Posters show support for Black community after noose found at 3rd construction site

Community members are showing support for the city's Black community with posters and artwork after a noose was found at a third construction site in Toronto this month. 

Posters that say "Shut down hate" and "Call out racism every time" can now be seen outside Michael Garron Hospital in East York, where two nooses were found by Black construction workers on June 10. 

"We wanted to come out and support in our neighbourhood," said resident Leah Sandals. 

Sandals said she is trying to teach her child, 5, who she brought along with her on Saturday, about hate crimes and racism. 

"I want her to understand that, unfortunately, not everybody is treated equally," Sandals told CBC Toronto on Saturday. 

Old's Cool General Store, located in East York, is spearheading the initiative, urging people to stop by the hospital construction site this weekend to put up their messages of protest.

"As soon as we heard about this, we knew we could not let this go unchallenged," Zahra Dhanani, the owner of the store, said on Saturday. 

Dhanani said she and other organizers immediately took action to show that "we are in opposition to this hate crime, that we do not believe in the hatred, that Black lives do matter."

The store is also planning a ceremony to be held at the site on Canada Day to mark "the roots of violence that Canada is founded on, that keep popping up," she said. 

"The community has been outraged." 

Farheen Mahmood, another resident, said it was important for her to show her support on Saturday, saying "this issue has been going on for so long — our Black communities need for us all to speak out." 

"It's time for us to end racism ... we have to do better and now's the time," she said. "We can't wait." 

Mahmood said she, too, brought her children and told them about what had happened at the site. 

"We told them what the significance of nooses were and why historically it has become a symbol of hate," she said.

"It gave them a clear understanding of why we're here and why we are putting out signs up." 

Noose found in Regent Park 

The latest incident happened Friday in Toronto's Regent Park neighbourhood near Dundas Street East and Sumach Street. The Daniels Corporation said it launched its own investigation into what it calls an anti-Black incident.

"We are disgusted and horrified at this heinous act, which we are treating as a hate crime," Mitchell Cohen, president of the company, said in a news release.

"This deplorable act against the Black community is unacceptable and we reaffirm that there is zero tolerance for racism, prejudice and hate on our construction sites and within our organization."

Construction firm EllisDon said a noose was also found at one of its construction sites on Thursday, just weeks after two the nooses were discovered at the East York hospital construction site.

Police said they were trying to figure out whether or not the two incidents at EllisDon are connected. Both are being investigated as hate crimes, police confirmed to CBC Toronto on Friday. 

EllisDon says work immediately stopped when the noose was spotted and team leaders spoke with workers.

"This is a disgraceful act by someone weak and cowardly," said CEO Geoff Smith in a news release.

"We will do everything possible to identify, prosecute and evict anyone involved from our industry."

Noose reported at hospital construction site

EllisDon was also the company that reported finding a noose at Michael Garron Hospital. The company says it has contacted police and is conducting its own internal investigation.

Toronto police say their hate crimes unit is investigating the incidents.

Suze Morrison, the NDP's member of provincial parliament in Toronto-Centre, said Saturday she also contacted police to follow up after seeing images of the nooses circulating on social media.

"This is a vile symbol of anti-Black racism that has absolutely no place in our loving and inclusive community," said Morrison.

"Anti-Black racism is real, is present in our community and systemic in our institutions, and we need to take incidents of racism incredibly seriously in order to make sure Black Torontonians are safe."

Toronto Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam and Finance Minister Bill Morneau also both took to Twitter on Saturday, condemning the acts. 

"This despicable act of hate and anti-Black racism has no place in our community, or our country," Morneau said.

"It is deeply troubling to see this in our Regent Park community and we must all stand together in condemning it."

Wong-Tam agrees. 

"This object of racial terrorism and white supremacy used in lynching is [a] symbol specifically chilling to the Black community," she wrote in the tweet. 

While she said Toronto has a history of "hate and racial bigotry," the city also has a history of social justice. 

"We also have a diverse history of resistance and social justice that must grow louder and stronger with each passing day." 

Racist incidents have been happening for years: worker 

Chris Campbell, a member of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, called the incident "despicable," "horrific" and "demeaning." 

Campbell, a long-time worker and a representative for a carpenters' union, said racist incidents such as these have been happening for years. 

"You come in and you see a noose on your table or a noose hanging. You just take it down and keep working and it's like it never happens," he told CBC Toronto on Saturday. 

"Most of the time you wouldn't dare tell your supervisor because you're scared as a construction worker that they may blame you for instigating it or it may come back on you ... your employment [might] shorten."

He recalled an incident some 20 years ago when he was an instructor at an organization.

"I started presenting my subject to the class and some students were looking at me, they were giggling," he said. 

That's when he saw a noose that had been drawn on the chalkboard. 

"I cleaned it off and got rid of it and just continued as if nothing happened," Campbell said. 

But he said he's hopeful now that workers will feel more empowered to report hate crimes. He said he's seeing positive change within the industry because managers are taking a more active role in combating anti-Black racism.

"Today those leaders ... want you to speak, they want you to go out and help the new generation of carpenters." 

Racist graffiti in subway car

Meanwhile, the Toronto Transit Commission says it contacted police after it took a subway train out of service on Friday because someone vandalized it with the N-word misspelled.

The TTC says there were no cameras on the train, but an eyewitness has been connected with police who are investigating the incident.