Nearly two years after Minnesotan George Floyd was killed in police custody and causing an explosion in awareness of systemic racism, the City of Guelph has delivered an important addendum to the Community Plan. Called “We are Community”, the new section released Friday will work to guide the City’s goal of creating more equity, and eliminating systemic racism to make sure everyone feels like they belong. Continue reading ““We are Community” is the Rallying Cry to Fight Systemic Racism”
It’s impossible to look at the events last week in Washington D.C. outside the lens of White Supremacy. Even President-Elect Joe Biden affirmed in a press conference that if the insurrectionists that broke into the Capitol, vandalized, and threatened the lives of elected representatives had been Black, there would have been a lot more arrests, and a lot more than five deaths. Shockingly, 2020 wasn’t the end of racism. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #256 – Racism Wasn’t Defeated in a Year”
This is where the hard work of changing the system, and combating systemic racism, begins. For almost two months there have been marches, demonstrations and meetings all designed to promote the cause, but if we’re going to tear down the system, and build something more equitable, it’s going to be a more long term fight. So how do we begin? Why don’t we begin with this podcast? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #229 – Black Votes Matter!”
You may have heard that recent events have prompted a lot of questions about the actions of police, and the systemic racism that may be behind the how and why they respond when called to a potential crime scene. Two Guelphites are sponsoring new petitions that will tackle key issues in eliminating racism and reforming policing, and the Member of Parliament for Guelph, Lloyd Longfield, is asking for his constituents to support them. Continue reading “Longfield Wants More Signatures on Two Key Petitions”
At a special meeting of the Upper Grand District School Board on Tuesday night, trustees all agreed that while forming a task force to look at police presence in schools is a good idea, the motion tabled by the Board chair had some issues that couldn’t be resolved in one night. While the Board accepted the report, there’s still a lot of work to be done before they move onto the next phase. Continue reading “Upper Grand Board to Look at Police in Schools, Hung Up on Technicalities”
A City of Guelph employee has been suspended after they posted an inappropriate message concerning Saturday’s Solidarity Protest to Support Black Lives Matter to the popular “Overheard at Guelph” Facebook page. The employee has been put on administrative leave, and an investigation is being conducted, but while the post has since been deleted, many on social media remain disturbed at the swipe at a peaceful and inclusive event. Continue reading “City of Guelph Employee Put on Leave After They “Criticized and Disparaged” Saturday’s March”
Thousands of people flooded Market Square Saturday and than marched through the streets downtown to send one message: anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism must end, and so must police brutality against those groups. In what might have been one of the largest protests Guelph has ever seen, especially in recent memory, a diverse group of residents joined a worldwide chorus of people demanding the elimination of systemic racism. Continue reading ““The Change Starts Now!” Thousands Take Over Market Square to Say, “Black Lives Matter!””
For nearly two weeks, protests demanding an end to police brutality and anti-Black racism have taken to the streets in cities across the U.S., Canada, and around the world. On Saturday, it will be Guelph’s time to demonstrate with what’s looking to be a very large gathering of people in support of Black Live Matter out in front of City Hall. What’s it going to look like, and what’s it been like organizing something like this in a pandemic? Continue reading “Q&A with Kayla “Kween” Gerber About Saturday’s March, and Combatting Racism in Guelph”
People around the world have been watching the events unfolding in the United States last weekend, and some of those people live in Guelph. As we struggle with our own feelings about the death of another Black man in police custody, and we think about our own roles in combating anti-Black racism, Guelph’s leaders have been offering words of comfort, understanding, and self-reflection. Continue reading “Guelph’s Leaders Offer Messages of Hope and Encouragement”
Guelph Politico 