allthecanadianpolitics: allthecanadianpolitics: Pride Toronto is requesting that the Toronto Police
allthecanadianpolitics:allthecanadianpolitics:Pride Toronto is requesting that the Toronto Police do not march in the 2018 pride parade. This open letter has been cosigned by Pride Toronto, The 519, The Executive Director of the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention, The Executive Director of the Black Coalition for Aids Prevention, Executive Director of the Toronto People with Aids Foundation, Executive Director of the Sherbourne Health Centre.They cite the Toronto Police’s failure to protect the LGBTQ community from a serial killer, Bruce Mcarthur (who preyed on Gay men and specifically gay men of colour) as a reason along with a string of other disappearances in the Toronto LGBTQ community.If anyone can provide a transcript of this, or knows where a text version exists, please let me know. I’m a bit short on time at the moment.Transcript of the Pride Toronto open letter (above) written by @ameliasscanwells. Thank you!-Dear LGBTQ2S communities and our broader community of Toronto,We write to you today both as individuals, deeply touched by the violent loss of people in our communities, and on behalf of those we serve in our respective community-based organizations.It is an incredibly complex and difficult time. The arrest of Bruce McArthur, the alleged serial killer, has added a new poignancy and a new pain to the fears that sit at the heart of anyone who lives a life of difference. At the end of June, we will come together, as we have for decades, and we will be seen. We will rally and rise, but it will be with heavy hearts, as we have not yet begun to grapple with our anger, shock, and grief.Majeed Jayhan, Soroush Mahmudi, Dean Lisowick, Selim Esen, Andrew Kinsman, Skandaraj Navaratnam, and a man who remains unidentified. These men were part of our communities, and so a part of our family. The fact that we did not have the chance to know some of these men as members of our communities s[eals to the invisibility and vulnerability that go hand-in-hand with shame and stigma. The disappearances and deaths of Alloura Wells and Tess Ritchie also speak to the marginalization of our communities and the silencing of our concerns.The individual stories and lived experiences of each of these people were unique. But what they did share was that the investigations into their disappearances were insufficent, community knowledge and expertise was not accessed and despite the fact that many of us felt and voiced out concerns, we were dismissed. This has severely shaken our community’s already often tenuous trust in the city’s law enforcement. We feel more vulnerable than ever.We recognise steps have been taken to work in collaboration and consultation to understand what we need to be safe. This will not be accomplished in one day. The relationship cannot be mended through a parade. Marching won’t contribute towards solving these issues; they are beyond the reach of symbolic gestures. Our communities live with ongoing, deeply rooted, and historical trauma which has too often been caused by the institutions that claim to represent us. People are scared for themselves and for the lives of their friends and families. We are at a pivotal moment where those who suffer from the deepest shame and scantest forms of support could be pushed further from view, deeper into darkness, and closer to danger as a result.We request that the Police withdraw their application to march in the 2018 Pride Parade. We believe that our resources are better invested in shared efforts that focus on deeper dialogue, collaborative action, and sustained institutional change. Only a significant commitment and meaningful action can start the critical work of making our communities safer.Sincerely,Olivia Nuamah, Executive Director - Pride Toronto,Maura Lawless, Executive Director - The 519,Haran Vijayanathan, Executive Director - Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention,Murray Jose-Boerbridge, Executive Director - Toronto People with Aids Foundation,Haxelle Palmer, Executive Director - Sherbourne Health Centre -- source link
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