The Toronto Anti Violence Intervention Strategy

Kirkwood police officers, who were white, would come into Meacham Park to “establish order” and often use racial profiling, surveillance and Stop and Frisk methods to target people of color and use unnecessary force when in contact with African American citizens (Boyles, 2015). It is evident that race and place can help understand citizen-police interactions because these police officers were not from Meacham Park, rather from Kirkwood which is a white affluent neighborhood. It seems that these officers targeted people of color under explicit bias that they are criminals regardless of the individual. When the use of force is used constantly, police-public tensions rise and undermines police legitimacy, which is something that can be improved when there is an increase in police accountability when interacting with people of color.

The violence that some officers exude to minorities should only be used in extreme, desperate situations not when a teen steals some cigars or is walking home with a hood on. Besides showing an interest in racial justice and issues of race helps to break down barriers, exposed as false perceived misunderstandings, and shed light on commonly held perceptions of a race-infused

The brutality of the police force has been a long worldwide problem, but especially between the years of 2012-2016. Black people are being unjustly beaten and shot in plain sight for doing nothing while being unarmed. Journal of African American Studies “Blacks are viewed as deserving of harsh treatment in the criminal justice system” (482). “Black males with more “Afrocentric” features may receive longer sentences than blacks with less Afrocentric features like lighter skin and straighter hair”(482). Nowadays it is important to know about the police force. It’s important to know our rights as citizens and be careful around cops. Not everybody is good, but not everybody is bad also. In The New York Amsterdam News 21 people were killed by Chicago police in 2008. Entire families were being attacked. They believe it’s because of their skin color and how they are different. The year of racism started off with the world seeing the police murder of Oscar Grant. “The media have pushed people away from hearing the issue of police brutality, and it has fallen off of the radar screen.”(2) “You can’t give in. They will try to make an example out of you, try to break your spirit!”(2) African Americans say do not trust the cops with anything. “They will ruin you.”(2)

For years, gang crime has been loathed by society, as society has perceived it to threaten the well-being of its members. In addition to the fear of gang violence, concerns have been raised of gangs polluting youth; hence, policing strategies have emerged more increasingly in an attempt to put an end to the delinquency. Nevertheless, for society the causation of gang crime has been discussed to a lesser extent; thus, the objective of this essay will be to depict a viable explanation of gang crime through the use of two criminological theories. To accomplish the task at hand; I shall, define gang crime, provide a description of social disorganization theory, illustrate how the application of social disorganization theory provides an explanation of gang crime, describe differential opportunity theory, demonstrate how differential opportunity theory can explain gang crime, and exemplify as to which theory provides a superior explanation of gang crime. In the end, it will be clear that social disorganization theory is a superior explanation of gang crime in comparison to differential opportunity theory, due to its ability to deliver a more enhanced explanation than the one that is provided by differential opportunity theory.

Gang and non-gang comparisons, primarily of at-risk minority youth drawn from institutionalized and non- institutionalized settings, consistently reveal an association between admitted gang membership and self-reported crime or delinquency. Although female youth are shown to be relatively underrepresented in gangs and gang activity, they self-report gang membership at a rate up to 4½ times higher (20% to 46%) than typically indicated in surveys of law enforcement (Esbensen & Huizinga, 1993).

I am a Member of the Toronto Police Black Community Constitutive Committee (BCCC), where my main role is educating the police on strategies to engage with the youths, adding an anti-oppressive lens. Am also the Vice Chair of the Social Work Students’ Union; and a mentor, and lead mentor in the Tri-Mentoring program. I have made a personal vow to help create a legacy of change and a sense of community where everyone is welcomed, loved and accepted. I am motivated and driven to help the Social Work program and the Faculty of community, achieve our vision, which is to challenge the status quo and create meaningful change.

Chapter 4 in The Color of Justice: Race, ethnicity, and crime in America, was about the relations between society and law enforcement officers. This has been a major topic, especially in the United States for a long time. The unfortunate statistic that minorities are more likely to encounter being killed, arrested, and victimized by excessive physical force; has been a real issue even in today’s society. However, police departments are trying to combat the way police officers interact with the community; especially those of color. Although steps have been takes there are still some instances where police aggression happens. With all of the issues that arise between certain minority populated community’s police it is evident that conflict

In waging the “war on drugs” between 1986 and 1992, police intensified their patrol of low income areas in Ontario targeting Black people as suspects. This directly resulted in the overrepresentation of Blacks in prison as reported by The Ontario Systemic Racism Commission even though there was no evidence to suggest Canadian Black populations were any more likely to use or profit from drugs than members of other races. The perceived success of profiling Blacks signaled by the high incarceration rates fueled the already existing stereotype that young Black males were likely to be involved in drug related crimes and in turn contributed to more overt racial profiling. Consequently, the profile became so loosely based that any Black male regardless of his age, or location was a potential threat. Toronto police went as far as initiating what legal scholar David Tanovich calls a no-walk list requiring African Canadian youth and other racialized groups to carry identification while walking the streets of

Brent Staples’ essay, “When the Paranoids Turn Out to be Right,” acknowledges the issues of racism and racial profiling committed by police. In “Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun,” Geoffrey Canada also expresses views on this issue when he asserts that police fail to protect and serve individuals in poor neighborhoods. Staples contends, “Among the day-to-day acts of discrimination that shadow African Americans, none are more stressful or dangerous than those committed by police, some of whom treat black people as criminals until proved otherwise.” (Staples. 380) Although statistics show that the looming presence of narcotics and violence is more prevalent in urban neighborhoods, police should apply the same effort to protect individuals in these

According to the Toronto police, an Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy was a necessary investment in wake of increasing gun violence among poor (primarily black) youth in the city of Toronto, which peaked to its ultimate high in the year 2005 known as the ‘year of the gun’. A media spectacle of the Toronto’s gang violence primarily involving young black men from poor inner suburban

Throughout the last one hundred and fifty years, there has been a history of tension and conflict between the police and minority communities in the United States. In principle, the police exist to enforce the law and protect all citizens regardless of race or ethnic background, yet police departments across the country have been repeatedly accused of targeting and harassing racial minorities, and of failing to root out racist attitudes and practices within their ranks. In recent years, high profile cases such as the beating of Rodney King in Los Angles and the assault on Abner Louima in New York have only served to heighten concerns over the mistreatment of minorities by the police, resulting in widespread calls for major legal and institutional reforms. The recent shootings of Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, Eric Garner, and Terrance Crutcher underscore the danger Black men and boys face when they cross paths with law enforcement officers. In the absence of a coordinated national strategy, state and local police departments have largely been left to develop their own solutions to the problems of policing minority communities and improving cultural sensitivity amongst their officers. Many departments have sought to reform recruitment and selection policies in the hope of attracting greater numbers of minority applicants, while others have instituted diversity training and education programs aimed at improving police understanding of minority cultures and communities. To date, however, these efforts have yielded mixed results. Some departments have achieved notable successes, but on the whole, relations between the police and minority communities across the country remain strained. of cultural diversity and the police.

While some may contend that racial profiling remains an effective police practice for interrogation that is simply not true. Racial profiling has profound social impacts on a number of minorities, particularly the black community, who end up facing many stereotypes which damage their community. For decades, black Canadians have been subjective to some of the most extreme examples of racial profiling and that is often still the case today. In fact, “In a recent survey of Oakville’s Black youth aged 13 to 24, in the Oakville Beaver researchers were told that adults appear to brand them as troublemakers on the basis of “youthful indiscretions” more quickly than they do White kids doing comparable things. Similarly, they believe adults react differently to White and Black youth wearing the same type of clothing: White kids are assumed to be going through a “phase "while Black youth are more likely to be seen as potential criminals” (Arnott, 2003). This survey was done without the names of the victims who said they were scared to speak up against the police. Furthermore this survey proves police culture can further reinforce racial stereotypes through the telling of “war stories” that depict racial minorities as dangerous. This may increase the level of fear or apprehension officers experience when they encounter minorities on the street as a result of generalizations and

There is recent controversy over police use of force, especially in minority communities such as in African American communities, Hispanic communities, and other publics with large populations of minorities. Increased levels of force among these communities have created challenges for police departments. These challenges include a lack of trust from the community towards law enforcement officers and an absence of respect creating situations that lead to police use of force. There are already various programs in place that attempt to decrease this challenge by educating the public, respecting one another, and giving those who were on the wrong track second chances. A combination of these solutions and the implementation of more of them would decrease the number of contacts between police and minorities that lead to the use of force (Roberg & Novak, 2014).

Police brutality is not a new subject. It has been around for numerous years, and like most issues, has resurfaced to the public’s eyes. The recent events brought up the question: Does there need to be a reform in the system in the police system? In this year alone, there have been countless cases of individuals being harmed or even killed by police officers for reasons that continuously are not explained. What has people more attentive to this injustice are statistics showing that most victims in these police attacks happen to be African Americans and other minorities.

Critically discuss the assertion that “young people are propelled into crime through circumstances beyond their control” (Muncie, 2005, p.116).