This is a great start, but I think to truly be effective we need to open up discussion to issues of ableism as well as audism that took place in and around the G20. Such incidents speak to me of a need for better police training on these issues. Perhaps this is something to bring up with the mayoral candidates as well.
Here are examples of some of the incidents that took place:
OCAP protester arrested without provocation: http://www.mediacoop.ca/story/protesters-arrested-without-provocation-ocap-p
rotest/4264
rotest/4264
53 year old amputee arrested http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/839199–security-operation-or-political-theatre
What I’d like to know is, where were the disability advocacy organizations to fight for the basic human rights of these people? Organizations like the ARCH Disability Law Centre who are supposed to defend the human rights of people with disabilities. Not to mention the countless other disability organizations that preferred to close down rather than take part in the G20, or the events that followed.
If there was ever a time for the disability movement to show it’s solidarity with the average person with a disability in Canada, this is it, and yet we continue to hide in the shadows. How can we expect things to change for people with disabilities if we continue to hide out of the public eye as we did before people with disabilities had rights?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has provided publications for American Law Enforcement, sadly Ontario has not kept up with the United States in this area, but instead has chosen to keep important provincially funded areas like police and healthcare unaccessible. Where are the passionate disability activists we need to fight for this type of legislation?
Hopefully some of them will at least be here:
August 7
6:00pm – 8:00pm
OISE/UofT, Room 2212, Second Floor
252 Bloor Street West (St. George subway station) Toronto
We have all heard the stories of the Toronto Police Services denying
interpreters, accusing Deaf people of “faking”, interpreting attempts
to communicate as violence, misunderstanding facial expressions that
are a part of our grammar as anger, and countless other acts of
audism, discrimination, and violence. It is time to do something about
it!
Join us in sharing our stories and coming together as a …united
community of Deaf, oral deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, and
hearing allies! We will share our experiences in a public forum to
promote healing, equality and change. This will be the beginning of a
long process of achieving change within the Toronto Police Services
policy, training, and sensitivity to our diverse communities.
ASL interpretation provided. If you require accommodations or
childcare, please contact Jenny Blaser
as soon as possible.
Endorsed by the LEAF’s Youth Commission, Signs of Support, Ryerson
Student Union, OPIRG, and the Association of Part-Time Undergraduate
Students
Sit Down, Fight Back 