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“Crisis of Distrust – Police and Community in Toronto” is produced by the Policing Literacy Initiative, a youth-driven grassroots think tank improving police services and community safety in Toronto and abroad.
This past summer inspired a groundswell of interest in policing issues and community safety in Toronto. Claims of racial profiling and the practice of “carding” dominated newspaper headlines. The acquittal of George Zimmerman for the murder of Trayvon Martin put a spotlight on issues of equality under the law around the world. Concerns about youth safety were exacerbated by the tragic killing of Sammy Yatim by a member of Toronto Police Services.
In response to these community concerns, a group of young leaders in Toronto came together to form the Policing Literacy Initiative (PLI) in August 2013. PLI is inspired by the Yale Law School Innovations in Policing Clinic, which the Coordinator of PLI, Jamil Jivani, was a member of.
PLI is a grassroots think tank made up of 20 young leaders from across the city, including many of Toronto’s “priority neighborhoods.” Most PLI members are in their twenties and come from a diverse range of cultural and professional backgrounds. Included in this group are current university students and young professionals in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. PLI members have long track records of community service contributions that have been recognized by the University of Toronto, United Way City Leaders program, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and many more.
They have met biweekly since August to discuss academic and news articles about policing issues around the world. Our meetings have also featured discussions with representatives of Toronto Police Services (including the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy team), University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Toronto Community Housing Corporation Board of Directors, Toronto Star, City of Toronto Community Crisis Response Program, African Canadian Legal Clinic, and Toronto Police Services Board.
PLI has also been engaged in substantive advocacy. For example, five members of PLI have joined the Toronto Police Services’ Police and Community Engagement Review standing committee to address biased policing. Additionally, PLI members are pushing for reforms to the Ontario citizen complaint process and have participated in an number of policy consultations, such as the Government of Ontario’s provincial crime prevention strategy.
You can contact the Policing Literacy Initiative via:
You can read about the Policing Literacy Initiative by clicking on the following link:
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2014/02/09/a_civil_approach_to_changing_policing.html
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God bless, peace, be well and keep the faith,
Dr. Vibe
info@blackcanadianman.com
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