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Toronto’s Gun Pandemic – Quality of life now depends on the colour of your skin and your postal code

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“It’s the mother’s cries I will never get out of my head. Two children, whose bodies had been so pulverized by the bullets fired at them, decapitated, whose flesh had been so ripped apart. The only clue to their identities was the blood spattered cartoon clothes still clinging to them, clinging for life and finding none.”

Surgeon Dr Guerrero gave this statement speaking on the horrors he witnessed in an emergency room, describing these disturbing, and graphic images.

I know that many of you might not want to hear about this topic at this time of year, because the holidays are supposed to be about joy and cheer, families and get-togethers, but what about those families who have a loved one missing. In some cases, there is more than one missing. Have you ever questioned what the holidays are like for them? How do they navigate the loss they feel when they look at an empty place setting once held by a loved one?

More than 2,500 children and teenagers in the U.S. have been either injured or killed by gunfire so far in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA).

An update was provided on the number of Americans impacted by gun violence ahead of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform assembly on the national gun violence crisis. The GVA said the numbers it shared on social media were updated as of June 7th, 2022.

Nearly 1,800 children and teens have been injured by gunfire since the start of 2022, and 717 children and teens have been killed by gunfire in that time, according to the GVA.

Africans living in the United States bear the brunt of the gun violence epidemic, and although this might be common knowledge, I want you to take a look at some statistics, and really become cognizant of the trauma that we are dealing with in the African diaspora:

  • Each day on average, 30 African Americans are killed by guns and more than 110 experience non-fatal injuries
  • African Americans experience 10 times the gun homicides of White Americans
  • African Americans are nearly three times more likely to be shot and killed by police as White Americans
  • African Americans experience 18 times the gun assault injuries of White Americans
  • 68% of African Americans or someone they care for has experienced gun violence

Why? Why are we continuing to witness these numbers in our communities across North America? This disparity is the result of centuries of oppression and disinvestment. Gun homicides, assaults, and police shootings all occur at a disproportionate rate in historically underfunded communities. It can be said that this underfunding is the result of past racist policymaking and perpetuates long-standing racial inequities.

Disproportionate rates of gun violence have also been exploited by gun lobbyist who have pushed dangerous myths to spread fear and to advance a pro-gun agenda rather than invest in proven solutions like community violence intervention and victim support.

What brought the seriousness of this topic to my awareness was a post that I saw on the Zero Gun Violence Movement Instagram page. We hear, and see the violence in America, and what we don’t realize is that this has slowly begun to leak across the border.

On May 17th, 2022, the Angus Reid Institute polled about 5,000 Canadians and found that overall 43% believed gun violence is increasing in the areas that they live.

51% said gun violence is the same, while 6% believed it was decreasing.

Overall, three-in-five (60%) say gun violence was rising in their province, with Quebecers (75%) and Ontarians (66%) perceiving this to be the case.

Further, two-in-five (43%) said that gun violence had increased in their communities. Those in urban areas were considerably more likely to say this (46%) when compared with Canadians living in rural parts of the country (29%). Residents in Montreal (65%), Halifax (56%), and Toronto (54% in 416 area code, 57% in 905 area code) were most likely to note that their communities had become more violent. Official data from Statistics Canada confirmed that firearm offences have, indeed, become more common over the past decade.

I had a chance to speak with Uncle Louis, the founder of the Zero Gun Violence Movement. He has been a community worker and advocate in the African Canadian community for over 30 years. His work has primarily focused on youth engagement and mentorship initiatives, and has been a part of successfully collaborating with over 40 different community organizations, agencies and programs across the city of Toronto.

The movement focuses on:

Education and Awareness

They provide youth with resources, support and information to help end gun violence within their community.

Advocacy

By providing youth and community leaders with the skills to: mobilize and encourage others to take action and create safe and healthy communities.

Engagement

By working with community members and organizations to help them develop the skills and tools to help reduce gun violence.

When I saw some of the most recent numbers, I had to reach out to Uncle Louis to find out exactly what he was witnessing. Why such a steep upward slope?

“These numbers are not a surprise for me,” Uncle Louis began. “For the last nine years, these numbers have been trending up. I have been appealing to the Black organization to take this topic on, but it was not part of their mandates. If it does not affect certain people, they do not care.

We finally got the JCA, and the Black Alliance to take this topic on last year. We need more community organizations to take this on seriously. These young people were not born with guns in their hands, and we as the village have to find ways to work with our young people, because unfortunately, our government continues to drop the ball.

Ford took 25 million dollars away from youth programming and gave the money to the police. He believed in more boots on the ground, and the police spoke out and said we need the community to partner with us.

Uncle Louis shared with me just how impactful this move by the government was.

“A young person who is currently on house arrest spoke to me and told me that if there were programs catering to young people, he probably would not have gotten himself in trouble.

Something that I noticed was the numbers started increasing when John Tory became the Mayor of Toronto. He kept saying it was a policing problem, even though the police were telling him that it is more than a policing issue. There is most definitely a correlation between the rise and violence and when Mayor Tory took power. The city of Toronto has been given money, but the money that has been delegated to community initiatives has decreased. You can see where their priorities are.

It was only when their safe zones had been breached, that they were taking notice. As long as it is in certain areas, they can’t be bothered.

Gun violence has become normalized in many communities. It has become tolerated. Toronto has become a city of cities. Quality of life depends on the colour of your skin and your postal code.

Our community needs to step up and start protecting our young people. In certain neighbourhoods in the city, people are running inside; there is no vibrancy, no energy, and no positive vibes. At sunset in certain areas things just shut down.

Gun violence does not happen in a vacuum, there is certain condition that breeds it. This time of the year is horrific for families who have lost their children to gun violence, and who are doing anything about it.

We have to shift back to what makes us who we are. It is about caring, and supporting families who live in the areas. It is time to return the mind-set of, it takes a village!”

We, as humans are guaranteed certain things in life: stressors, taxes, bills and death are the first thoughts that pop to mind. It is not uncommon that many people find a hard time dealing with these daily life stressors, and at times will find themselves losing control over their lives. Simone Jennifer Smith’s great passion is using the gifts that have been given to her, to help educate her clients on how to live meaningful lives. The Hear to Help Team consists of powerfully motivated individuals, who like Simone, see that there is a need in this world; a need for real connection. As the founder and Director of Hear 2 Help, Simone leads a team that goes out into the community day to day, servicing families with their educational, legal and mental health needs.Her dedication shows in her Toronto Caribbean newspaper articles, and in her role as a host on the TCN TV Network.

Community News

You get vaccinated, get Myocarditis, and then have a ticking time bomb in your chest

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BY MICHAEL THOMAS

According to a new peer-reviewed study funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sixty per cent of young people who were hospitalized with Myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine still showed signs of this disease six months after being injected.

Some 307 out of 333 patients they started with had their health data collected from April 2021 to November 2022. The time between injection and follow-up varied, with a median of 178 days, almost six months.

What is worse is the study authors are said to be making fun of the seriousness of the findings. They are calling the results reassuring and describing these cases of Myocarditis as mild.

Who are these study authors? Why are they acting so recklessly? Critics said that some of those study authors who published their report in The Lancet on September 6th, 2024, also have ties to the government and the big drug companies that may have influenced the research.

One such person is lead author Dr Supriya S. Jain, a pediatric cardiologist and researcher at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York. Daniel O’Conner of Trial Site News criticized the FDA as the study’s funder. “The FDA is not keeping up with its tradition of ‘patient safety first,’” he said.

O’Conner said he believes the outcome is much more severe than is reported, and The FDA study authors do not have the urgency they should, given the vulnerabilities of the population.

Chief Scientific Officer of The Children’s Health Defense Brian Hooker agreed, saying he was “disgusted” by the study authors’ downplaying of cardiac harm caused by the COVID-19 mRNA injections. Hooker is quoted as saying, “You get vaccinated, get Myocarditis, and then have a ticking time bomb in your chest for the rest of your life.”

Some of the most vital questions here concerning these injected youths, and the injected population is “What happens as they age?” or “Where do they go from here?”

It is important to know that medical researchers have pointed out that studies show Myocarditis can be life-threatening and can also cause critical changes and scarring of the heart.

“I don’t feel that any incidence of vaccine-induced Myocarditis is reassuring,” Heather Ray, a science and research analyst with CHD told a reputable news source. “Additionally, we have all witnessed several anecdotal, or personal reports of individuals who died from vaccine-induced cardiac issues over the past four years.”

Dr Peter McCullough said, as a cardiologist, he was “Greatly concerned,” that COVID-19 vaccine heart damage in most of the young people studied had not resolved at the time of follow-up. McCullough said that he disagreed with the author’s reports calling this finding mild, “Even small areas of damage invisible to cardiac MRI could put vaccine recipients at risk for a future cardiac arrest.”

It is amazing that with all these findings and recommendations to date, COVID mRNA Injections are still very intentionally and maliciously pushed on the population quietly worldwide, this is especially true here in Canada.

It may interest readers to know that the same people behind these mRNA injections in the Western world have decided to look at Africans as lab rats too. The World Health Organization has approved so-called mpox injections for use in adults and said it can be used for: babies, children, teens, and pregnant women in Africa.

Brian Hooker called the WHO’s approval of the shot for infants and children in Africa “A train wreck in the making.”

Recently here in Canada, Global News is now warning that the CDC is telling folks that COVID injections, and heart inflammation issues between injected teens are related. This is something that Toronto Caribbean Newspaper has been warning Canadians about for years now.

Again, Global News has reported, “Myocarditis is noted by the Canadian Pediatric Society as a possible side effect of mRNA injections.” https://old.bitchute.com/video/EFDWj1rHrX6v/

Now more than ever it is vital that folks think for themselves and quit relying on compromised professionals who are in positions of power but are wolves in sheep’s clothing working for Big Pharma.

A rule of thumb is to question everything because history has shown that liars usually suffer from short memory.

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New course launched that counters narratives and understands Black children’s humanity

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The launch of the new course “Black Childhoods in Canada” in the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University is positive and encouraging. Details of the launch of this groundbreaking course were revealed in a post by Clara Wong on May 8th, 2024. For many students it will be the first time formally studying Black experiences; encountering Black scholarship, or even being taught by a Black professor. It was introduced in the winter term of 2024 and was one of the first courses in TMU’s Black Studies minor, which is offered by the Faculty of Community Services.

The course is coded as “CLD540” and details of its content are noted.

“An introduction to Black Canadian Studies in the context of childhoods. Childhoods are considered via Black feminism, Black studies, anti-racism, and de-colonial theoretical and practical frameworks and pedagogy. Students engage in a range of textual, experiential and multi-modal learning opportunities.”

Some of the topics covered include:

  • Black acts and media
  • Black Canadian histories
  • Black families and mothering
  • Black girlhood
  • Blackness and disability
  • Blackness and ECEC and education
  • Black play
  • Black queer activism
  • Global anti-Black racism

Professor Rachel Berman was inspired to enlarge the Black studies content in early childhood studies and reached out to her colleague, Janelle Brady to collaborate on the development of the course. This was financed through the Faculty of Community Services Anti-Black Racism Curriculum Development Fund, which ensured that it was ready.

Professor Berman states, “I’m thrilled now to see the course come to life. It’s long overdue. There’s a deficit assumption about Black children-that Black boys make trouble during play, or that Black girls are made to seem more mature than they are. We need to counter those narratives and understand Black children’s humanity.”

Professor Brady notes, “The course doesn’t resolve everything, but it’s a start in breaking the ‘preschool-to-prison’ pipeline for Black children.”

She observed further that the impact of teaching the course has influenced her greatly. She adds, “It motivated me to do even more and seek more resources. There were so many informal discussions among students inside and outside of class. There’s a real hunger for spaces like this. It was inspiring to see how much students are already engaged in anti-Black racism work, and I feel I was learning just as much as they were.”

There are many testimonials from students who have been enrolled in this extraordinary course. Faizi Ali, an undergraduate student in the early childhood studies program states, “Any forum that allows Black students to lift their voice is cause for celebration. The course provides so much space for us to exchange ideas and thoughtful dialogue. I’ve gained many new perspectives and techniques to better support students.”

Magdalena Grammenopoulos, a media production undergraduate student, talked about the insight that left the biggest impression on her from the course. She states, “The concept of Black ‘futurity.’ It’s about imagining a stronger future for Black children through the ways we live day-to-day-ways that counter the stereotypes and discrimination which prevent Black children from living as freely as others. I want to implement futurity by always taking it upon myself to create safer spaces for Black children, whether it be my friends, family, or strangers.”

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“No! You can’t check my phone.” Border officers are not authorized to search your electronic device

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Each year, millions of Canadians travel abroad, and we carry our personal devices (computers, tablets, and smartphones). These devices contain highly sensitive and private information about who you are, reflecting your: lifestyle, beliefs, relationships, finances, and health.

What you may not know is that even though your personal device is very personal, and highly sensitive because of the information on it, section 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act allows Canadian Border Officers to search these devices without any reasonable suspicion. This law was recently challenged by two travelers, Jeremy Pike and David Scott, who were charged with possessing and importing child pornography after their devices were searched. Now, although it is a good thing that this type of behaviour was caught, the key question in their appeal is whether this law is constitutional.

On August 12th, 2024, the Court of Appeal for Ontario released its decision in R v. Pike, 2024 ONCA 608, holding that section 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act, which authorizes border officers to search electronic devices without any reasonable basis, is unconstitutional because it violates the section 8 Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. CCLA was an intervener in the case.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is a human rights organization committed to defending the: rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada. CCLA is the pre-eminent voice advocating for the rights and freedoms of all Canadians and all persons living in Canada. They are leaders in protecting rights and have earned widespread respect for their principled stand on such issues as: national security, censorship, capital punishment, and police and state accountability with a fearless voice on civil liberties, human rights and democratic freedoms.

Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program, made the following statement, “CCLA applauds this important ruling, which makes it clear the border is not a Charter-free zone. As CCLA argued, standardless limitless searches of electronic devices, which contain highly private information, violate the Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.”

I had a chance to review the decision, and I found direct references of CCLA’s submissions at paragraphs:

  • 63: The Crown’s related counterargument that travelers’ “choice” to travel with digital devices merits a lower threshold also fails. Because digital devices are our “constant companion[s]” (Bykovets, at para. 1), travelers need to bring them across borders to work and communicate. As the trial judge ruled, leaving them behind is not a meaningful choice. Neither is declining to leave and re-enter Canada, which, as the intervener Canadian Civil Liberties Association (the “CCLA”) submits, is not merely a choice but a section 6 Charter Just as “Canadians are not required to become digital recluses” to preserve their privacy (R. v. Jones, 2017 SCC 60, [2017] 2 S.C.R. 696, at para. 45), they also should not have to surrender the ability to enter and leave Canada with an indispensable instrument of modern life.
  • 66: The law’s low threshold increases this risk because, as the CCLA submits, low threshold powers are the easiest for officers to wield to target, whether intentionally or not, racialized and disadvantaged people: R. v. Landry. While the law’s good faith purpose test offers some protection against this risk, its subjective nature makes that risk harder to detect because officers do not have to point to objective facts to justify the search and help negate the possibility of discrimination.
  • 73: Simmons held that the state’s interest in suppressing the trafficking of drugs produced in other countries that had to be transported across the physical border to enter Canada justified the strip search law: at pp. 526-529. In contrast, digital contraband, even when downloaded to a device, is usually also stored on external servers and can be electronically transmitted into Canada, a mode of transmission that the Agency admits it has no mandate to control.

(They refer to Professor Steven Penney’s article “Mere Evidence? Why Customs Searches of Digital Devices Violate Section 8 of the Charter” and an article by Professor Robert Diab “Protecting the Right to Privacy in Digital Devices: Reasonable Search on Arrest and at the Border” (2018)

  • 89: Manual searches can still invade large amounts of highly private information and, if officers invest the time, can be almost as revealing as forensic searches. Further, officers could easily use manual searches as a backdoor to gain information that would meet the higher threshold to conduct forensic searches.

They refer to an article by Bingzi Hu, “Border Search in the Digital Era: Refashioning the Routine vs. Nonroutine Distinction for Electronic Device Searches” (2022)

“Parliament must legislate a stringent standard with clear safeguards for the state to search an electronic device at the border. This reflects the fact that electronic devices are a trove of our most personal, intimate, and sensitive information,” shares Shakir.

The pandemic showed how willing our government is to overlook and ignore our rights and freedoms. This is why the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper will always keep you “In the Know,” when it comes to how to truly live as a FREE Canadian.

REFERENCES:

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2024/2024onca608/2024onca608.html

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2017/2017scc60/2017scc60.html

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11/latest/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11.html

https://ccla.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CCLA-Intervener-Factum-R.-v.-Pike-Scott-COA-23-CR-0023-C70656.pdf

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