Toronto police used more force against Black people, then gave an apology nobody asked for

According to race-based data released by the Toronto Police Service earlier this month, Black people and other people of colour are disproportionately over-policed compared to white people. 

The data found that people of colour were 1.2 to 1.6 times more likely to face force when engaging with Toronto police in 2020. 

Alongside the release of these findings, which the police service was mandated to conduct, was an apology from interim police chief James Ramer… that nobody asked for. For decades, Black and other racialized people have known that systemic racism exists within the police force. 

So, what will these findings mean for the future of policing in Canada’s largest city? 

Today, we speak to assistant professor in the department of health and society at the University of Toronto, Notisha Massaquoi who helped develop the framework for the Toronto Police Service’s race-based data policy. 

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