Things to consider if you're feeling distraught after the murder ofTyre Nichols
1. It's okay to not be okay
As we process the news of yet another brutal police murder of a Black man, we fully respect and understand that this is going to be a lot to process, for all of us. It's okay not to be okay. It's okay to process this however you want. It's okay to engage in self-care.
As Audre Lorde said, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."
This means we fully respect people needing time to care for themselves as they process yet another senseless act of police brutality; however, we must ensure that we do not co-opt self-care into permitting ourselves to ignore the very real problem at hand.
Because, make no mistake, systemic racism in policing and the resulting police brutality is a Canadian issue.
2. Black people don't owe us their thoughts, feelings or labour
Non-Black people - whether you are racialized or white - need to recognize that whatever we are feeling in this moment pales in comparison to what the Black community is experiencing.
Please take a second to read that twice.
So it is critical that, in this moment, we do not further exploit Black people for their labour, insights and time.
We'd like to invite you to use this simplified version of ring theory as an aid in helping you figure out what you need in this moment.
3. It's fucked up that we need trauma porn to give a fuck
We should not have to see footage of murder at the hands of the police to take action against oppression.
If most of us are being honest here, we've had the privilege of not having to care about police brutality until the brutal murder of George Floyd. Yet even after all that awareness, minimal (if any) systems change has occurred to prevent further harm by the police on Black and other marginalized communities.
Black people have been speaking out on police brutality for 100s of years, and yet it took footage of a brutal murder during a pandemic to make so many of us, this account included, to care about police brutality.
We shouldn't need trauma porn to care; we should just trust and believe Black people when they speak to their lived experiences.
4. Police Brutality is a Canadian issue
Have you heard of the 'Canadian exhale'? This is what happens when we hear about news in America, are shocked and concerned by it, and then exhale and say, "thank God we're in Canada."
Canada and America share a colonial parent in the United Kingdom, which means both countries are deeply rooted in white supremacy and colonialism. The truth is, America is a Canadian spoiler alert, because if it is happening in America, it can, or likely is, happening here in Canada too.
Both the American and Canadian institutions of policing are deeply rooted in white supremacy. We might not be hearing about cases of police brutality in Canada, but do not let that lull you into a false sense of comfort or moral superiority. Our institutions are just as brutal as America's, and we shouldn't need video evidence of police murdering Black people to give a shit about this in Canada.
5. The evidence should be enough to spur action
The Ontario Human Rights Commission found that a Black person was more than 20 times more likely to be shot and killed by the police compared to a white person.
Black and Indigenous folks are four to five times more likely to be stopped by the police. This is what racial profiling looks like.
There was a 25% increase in fatal shootings by the police in 2022 in Canada.
Yet, despite our knowledge of the systemic racism in our policing system, we continue to bloat police budgets:
Canada spends over $16.5 billion annually on municipal, provincial, and federal police operations.
Canadian Taxpayers spend approximately $45 million per day on policing.
6. DEI training alone isn't going to solve white supremacy
Tyre Nichols' murder by five police officers who are also Black, proves that diversity doesn't solve white supremacy.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion, (DEI), are about making white spaces upheld by white supremacy open to people who are not cis-het, able-bodied white men.
This is why DEI alone doesn't solve white supremacy. Because we are trying to make an inherently flawed and oppressive system accept a community of people that the system was designed to exclude. At best, it is a bandaid on a bullet wound, useful in the immediate aftermath but not enough to solve the larger problem.
What we need is a system that is designed for and built by all of us.
7. Safer communities require abolishing the of police
You cannot be anti-racist and pro-policing.
If this feels uncomfortable to navigate, share your questions and concerns in the comments so we can create content that speaks directly to them and navigate this together.
8. Abolition doesn't happen overnight; support the work currently being done
You're not in this alone, nor do you have to be an expert to show up. Organizations in major cities across the country are already working to create safer communities (without police)! If you know of orgs doing this work in your community, add them to the comments below!
Check out No Pride in Policing Coalition, Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action, SURJ Toronto, No More Silence, United Black People's Allyship (Calgary), Doctors for Defunding Police, Policing-Free Schools, Walls Down Collective (Calgary), ARC Vancouver Butterfly SW, and COBP (Montreal).
Consider financially contributing to them, spreading awareness, and showing up in solidarity.
Our collective liberation cannot occur without Black liberation.
It isn't enough to be devastated about the murder of Tyre Nichols.
Look, policing is one of the few budget lines that almost always see budget increases. Everything else sees cuts (Education, Healthcare, Libraries, and Community Programming), but not the police.
And yet, crime persists. Domestic violence persists. Police brutality persists. Increasing police budgets have not made communities safer.
We are doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results - it's ridiculous and harmful, and it needs to stop.
It's time to ensure Black people are safe from police violence. It is time to create safer communities. It is time to demand change. Will you add your voice to calls to defund the police (step 1 of 8 towards abolition)?
