...The practice of racial profiling by police officers has become a contentious issue between law enforcement and advocacy group supporting rights of citizens. An increasing number of reported incidents in which law enforcement professionals have been accused of targeting minority groups have heightened the debate about racial profiling and the legitimacy surrounding it. The practice of racial profiling by law enforcement is an attempt to identify potential criminals before they could commit serious crimes. Law enforcement officers who have used racial profiling are confident that the process helps them to detain criminals and therefore reduce crime. However, the use of racial profiling has become a debated issue across North America. The media has captured the public’s attention by identifying how law enforcement officials make the assumption that minority groups and people from ethnic backgrounds are more likely to commit crimes. This paper will reflect that the use of racial profiling by law enforcement is both wrong and ineffective in many ways. First, racial profiling is wrong because it tends to target people of color under the assumption and stereotype that they create more crime, which clearly is unconstitutional under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Secondly, through the Toronto Star newspaper analysis it will be obvious that the use of racial profiling in solving crimes is not effective but is damaging and harmful towards individuals under the Human Rights Code. And...
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...colour, religion, sex, age, and any disability; however, in reality, individuals experience inequality in the form of racism throughout the Canadian society. For instance, a few months ago, a black male was asked to leave the St. Laurent shopping centre by the mall securities as the position of his pants were viewed as not family-friendly but this type of fashion is normal for teenagers who are influenced by the hip-hop culture. As the man did not want to cause any trouble, he obeyed the securities but as he was escorted, the securities used unnecessary forces which caused scars and bruises to the individual. Furthermore, the black male was arrested and detained for 3 hours, then fined $65 by the Ottawa Police, and banned from the mall for 5 years. One witness stated that this was a case of racial profiling as she saw that the mall securities had no reason to assault the individual. Although many deny the existence of racism in the Canadian society, this type of inequality still largely exists. To further analyze this topic, articles written by various scholars on racial profiling in the criminal justice system and racism in the workplace in Canada will be compared and contrasted. Moreover, various sociological concepts learned from the class will be applied to explain racism. In addition, the Symbolic interactionist and Conflict perspectives will be compared and contrasted to have a better understanding of racism. Racism has been a long-standing problem that various individuals face...
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...The history of the TPA stretches back to the fall of 1918. In September of that year the Toronto Police Union was chartered by the Trades and Labour Congress. Facing low wages and seriously sub-standard working conditions, the then members of the Toronto Police Force saw unionization as a means of improving their workplace and gaining respect from the employer. An indication of the labour relations climate of the day is provided by the Police Commission’s response. The Union was swiftly denounced and the Commission refused to recognize its existence. The Union’s Secretary, Gordon Ellis, was summarily fired for allegedly failing to properly perform his duties as a police officer. The Police Commissioner, Magistrate Colonel Dennison, stated...
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...Evidence can make or break a case in court, physical evidence is the most reliable form of evidence and can make it much easier to find the truth. Although in some cases there are limited forms of physical evidence and witnesses need to be call to the stand in order to set a story straight. Credibility of a witness comes in to play in every court case being decided by a judge or adjudicator in which a witness is called to the stand to testify. That could be an eye witness to a crime or an expert witness giving a statement and even the accused testifying on their own behalf. Credibility is legally defined as, “Worthiness of belief; that quality in a witness which renders his evidence worthy of belief. After the competence of a witness is allowed, the consideration of his credibility arises, and not before.” There are many things that are taken into account when the court including, demeanour in court, consistency of story and if the witness is an expert, qualifications. This paper will examine how the court decides if a witness is credible or not and the...
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...When I think about the G20 Summit, the first things that come to mind are violence, controversy and protesting. Having lived in Toronto at the time, I first handily witnessed the outcome of the G20 Summit in downtown Toronto. Bringing all the economies together, and being able to identify changes needed is important. When it was confirmed it would be held in Toronto, I did quite a bit of research into the details of this meeting. The ability to openly discuss the world debt and financial stability, is a prominent topic to keep our economies strong. I strongly believe that these meetings are critical, however worry with the way things are developing around the world lately, vandalism and protesting is not the worst of the outcome in the future.I...
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...Dudley George was shot and killed by a police officer fighting for Aboriginal rights. This triumph is considered to be a historical event because Aboriginal people do not usually get land back instead of a cheque. The land was once an ancient burial ground and was surrendered in 1928 under suspicious circumstances. In 1936, after residents had requested for a park by the lake, the reserve was sold to the government. The government made the 2200-acre reserve into an army training camp in 1942. This forced the Stony Pointe people to move to an uncomfortable place where they now had to live. In 1993, the government still disagreed to return the reserve. This made Dudley George and some people from the Stony Pointe community move back onto the base hoping to get it back. On September 4, 1995, a few people moved into the park to notify people about the ancient burial ground. Police arrived on the scene two days later with force. It was that day an Ontario Provincial Police officer shot and killed Dudley George. First Nations have claimed that there had been many lies going around after that day. Such as the province disagreeing with the fact that there had ever been a burial ground. But the information was easily found in a search of government files. The ministers at that time also claimed that the premier did not say that he wanted the “f---ing Indians out of the Park.” The inquiry found that he had. Four years after the court case the reserve was restored to the Aboriginal...
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...program used by the Canadian police forces, notably Toronto police Service. Carding involves stopping, question and documenting individuals, by which officers routinely stop people in the streets and asking questions to obtain information. Carding is when police officers stop people that are of interest to them and take personal information from them such as Name, birth date, skin colour, age, address, city living in, the time when they got stopped and why they got stopped. This information is then filled out in a card and is then placed in a database (REF). Normally people get alibis or information from victims, suspects or witnesses during an investigation. With carding, however, it is not done during the investigation...
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...Source: - Title of article : “ U of T lecturer had complained about alleged attacker” - Name of newspaper : TORONTO-METRO - Date : WEEKEND september 12-14 2014 • Main idea : There is existence of a certain social conflict between a student and a teacher . Physical agression and disrespect of the law is at it’s climax. The student in question is taken to court for judgment. • New Word/Idiom or phrase plus a sentence for each using their own words: -Stabbed (paragraph 1- line 2 ) : i have heard that a student was takrn to court because she stabbed one lecturer in The university of Toronto. -pursue ( paragraph 2- line 18) : i still wish to pursue my education in English • I learned ... I learned that there was a case oh physical agression in the university of toronto. A female student attempted to kill 42 years old math lecturer Sean Uppal. The girl’s name was Xiaoyue Zhou and she was 21. • Summary : Xiaoyue Zhou used to be a very serious and extremely hard working student her room mate said. Fortunately for him, Uppal disarmed his attacker and called for help in surrounding offices, said the police. The assailant was charged with aggravated assault , assault with a weapon , having a dangerous weapon, and criminal harrassment. Zhou appeared in court Thursday with her head shaved, showing some littke emotion while the Mandarin interpreter was explaining the proceedings. A judge decided that she should be kept in custody to undergo...
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...The article from the Toronto Sun covers a store from March 2012. The story is about Mr. Kennedy who was in a fight with two officers who were in plainclothes and were cleared by SIU. The two officers were approaching Mr. Kennedys residence when he yelled at them to leave thinking they were the jehovah’s witnesses from before. They continited to knock and Kennedy and his girlfriend ran downstairs thinking they were drug dealers. Kennedy had approahced the two officers and was shoved when he became to close at that point Mr. Kennedy pulled ne of the officers hoodies over his head and was then taken down by the officers who used force to do so. Kennedy had told investigators that the two officers had not identified themselves. After investigation the SIU cleared the offciers on the charges and stated that the officers did not use excessive force to sedue the individual. Police officers are to protect the communtiy from the criminals that try and cause harm to the people of the community. In this incident the police were in plainclothes and were not recognizable as police officers. To Mr. Kennedy thought that the officers in plainclothes were wolves instead of sheepdogs and that is why he was assaultive with the officers. If the sheep had known they were sheepdogs he would not of acted the way he did. Since the police officers did not leave when Mr. Kennedy had asked them to, he thought they were there to hurt him which resaulted in him being assaultive towards the officers...
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...the dangers of being racially segregated have been well stated and experienced, little is being done to ensure equality. In explaining that a black woman has no equal rights in Columbia Tennessee, a disputed erupted between a white shopkeeper and a navy veteran. They had a dispute regarding a black woman who had issues with paying her. The black navy was charged and he pleaded guilty for disturbing the peace of the. He was later fined fifty dollars. Later he was fined, he was later arrested and charged with assault and murder. There were protests and the next day they white police officer came, violated the blacks, and arrested hundreds. Women were left without their husbands and without any protection. This would in turn result to insecurities, and the black women were always vulnerable. Rape cases on black women were all but a normal thing. The white police officers violated the women, and when cases were filed against them the whites always won. As an African woman, there were only four black women in a class full of whites. Although the whites behaved normally, in reality the blacks were not getting the same treatment like the...
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...The next case is the story and wrongful conviction of Robert Baltovich from Ontario, Canada. His girlfriend, named Elizabeth Bain had gone missing in June of 1990. The last time anyone had seen her was when she had told her parents she was going to school to check something. She attended the University of Toronto. After police investigations, her vehicle was found with evidence of her blood in the back seat, but her body was nowhere to be found. An undependable eye witness had linked her boyfriend Baltovich to her disappearance. He was then accused of second degree murder, the crown argued that Robert killed her because she was going to break up with him. The crown had based the case on two witnesses named, David Dibben and Marianne Perz....
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...it discusses how race profiling is evident in the process of “Carding” by law enforcement authorities. Racial profiling is the suspicion of certain individuals of law breaking due to a person’s faith, background, race, or nationality. It originates from racialization of ethnic groups since it occurs because of the stereotyping of racialized people by law enforcement officials. An instance of racial profiling is the halting of drivers for inconsequential traffic infringements based on race. In (http://torontolife.com/city/life/skin-im-ive-interrogated-police-50-times-im-black/) the police pursue the author’s father and eventually stop him just because the author’s cousin threw out a piece of Kleenex through the car window. The implications of racial profiling include sidelining of certain racial groups; hostility towards members of specific races; increased surveillance of distinct communities by the police and leads to the police losing faith and reliability from the citizens they serve. The first effect of racial profiling is the marginalization of communities that are more prone to race profiling....
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...Public/Police Relations: An Intractable Conflict? David A. Mercury damercury1921@gmail.com (416) 333-7523 Public/Police Relations: An Intractable Conflict? Purpose of this Paper The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the conflicts described, between the police and the Afrikan Canadian diaspora [sometimes referred to as the Communities] and the Original Peoples communities and other racial minorities, can be defined as being intractable. If so, the exploration of possible approaches to resolve these conflicts is beyond the scope of this paper. It is my hope and intention to conduct this exploration in later works. What is an Intractable Conflict? The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Peace, defines intractable conflicts through a discussion the common features. First, [emphasis added] intractable conflicts are protracted, persisting for a long time. Second, [emphasis added] they are waged in ways that the adversaries or interested observers regard as destructive. Third, [emphasis added] partisans and intermediaries attempt, but fail to end or transform them. Conflict intractability, however, is not a fixed dichotomous feature; conflicts vary in their degree of intractability. The degree to which the three defining features are manifested varies and changes, and they are best treated as dimensions of conflict. . . . Even duration is not a fixed characteristic of a conflict. The beginning of a conflict is often contested, with one side pointing back...
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...patterns of working class leisure can lead to resistance to such reproduction. This leads to social class relations and inequalities, and the fact that it they can never be completely reproduced in the leisure sphere. This film Home Feeling: Struggle for a Community, gives some examples of the role of leisure within a capitalist society dealing with issues such as class inequalities, and how they are different among various societies. One might define the relations between police and community relations in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto to be very discriminating. The start of the film already gives some insight on the issue which the film is trying to portray. A coloured man’s is being harassed because the police do not think that he has ownership for the van to which he claimed he owned. The police were violating his rights and treating him in an impolite manner simply because of the standard that has been set, claiming that all coloured individuals are violent and dangerous. This is also the case because the film has been recorded in the Jane and Finch area; where people are looked down upon and regarded as dangerous, violent and unemployed. The video...
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...Racial Profiling & Police in Canada Secondary Research Abskortski, Milen. "The Pluralism Project at Harvard University." Harvard University. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. Definition: * racial profiling refers to the discriminatory practise of law enforcement that is designed to target individuals for suspicion of crime based on his or her race, ethnicity, beliefs, religion or national origin History of Racial Profiling & Police in Canada Policing over the Past 40 Years * extends from systematic issues debated in court processes to prison practises and routine aspects of policing outside of legal institutions * aallegations that the Canadian criminal justice system is racially biased, were made at various junctures by different groups over the past several decades * Since the early 1900’s, racial profiling by the police has been highly dominant. Public complaints, legal actions, empirical research and a number of high-profile incidents had brought several police practices to the forefront of the debates on racial bias of policing in Canada Stereotypes Associated with Racial Profiling Stereotyping becomes a particular concern when people act on their stereotypical views in a way that affects others. This is what leads to profiling. Although anyone can experience profiling, racialized persons are primarily affected. Typically, but not always, profiling is carried out by people in positions of authority, and can occur in many contexts involving...
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