Dear Editor,
We read the June 3, 2020 article "Owen Sound mayor, police chief take a knee in response to death of George Floyd," with misgiving. As two people who grew up in Owen Sound, and one of whom has now returned to this community, we recognize that it is disingenuous - and dangerous - to suggest that the action needed in our community is to take a knee for a photo op. As a white person and a white-presenting person, we want to call in our community for this conversation. We need much more than the feel-good optics of a photo-shoot about "what kind of community we are here in Owen Sound."
Dangerous Message No. 1: Owen Sound is free from racism
Racism and violence by police do exist in Canada. We must leave behind the myth that this is an issue that occurs solely in the United States. This myth enables white supremacy to linger just below the consciousness of white Canadians - but its effects are still being felt by many Black and other racialized people. Just two hours south of us, Regis Korchinski-Paquet's family is demanding answers about how a call to the police ended in her falling from her 24th story balcony in March. Last week, Chantel Moore was killed by police in her apartment in Edmunston, NB. We know that racism exists here because we have been told over and over again. In the last two years: the mosque vandalism, the synagogue vandalism, the white supremacy stickers, the graffiti racial slur on a home, and, five years ago, the former MP Miller's racist comments. As Desmond Cole puts it, it is insulting to frame these as "one- off" anomalies.
For community leaders to claim that our community is above the violence we saw in Minneapolis sets a dangerous precedent. White people - including here in Owen Sound - need to critically engage in a deep unlearning process about how we historically and contemporarily benefit from the exploitation and dehumanization of Black people. We know there are people in our community here and now who experience anti-Black racism, and we believe posting photos on Facebook falls far short of meaningfully addressing those realities.
Owen Sound cannot continue to cling to the idea that because we were the Northern Terminus for the Underground Railroad we are absolved of any collective responsibility for the anti-Black racism that exists in Canada today. The common narrative of the Underground Railroad depicting Canada as a place of safety and freedom is only one facet of the story, and Owen Sound’s story does not end there.
Dangerous Message No. 2: Taking a knee in a photo makes you an "ally"
Taking a photo is not the same as taking a stance against racism. It is a dangerous standard that taking a selfie and posting it to facebook is a check on the imaginary "ally do-to list." According to Layla F. Saad in her book, Me and White Supremacy, this is a form of “optical” or “performative” allyship. She explains this as making a show of being an ally, without putting in the work of understanding your role in white supremacy and working to dismantle it. Anti-Black racism is deeply rooted, both in our social systems and in our selves. A photo shoot cannot possibly challenge this truth.
Dangerous Message No. 3: Once you “become an ally,” your work is done
Anti-racist work is continuous, requires deep introspection and, most importantly, it means listening to the experiences of Black Canadians. And Black Canadians are telling us unequivocally that they experience racism in Canada. Understanding and acknowledging this reality is an important step - but what next? How is the City of Owen Sound going to commit to supporting our racialized community members? What specific actions will Owen Sound Police Services take to ensure they reduce violence and discrimination within their force?
We believe that the City should follow the lead set in Minneapolis and elsewhere and commit to defunding the police. This sounds radical, but we believe our community can reimagine what public health and safety look like. Defunding the police would mean reinvesting those funds in social work and mental health services, as well as programming that supports Black and Indigenous artists, entrepreneurs, parents, and community leaders.
We love our community and we believe that Owen Sound has the capacity to take part in this global movement to reckon with our racial histories and build new futures.
Sincerely,
Anne-Marie Hay & Sylvie Vigneux
