … Read more

A grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky has indicted one officer on criminal charges in the Breonna Taylor shooting. She was killed six months ago — shot to death in her own home by police executing a “no-knock” warrant connected to a suspect who did not live there. But former officer Brett Hankinson has not been charged in relation to Taylor’s … Read more

Seven police officers involved in the suffocation death of Daniel Prude last spring in Rochester, New York, have been suspended by the city’s mayor. An angry Mayor Lovely Warren says she was misled for months about the circumstances of the fatal encounter. Prude, a Black man, died when he was … Read more

According to a new survey conducted by CBS, the majority of white Americans believe that professional athletes kneeling in protest during the nation anthem is unacceptable.  According to the results, 52 percent of white Americans believe it is wrong for an athlete to kneel during The Star-Spangled banner, compared to 48 percent who say the protest is acceptable.  Those findings … Read more

The provincial government says it’s ending the practice of birth alerts that led to babies being seized from new mothers. Ontario is the last province to do away with the system that sees children’s aid societies send notifications to hospitals if they believe a newborn is at risk. The government says research shows birth alerts disproportionately target racialized families and … Read more

Premier Ford says the practice of forcing high school students to choose an academic or applied stream of study when they start Grade 9 is a sign of a broken system. Ford says streaming disproportionately affects Black and other racialized students, who are more likely to be enrolled in courses that don’t lead to university. He says Grade 9 is … Read more

Following more than a month of anti-police brutality protests, calls continue for more police forces in Canada to adopt body-worn cameras. Many political leaders have been calling for broader use of body-worn cameras on police officers, saying it would provide increased accountability in the wake of global protests against racism and police violence. But the majority of research into the … Read more

Police say they’re investigating a report that the face of a statue was covered in black paint at Pierre Elliot Trudeau park in Vaughan. York Regional police do not provide any further information in a tweet about the vandalism. But a photo posted on social media shows a life-sized bronze statue of the former prime minister with black paint on … Read more

The officer who shot dead Rayshard Brooks has been charged on 11 counts including felony murder, a charge that carries a possible sentence of life without parole or the death penalty.  The charges were announced at a press conference held by Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard.  Former cop Garret Rolfe, 27, has also been charged on several counts of … Read more

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got tossed from the House yesterday after he called a Bloc Quebecois MP a racist and refused to apologize. Singh was angered when a New Democrat motion on RCMP discrimination failed to get unanimous consent from the Commons. Alain Therrien would not support the motion. The Speaker ordered Singh … Read more

Donald Trump unveiled his police reform executive order yesterday afternoon in the Rose Garden, which includes setting up a register of bad actor cops, as he bashed Barack Obama for not doing something about it during his tenure.  The president’s plan will ban police from using chokeholds except for in instances when their lives are at risk and will set … Read more

A 911 dispatcher watching real-time footage of George Floyd’s arrest in south Minneapolis last month became concerned about the officers’ behavior and told a police supervisor she didn’t want to “snitch” but thought he should be made aware of the situation, according to an audio recording.  The supervisor promised to “find out” what was happening, but … Read more

An Atlanta police officer has been fired and a second officer placed on administrative duty following the fatal shooting of a black man.  The move was announced by police early yesterday and came shortly after the resignation of the police chief. Police bullets killed 27-year-old Rayshard Brooks. He struggled with police who approached him because he was sleeping in his … Read more

George Floyd, the black man whose death has inspired a worldwide reckoning over racial injustice will be buried in Houston today. Floyd, who was 46 when he was killed while in Minneapolis police custody, will be carried in a horse-drawn carriage and laid to rest next to his mother.

A judge has ordered bail at $1.25 million dollars for a … Read more

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday the league should have listened to players earlier about racism concerns in response to NFL players calling on the league to condemn racism and support its black players.  Goodell posted a video to the NFL’s social media on Friday in response to the video “Stronger Together,” which features multiple black NFL players asking the … Read more

Mourners in George Floyd’s hometown of Houston will be able to view his casket today, as the series of memorials in his honour reach their final stop. A six-hour public viewing will be held at a local church, with thousands expected to pay their respects, including Joe Biden (the democratic candidate for U.S. president.) Floyd died May 25th after a … Read more

One of the most famous scientists in the world stepped out this week to address George Floyd’s death, and the protests that have been going on. Neil deGrasse Tyson wrote an op-ed while he watched thousands of protesters march past his home in New York.  It touches on Colin Kaepernick, Rodney King, the stats behind white privilege, and his own … Read more

Defence attorneys say two of three Minneapolis police officers accused of aiding and abetting in the death of George Floyd were rookies barely off probation. They say a more senior white officer ignored Floyd’s cries for help and pressed a knee into his neck. Earl Gray says former officer Thomas Lane had no choice but to follow the instructions of … Read more

There were more protests in America last night and for the most part, they stayed peaceful. Thousands of people in New York City protested the death of George Floyd after the 8pm curfew last night. They gathered in Brooklyn at the site where police used batons against demonstrators on Wednesday. In Buffalo, the police commissioner has suspended two officers following … Read more

President Trump has the highest disapproval rating of any president at this point in office, according to a new poll.   Opinion poll analysis website FiveThirtyEight shared numbers showing that Trump’s disapproval rate is at 54 percent, the highest it’s been since October 2019.  “Trump’s disapproval rating has been on the rise again, now up to 54 percent. There were … Read more

The three other Minneapolis police officers involved in the arrest that led to the death of George Floyd are now being charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou … Read more

A private memorial is planned for George Floyd in Minneapolis today, more than a week after his arrest and subsequent death in the custody of local police. Floyd’s killing sparked a series of protests calling for an end to racism and police violence that spread across the U.S. and around the globe. Officials say although the event is private, a … Read more