Black Lives Matter TO protest demands SIU overhaul, Premier vows review
CBC Radio | Posted: April 6, 2016 12:56 PM | Last Updated: April 7, 2016
No justice. No peace. No racist police. You are killing us every single day. We are not moving. We are staying. This is about defending our lives. This is a peaceful protest to defend our lives. - Black Lives Matter protester outside of Toronto police headquarters
For two weeks, Toronto's Black Lives Matter protesters camped outside police headquarters in downtown Toronto. The demonstration began after Ontario's Special Investigations Unit — the SIU — cleared police of wrongdoing in the shooting death of Andrew Loku. The South Sudanese man was holding a hammer when he was killed in July 2015, in the hallway outside his apartment by an unnamed police officer.
Protesters' demands included a review of the SIU, and on April 1, 2016, Toronto city council voted unanimously on a motion calling for the province to review the police and the SIU through an "anti-racism" lens.
Then on April 4, 2016, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne walked out of the Legislature building and spoke to the Black Lives Matter protesters gathered on the grounds and vowed that a review of the SIU would take place.
We are undertaking a review of the SIU. We are reviewing all the police oversight bodies... You are on the frontline. You understand these issues. We need your help in those reviews. We are going to need to have some private meetings ahead of time but we are willing to have public meetings. - Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to Black Lives Matter protesters
Following the exchange with Wynne, protesters packed up their makeshift camp and gave the province 300 hours to make good on the Premier's promise.
Guests in this segment:
- Sandy Hudson, co-founder of Black Lives Matters Toronto and one of the protest organizers.
- André Marin, teaches criminal law at the University of Ottawa. He was Ontario's Ombudsman from 2005 - 2015 and also served as the director of Ontario's SIU from 1996 to 1998.
- Mike McCormack, president of the Toronto Police Association.
This segment was produced by The Current's Pacinthe Mattar and Josh Bloch.