4. Walking While Black

Transcript available HERE.

Content note: this episode is about racial profiling

“I'm aware that any time I have an interaction with police that my life could be in danger-- or my freedom.” - Gyasi Symonds

After he was accused of jaywalking and then followed back to his workplace, Gyasi Symonds won his racial profiling case against the Halifax Regional Police. But street surveillance of Black people continues across the country. What's behind calls to defund the police in Canada and what does public safety mean? Does it really mean more police on the streets?

We learn from El Jones about the history of defunding the police and abolition, and how technology tends to exacerbate surveillance issues that already exist. We then cross the country to meet Tonye Aganaba who organizes with Vancouver’s abolitionist group defund604, to hear about their work and the people’s budget they conducted. Finally, we sit down with Chuka Ejeckam, a political researcher who talks us through some of his research on comparative police budgets and breaks down the Vancouver Police Department’s video game-style recruitment content on social media.

Further resources:

• Carding and Anti-Black Racism in Canada - Amnesty International Canada
• TAKE ACTION: Canada: Stop Anti-Black Racism and Overpolicing - Amnesty International Canada
• Anti-Black Racism and Policing: Keep up the Pressure - Amnesty International Canada
• Halifax, Nova Scotia: Street Checks Report (March 2019), Scot Wortley
• Defunding the Police: Defining the Way Forward for HRP Tari Ajadi, Dr. El Jones, Harry Critchley, Julia Rodgers
• BOOK: Simone Browne “Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness”
• Defund604 Network and their People’s Budget
• Chuka Ejeckam “Defunding the VPD is an investment in public safety and collective well-being”
• Africville Forever – a podcast about Africville, Nova Scotia

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