(Image Credit: CNN)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

ANTI-RACISM IN CANADA

Legal experts speak to value of peaceful protests, anti-racism discussions in Kamloops

Jun 3, 2020 | 5:13 PM

KAMLOOPS — Allies are set to gather peacefully in Kamloops this week, to condemn racist acts, and honour George Floyd and many other people of colour who have been wrongfully killed by police, or unjustly treated around the world.

A Kamloops-based Black Lives Matters protest is scheduled Thursday (June 4) at noon in Riverside Park (*scroll down for more information). In contrast to the view that Canada doesn’t have racism within its society, human rights and constitutional law experts say holding a solidarity event in Canada does make sense.

Reflecting on what has been happening within the United States over the past several weeks, human rights lawyer Bill Sundhu says the pandemic has highlighted societal inequalities with unemployment rates, and people struggling to make ends meet.

“So that exacerbates conditions, and then you take this issue in the United States that’s sort of ignited this, that is police violence — which has been there for a long time,” he explains. “I think the video… that’s the difference, is in the last ten or twelve years, we have video. And that showed people that this wasn’t just an allegation, but it was real, and people could see the horror of it. And that has been the trigger, I think.”

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Kamloops-based lawyer and TRU Professor Jeffrey Meyers has practiced in both Canada and the United States and says the uproar is not only about racism, but the deterioration of democracy. Speaking from a legal perspective, Meyers says the kind of police action that led to George Floyd’s homicide should not have occurred.

“You have a twenty-dollar bill in your hand, and somebody thinks that’s a counterfeit bill — there’s no way that should escalate to an arrest where you’re lying pressured on the ground with your face down, and your arms behind your back while people are applying pressure,” he says. “That is not… under really any circumstance that shouldn’t be happening.”

With current administration, Meyers says President Donald Trump threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act is a major change in how the U.S democracy operates.

The Insurrection Act is a federal law that allows the president to deploy military troops within the United States to suppress civil disorder and rebellion. The last time it was used was in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots following the police beating of Rodney King.

“He’s had this willingness to invoke the Insurrection Act, which is this draconian kind of military power in response to these protests in Lafayette Square across from the White House so he could go and do this photo op in front of a church with a Bible in his hand,” Meyers says. “And they had low-flying attack helicopters. It was a fully-militarized operation and it was very disturbing, I think, for anybody who thinks America is a beacon of democracy.”

According to Sundhu, the rise of President Donald Trump has also given racists an opportunity to express their thoughts and actions without fear.

Sundhu notes that racism is not a recent issue, and by no means is it limited to the U.S. With that in mind, he says there is a place for anti-racism demonstrations to be held in Canada.

“You only need to read the social media pages even in this community (Kamloops) to see that there are people in this community who feel they have license now to express their bigotry, or their ignorance.”

Canada has its own record of wrongdoings against Indigenous people, Japanese immigrants, Indo-Canadians, and many other people who make up the diverse population — which Meyers says can be seen today.

“If you view yourself as a privileged person, and you’re saying, ‘Ah, I don’t see this racism, I think we’re over that, it’s done,’ then you need to reach out to some people who might not be enjoying the same privilege as you, and see if that’s the way that they’re experiencing the world.”

Kamloops Councillor Arjun Singh agrees that racism is not eradicated on a community level, and more needs to be done to educate and reform outdated or prejudiced ways of thinking.

“I don’t think that a protest changes that. I think a protest helps people feel more empowered or supported. But I think that ultimately, we have to have conversations with folks around why people wear turbans, and why same-sex people hold hands or kiss in public,” he notes. “Those are things that in this day and age should be celebrated. But I know lots of folks have difficulty with that stuff, and I’m happy to have those conversations.”

Experts say peaceful protests can provide an image of solidarity to those who have suffered and facilitate a way to broaden perspectives. Beyond communication, Sundhu was asked what else someone can do to help anti-racism efforts, and show respect for all Canadians.

“Well, I think that we hold our leaders accountable, so that we have policies, we identify our blind spots, we address social and economic conditions, we address shortcomings in our justice system, in our policing. That we talk to each other, and we listen.”

(Image Credit: Kamloops.blm.movement / Instagram )

(Image Credit: Kamloops.blm.movement / Instagram )