Need for significant Toronto Police reform

There is clear evidence and research that we must organize public safety very differently, especially for our Black, Indigenous and other marginalized communities.To do this we need a strong catalyst to ensure this happens in a timely manner. The reduction of the police budget and reallocation to a range of community services led by mental health and other community leaders can be this catalyst. Any attempts to reform within the police budget and led by the police, as evidenced by the last five years in Toronto, will not produce tangible, timely and necessary results. Mayors in New York, Los Angeles and Minneapolis
have committed to this. As reported in the Globe and Mail June 18 the Mayor states "there is unprecedented consensus on confronting anti-Black racism". However he and the Board Chair are proposing changes within the current budget and under the purview of the Toronto Police. We are asking the Mayor and Board Chair to approve Councillor Matlow's motion to reduce the budget by 10%, restructure the police and hand over a number of the current duties to the appropriate community services and leaders. This is a small amount in a $1.22 billion budget. Many organizations are facing the challenge of managing reduced budgets/revenues of greater amounts with the current COVID virus. Surely the Toronto Police can do the same.

Recent events, research and statements by many leaders are well documented in the media and confirm that there is systemic racism in our police forces against our Black, Indigenous and other marginalized communities. It is also well documented that significant, not incremental change is required. Approximately 25%+ of my property taxes goes to the police budget and a very small amount to community services. No one has asked me, a tax paying resident, if that is where I would like a large portion of my taxes allocated. I have also had a personal experience with Toronto police practices in that my son-in-law, an African American university educated social worker helping youth at risk in downtown Toronto was carded twice for no apparent reason within his first 6-12 months of moving to Toronto. I was deeply ashamed of our city. Many citizens, community leaders and research agree change is required and much of that change to strengthen public safety for our Black, Indigenous and other communities must include the removal of many duties from police and given to a range of community services. To leave the change in the hands of the police will result in slow, incremental change, if any.