Police Should be Allowed to "Target" Young Black Men at Random???

[Akyeame Kwame]

National Post



Monday, August 15, 2005



CREDIT: Global TV

Scarborough Centre councillor Michael Thompson



TORONTO -- A Toronto city councillor is floating a controversial idea on curbing gun violence in the city.

Michael Thompson says police should be allowed to "target" young Black men at random as part of a crackdown on guns.

Thompson, who is Black, says a large percentage of the guns being utilized and a large number of people being killed are in the Black community, so there's a need to target people in the community.

But Thompson adds that he is not calling for police to pull people over just because they're Black, but because gun violence is affecting the Black community.

Deputy police chief Keith Forde, who is also Black, says chief Bill Blair would "never, ever agree to that."

There have been 30 gun-related deaths in Toronto among the 44 homicides in the city so far this year.

In a new effort to reduce violence in the city, Blair announced yesterday he is reassigning 100 officers to uniform duty.

They will join street patrol officers and provide a bridge until 96 recruits graduate from police college next month.

Blair redeployed 50 officers to a problem area in the northwest section of the city earlier this month.




© The Canadian 2005

[Little95]

okay, we gotta tie homie to a pole & let the firin squad handle it!!!

[Learn06]

I don't think his solution will solve the problem of gun violence. Maybe more education or programs for youth, like youth centers or parks. I've never been to Canada, dosen't seem like targeting people helps though.

Learn06

[NeterHeru]

Blessings of Peace and Serenity,

Actually AK I'd imagine that they target our male youth already. That is, I have never been to Toronto myself but I can say that law enforcement authorities in the U.S. already do this. The only difference I can see in what this man is saying and what is really happening refers to legalizing such targeting. If he can get the public to back him in such proposal the toronto police will no longer have to practice such profiling in "secret."