Myseum panel discusses over-policing

Have you ever visited Myseum of Toronto? Probably not, because Toronto’s Myseum doesn’t have walls or galleries or vaults! Instead, it works within the community to showcase the history, spaces, culture(s), architecture and people that help make Toronto unique. And though COVID-19 has shifted some of Myseum’s plans, it continues to deliver programs and online experiences that engage directly with Toronto’s past, present and future.   

This Thursday, July 23, Myseum is hosting an online panel discussion on the over-policing of Black and Indigenous lives. We think you should check it out! 

Featuring activists, artists and legal professionals, the panel will engage voices from the communities most affected by over-policing. Together, they will discuss the history of police violence against minority communities in Toronto and across Canada, before asking the question: where do we go from here?

Why now? An Ontario Human Rights Council report from 2018 reveals that Black people are 20 times more likely than white people to be involved in a fatal shooting by the Toronto Police.  A recent CTV News analysis also revealed that Indigenous people in Canada are 10 times more likely to be shot and killed by police than white people. With the most recent (and still ongoing) outcry against anti-Black racism in cities around the world, Myseum wanted to engage critically with this history as it relates to Toronto.   

Taking place from 2 to 3 pm Thursday, July 23, tickets for this Web-only event are free but must be reserved online in advance.

Panelists include Sandy Hudson (founder, Black Lives Matter Canada), Robyn Maynard (author, Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present) and Caitlyn Kasper (Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto). The panel will be moderated by Rania El Mugammar (Sudanese artist, anti-oppression consultant and liberation educator). For full panelist bios, or for more information about ticket reservations, check out the event page. 

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