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Anti-black racism


Neighbourhood Legal Services (“NLS”) is outraged by the deaths of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd who represent the latest of too many who have died in lethal interactions with the police.  NLS understands the collective grief experienced at this time and it is aware of the specific stress, grief and triggering impact that these recent fatalities have caused on our board members, colleagues, clients, community partners and friends who are Black. 
 
We acknowledge that these recent deaths are reflective of a very long history of anti-Black racism and anti-Black violence too often perpetrated by state actors, institutions and agencies. In a 2018 CBC News investigation focusing on the period of 2000-2017, it was found that Black people comprised 36.5 per cent of deaths involving Toronto police while only making up 8.3 per cent of city’s population (Deadly Force: Fatal Encounters with the police in Canada: 2000-2017, Jacques Marcoux and Katie Nicholson). This same study identified that “more than 70 per cent of victims suffer from mental health and substance abuse problems”. This means that at least some of the Black persons who died at the hands of the police were also experiencing substance abuse issues and mental health crises. NLS recognizes that when racism interlocks with other systems of oppression like poverty, gender identity etc., it heightens the likelihood of encounters of anti-Black racism and anti-Black violence. 
 
NLS understands that it too is part of a network of state agencies that are complicit in perpetrating anti-Black racism and anti-Black violence.  However, NLS commits to being actively anti-racist by among other things, continuing to educate ourselves about implicit bias and systems of oppression as well as reflecting on how we can work internally and externally to dismantle systems of racism.

We are using the word ‘Black’ because many within the movement have chosen to identify as such and we respect the right to self-identify​

​resources

A statement is not enough. Education, action, and advocacy can bring and have already begun to effect real change.
NLS is committed to continuing to learn, taking action, and advocating against anti-black racism and the systems which perpetuate it. 

Our list of resources will be updated regularly.
​Feel free to download our resource list, or scroll to view the resources online.
Download Resource List
Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto
Specialty legal clinic serving Indigenous community members in a supportive, holistic, culturally-rooted way.
​​Aboriginal Legal Services Toronto

Black Legal Action Centre​
Specialty legal clinic serving Black community members in areas such as education, employment, human rights, housing and police complaints.
​Black Legal Action Centre

Education and Discipline​
Disciplinary Hearings
 
Black students are suspended and expelled at a much higher rate than non-Black students. A disciplinary hearing is a legal process where students may bring a lawyer.
​Black Legal Action Centre
 
Justice for Children and Youth
 
Knia Singh – Lawyer
 
Law Society of Ontario Lawyer Referral Service – free ½ hour consult with a lawyer

Human Rights
 
​If you think your school or teacher treated you differently because of your race, gender, ability, or other personal characteristic, this may be a violation of the Human Rights Code. You may want to file an ‘application’ with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. You should get advice from a lawyer.

​Human Rights Legal Support Centre
 
Black Legal Action Centre
 
Aboriginal Legal Services Toronto
 
Fathima Cader - Lawyer
 
Law Society of Ontario Lawyer Referral Service – free ½ hour consult with a lawyer

Education and Discipline Articles of Interest
Carl James – “The crisis of anti-Black racism in schools persists across generations” (August 2019)
 
African Canadian Legal Clinic et al. – “Towards Race Equity in Education: The Schooling of Black Students in the Greater Toronto Area” (April 2017)
 
Murial Draaisma – “Black students in Toronto streamed into courses below their ability, report finds: Report also finds black students suspended at much higher rates than counterparts” (April 2017)
 
Abigail Tsionne Salole; Zakaria Abdulle – “Quick to Punish: An Examination of the School to Prison Pipeline for Maginalized Youth” (Jan. 2015)​
Police Violence/Brutality
Report the Incident 
 
The Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) receives complaints about police conduct. They investigate, make findings and recommendations, and can hold disciplinary hearings. Many people are critical of the OIPRD because complaints are handled by other officers, often within the same division as the officers complained of.
​Office of the Independent Police Review Director
 
Learn about Complaints Process
 
Make a complaint

 
 

Civil Lawsuit
 
If you were harmed by police conduct, you may want to sue the police. You will need to collect evidence about what happened to you, such as hospital reports, photos of your injuries, or contact information for any witnesses. Some lawyers may be willing to take your case on a “contingency” basis – you won’t have to pay them until you receive some money.
 
​Steps to Justice
 
Meaghan Daniel – Lawyer
 
David Shellnutt – Lawyer
 
Vilko Zbogar – Lawyer
 
Black Legal Action Centre
 
Aboriginal Legal Services Toronto
 
Law Society of Ontario Lawyer Referral Service – free ½ hour consult with a lawyer
Discrimination or Racial Profiling by Police
Human Rights Tribunal
 
If you think the police treated you differently because of your race, gender, ability, or other personal characteristic, this may be a violation of the Human Rights Code. You may want to file an ‘application’ with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. You should get advice from a lawyer about whether it may be better to sue the police in court.

​Steps to Justice
 
Human Rights Legal Support Centre
 
Black Legal Action Centre
 
Aboriginal Legal Services Toronto
 
Fathima Cader - Lawyer
 
Law Society of Ontario Lawyer Referral Service – free ½ hour consult with a lawyer
Reports and Initiatives Addressing Racism in Municipal Services
​City of Toronto – Anti-Racism Initiatives
Toronto For All: Confronting Anti-Black Racism Initiative
 
Indigenous Peoples of Tkaronto

​

​Anti-Black Racism and Policing
Ontario Human Rights Commission – A Collective Impact: Interim report on the inquiry into racial profiling and racial discrimination of Black persons by the Toronto Police Service (November 2018)
 
Ontario Ombudsman - Street Checks and Balances: Submission in response to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services’ consultation on proposed Ontario regulation for street checks” (2015)

Supreme Court of Canada Decision on Racism in Policing
R v. Le, 2019 SCC 34
Child Welfare
Legal Representation
Legal Aid Ontario
 
You may wish to call Black Legal Action Centre or 
Aboriginal Legal Services Toronto before contacting Legal Aid. It can help to have an advocate when seeking help from Legal Aid.


Articles about Anti-Black Racism in the Child Welfare System
Children’s Aid Society of Toronto –  “Addressing disproportionality, disparity and discrimination in child welfare: Data on services provided to Black African Caribbean Canadian families and children” (2015)
​

Ontario Human Rights Commission –Under Suspicion: Concerns about Child Welfare (2017)
White Supremacy & White Privilege
Articles/Books
​​
Peggy McIntosh – “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” and “Daily Effects of white Privilege” (1988)
​
Robin DiAngelo – “White Fragility: Why It’s So hard for White People to Talk about Racism” (2018)
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  • Home
  • About Us
  • Services
  • Intake Process
  • Online Intake
  • Tenants Rights Resources
  • Outreach & Special Projects
  • Blog
  • News & Events
  • careers
  • COVID-19 and Your Legal Rights
  • Digital Access - Get Connected!
  • ANTI-BLACK RACISM
  • Make a Donation
  • Contact Us
"Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice"
- Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)
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Neighbourhood Legal Services, 101 - 163 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON M5A 1S1 
Tel: 416.861.0677 | Fax: 416.861.1777
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