Racism in policing is systemic: it’s embedded in the law and policy governing policing. It results in a service that inadequately protects - and often harms - Indigenous, black and other racialized people.
Although racism is systemic, the police complaint process is individualized. After a police-involved death, we investigate the officer, not the system. Second, the inquests tasked with investigating police-involved deaths are systematically failing their purpose of preventing similar deaths.
We are a coalition of families affected by police violence, and we want change. We have two demands: first, a new police complaint body able to investigate systemic complaints; second, the reform of the existing inquest system to produce vital recommendations to improve public safety - as it is meant to do.
Join our Campaign!
You can participate in two ways (1) Please READ OUR OPEN LETTER and then send your own with the points below; and then (2) Please fill out the form to be placed on our list of allies to keep in touch.
IF YOU SUPPORT US: write the Premier directly
Write/email the Premier’s office and let him know what you think under the subject line: Ending Systemic Racism in the Winnipeg Police Service
The Honourable Wab Kinew
Premier of Manitoba
Room 204 Legislative Building
450 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 0V8RE Ending Systemic Racism in the Winnipeg Police Service
OR email: premier@manitoba.ca
…and CC copy us: Coalition of Families Affected by Police Violence, at meg@meaghandaniel.com
Systemic racism is a known problem in policing.
Systemic issues require systemic investigations and remedies - they will never be resolved by discipline against individual officers.
There are two reforms that will ensure systemic scope processes begin to protect Indigenous, racialized and other vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by police violence.
Create a public complaint body with systemic investigation powers.
Review the Fatal Inquiries Act to ensure the inquest system is producing meaningful recommendations; as the issues which render a person vulnerable to police death will not be resolved by reforming the police alone.