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10-13-2005, 02:25 PM
From Toronto Star article (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1128723024501&DPL=IvsNDS/7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes)
A call for 'separateness'
Partnership of 22 groups seeking distinct programs
Gun violence and deaths behind controversial initiative
ANDREW CHUNG
STAFF REPORTER
Decades after the civil rights movement fought for racial integration, a Toronto coalition of 22 black community groups disgusted by gun murders in the city wants a separate set of rules and institutions for blacks — from a government department to a diversion program for minor crimes.
The ambitious demands are, black leaders say, a turning point.
Fifteen years ago, you would not have seen so many in the black community "so frustrated that they are willing to consider this a positive — this formation of separateness," said Zanana Akande, a former principal and an Ontario cabinet minister in Bob Rae's New Democratic Party government.
(snip)
The coalition is also calling for:
A court diversion program for blacks who commit minor offences.
An economic development agency for blacks.
A skills training and employment access program focused on blacks.
Police to keep race-based statistics.
Repeal of the zero-tolerance school discipline policy, which the Ontario Human Rights Commission is investigating for accusations that it deals more harshly with blacks.
A federal-provincial and cross-border task force to address trafficking in weapons and drugs.
An independent civilian review of police misconduct.
A halt to a large youth detention facility planned for Brampton, which it calls a "superjail."
The coalition also supports calls for a black-focused school and envisions a vibrant African-Canadian cultural centre.
The focus of these proposals on a single group makes them highly controversial. Some of the ideas — such as a diversion program and a black-focused school — were broached more than a decade ago but vilified as segregationist.
A call for 'separateness'
Partnership of 22 groups seeking distinct programs
Gun violence and deaths behind controversial initiative
ANDREW CHUNG
STAFF REPORTER
Decades after the civil rights movement fought for racial integration, a Toronto coalition of 22 black community groups disgusted by gun murders in the city wants a separate set of rules and institutions for blacks — from a government department to a diversion program for minor crimes.
The ambitious demands are, black leaders say, a turning point.
Fifteen years ago, you would not have seen so many in the black community "so frustrated that they are willing to consider this a positive — this formation of separateness," said Zanana Akande, a former principal and an Ontario cabinet minister in Bob Rae's New Democratic Party government.
(snip)
The coalition is also calling for:
A court diversion program for blacks who commit minor offences.
An economic development agency for blacks.
A skills training and employment access program focused on blacks.
Police to keep race-based statistics.
Repeal of the zero-tolerance school discipline policy, which the Ontario Human Rights Commission is investigating for accusations that it deals more harshly with blacks.
A federal-provincial and cross-border task force to address trafficking in weapons and drugs.
An independent civilian review of police misconduct.
A halt to a large youth detention facility planned for Brampton, which it calls a "superjail."
The coalition also supports calls for a black-focused school and envisions a vibrant African-Canadian cultural centre.
The focus of these proposals on a single group makes them highly controversial. Some of the ideas — such as a diversion program and a black-focused school — were broached more than a decade ago but vilified as segregationist.