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Harbord's Working Charter and Local Infringements
Habord's global citizenship rights and responsibilities are as follows:
1. Local to global awareness
2. Promote equality
3. Stand up for social justice
4. Desire for change/activism
5. Respect for civil liberties
Local Infringements
In Toronto, a major breach of these rights and responsibilities occurred between June 25 and 27 of 2010, with the hosting of the G20 summit. Over two days, roughly 1100 people were arrested, many of them over unlawful grounds. These were largely peaceful activists, speaking to have their point of view on government policy heard. Strips searches based on “suspicious appearance” were done, and protesters were boxed in by police forces for hours in the rain, without given opportunity to disperse, and were arrested in large numbers. With their detainment, the respect for civil liberties was lost. It was interpreted by many as a punishment to standing up for social justice, and having a desire for change.
Another ongoing, and quite controversial occurrence in Toronto is targeted police work, and more specifically, carding. Carding is the practice of stopping, questioning, and documenting people during non-criminal encounters on the street. According to Peter Sloly, deputy police chief of Toronto, they frequently used to gather information such as height, weight, and skin colour, on individuals that are "doing something strange", or obvious drug use. Unfortunately, it has been criticized heavily as being a vessel for discrimination to visual minorities. Addressing this, Sloly noted that in the most carded area in Toronto, Jane and Finch, the crime rate has gone down, and the relationship with the local police has improved. Such is contradictory to the opinions of many of the residents of this neighbourhood. The reality is that more colored minorities are carded in at risk neighbourhoods than others. This goes against promoting equality, and infringes on civil liberties. And until January 6th of 2015, it was not addressed. There is now a ban on carding, however it is reported to still happen at Jane and Finch.
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1 Comment(s)
Thank you for sharing your Working Charter and Local Infringements. The examples of local infringements clearly show how civil liberties and rights can be negatively affected by the same security services and institutions, which are meant to uphold our liberties. In Toronto, the mass detainment of peaceful protestors during the G20 summit was indeed an infringement of civil liberties, including the right to protest. The right to protest can be considered an essential human right arising out of a number of recognized human rights, including the right to Freedom of Assembly, the right to Freedom of Association, and the right to Freedom of Speech. Political demonstrations, or protests, are not necessarily violent or a threat to national security. Nonviolent resistance and civlil disobedience can propose a positive message that supports a democratic and constitutional order.
In relation to your Working Charter, what does “social justice” and the “desire for change/activism” specifically mean to you, in your context? Should Charters include specific rights, such as the right to protest, the right to freedom of assembly, or the right to freedom of speech? Also, what do you think would be some of the rights and responsibilities we could include in our Charters to ensure “local to global awareness”?
Curtis Riep
Feb 24, 2015