I’ve been doing volunteer work and activism for a decade now, but my wife Sapphira Charles’ newfound activism is putting me to shame.  It’s been very encouraging watching her go from 0 to 100 in the space of a couple months, and becoming a voice in our community and someone to rally around.  Through her actions the last few months I’ve witnessed such a saga of both devastating racism, alive and well at home and abroad in 2020, and uplifting unity and humanity, as our communities came together in support.

My wife had never attended a protest or rally before this year, but CoVID had us all reevaluating our lives and she felt moved by all the furor around the injustice of George Floyd’s murder. Her first ever march was the Black Lives Matter march downtown on May 30, 2020. Well that seemed to light a spark inside her and fostered a newfound solidarity with her fellow black community.

Then a woman from the Beaches decided to have a Black Lives Matter march for George Floyd.  Well, being a white woman, she thought she’d best practise some due diligence and contact our closest BLM group.  This happened to be a Toronto student group of BLM (BLM across the continent is not a cohesive centrally-controlled group) who strangely told the woman NOT to have the protest. 

For some reason they felt being a white woman in a predominantly white neighbourhood that she should not lead the protest march, even going so far as to suggest a white neighbourhood was not the place for it.  They also indicated in general BLM groups are discouraging protests because of the potential for violent opposition from white power groups.  But that’s an issue happening in the US, nowhere in Canada has seen such developments.  However, feeling it wasn’t her place, she cancelled the march.

Well my wife would have none of it!  I had helped Sapphira prepare for the protest, lending her my reusable protest sign (dry erase marker on corrugated plastic, sturdy and you can reuse forever) and she was all geared up to go and totally deflated when it was cancelled via Instagram a mere 2 hours before the event. 

We both agreed that a predominantly white neighbourhood is precisely where a march is needed, and if being led by a black person was what was missing, Sapphira surely fit the bill.  So she jumped on it, communicated with the woman who was going to run it, re-promoted the event, and together we whipped up some speeches and devised some chants.  In the space of two hours she went from being about to attend her second protest march ever to leading her first protest ever.

Sapphira did really well, surprising herself and me with her orating.  She spoke strongly, with passion and intensity.  Most people would not have guessed she’s a hard core introvert who detests public speaking.  Arriving at the Kew Gardens gazebo at the end of march, a few people said some words and shared their stories, and gave thanks to my wife for ensuring the march stayed alive.  Beach Metro covered it here. But as the march was so last minute many people were clamouring for another one so they could attend too.

Photo by Shah Ruby

So began my wife’s foray into full-blown activism.  She set up another protest, started the Facebook group #BeachersforBlackLives, and we started preparing.  This time we were going to get my parents to watch our toddler son, he didn’t last really well through the first one.  Sapphira wrote a more comprehensive speech, we procured a megaphone, and she formally organized speakers this time.

The first protest maybe had a hundred+ people, the second was definitely 300+ and a smashing success.  After safely marching the same route, from Williamson Rd school, down Glen Manor, across the boardwalk, and up to Kew Gardens gazebo, the speakers related their own very personal experiences with racism, some of whom grew up in the Beaches and suffered through racist incidents here.  It was a very powerful display, and speakers couldn’t thank my wife enough for the opportunity to speak their truth to an attentive sympathetic audience.

Well, I should have known that wasn’t the end of my wife’s budding activism.  Motivated by the growing membership of the Facebook group and making connections in the racialized community of East York, she found herself being invited to talk at other events and participate in other groups.

A horrible racist incident happened in Dentonia Park, when an interracial couple were assaulted and called racist insults by a disgruntled white man.  If that wasn’t bad enough, the police refused to investigate the assault.  So another protest sprung up in front of 55 Division, and they asked Sapphira to speak.  She gave another rousing speech and further entrenched herself as a local activist.

But it doesn’t end there!  A new Instagram group sprung up, seeming to mirror the #BeachersforBlackLives Facebook group, and was holding their own protest starting at Leuty Lifeguard house.  Sapphira was a bit confused at this seeming competing group, and couldn’t understand who they were or why they wanted to hold yet a third protest march in the area. 

Upon investigating the group she found out it was a couple of young female students who used to live in the area and they had no idea there was another group or that previous protests had happened.  In fact, they seemed to start the whole thing on a lark and weren’t sure how to organize their march.  Cue Sapphira, in for the save again.

Due to my extensive experience with protests and rallies I kept asking Sapphira questions about the plans for the protest, and found the students had never really done anything like this before.  Sapphira took the reins a bit, coached them in some of the details they needed to cover, and even arranged for the police to escort the march down Queen St. 

The young women, well-meaning to be sure, never thought to request a police escort, yet were planning to block Queen St to march the entire length of the Beaches from Woodbine to RC Harris.  Despite being rookies off to a shaky start, with my wife’s help the young protesters managed to get even more solidarity out of the Beaches.

At this point Sapphira was firmly on the inside of black activism in the Beaches.  She was part of the Community Solidarity Against Racism in Construction (CSARC) conversations about the nooses left on the construction site of Michael Garron Hospital, eventually culminating in a zoom call with the mayor.

Side note, when Ellis Don erected a plaque claiming a “commitment to inclusive diversity” I immediately looked on their website to see just how “diverse” their company was and created the following graphic to expose their hypocrisy:

Sapphira also joined the steering committee planning an event in Dentonia Park to counter the racist assault incident there.  If only this story ended here, but racism reared its ugly head in our neighbourhood again.

A young black boy playing with a Nerf gun in Ivan Forrest Gardens on Queen St had the police called on him.  Eight officers stormed the small park, startling and shocking the boy and his mother.  They referred to the boy as a “suspect”, but then thankfully backed down quickly when they saw the truth. 

The real question is:  how does anyone mistake an 11-yr old boy with a neon Nerf gun as some kind of armed threat?  A police officer in my family suggested the police should look into charges of public mischief and coveting a false message by means of telecommunications for the caller.  The police have been investigating, and have identified the caller as someone local.  I’d just love to have the person outed and shamed to the point they never show their racism again for fear of the public outcry.

Another local black mom who was appalled by the story decided to hold a Nerf gun fight in the park to show just how silly the 911 call was.  My wife followed it up the next week with a dance party!  “Love in the Park” is all about dancing out our fears and embracing love, showing solidarity and respect for each other in the most universal way humans interact with music.  Global was there and she got on the 6:00 news.

Not long after came the Dentonia Park event.  My wife wanted to do some artivism for the event, some kind of banner with a message, and my suggestion was put up some treated plywood on the fence ringing the park, put a message in masking tape, have the community paint over it, and then reveal the message.  Well the event kinda took a few twists and turns, there was a lot of discussion on where to hold the event (Dentonia Park is large) and decisions about appropriate materials, and in the end it was done on Tyvek that had grommets added to it.  Not the ideal material to attach to a fence on a windy day but in the end it held up and the result was quite stunning.

Well the banners didn’t last 24 hours, the next day they were completely ripped off and found in a nearby dumpster.  The organizers banded together and put them up a second time, just to have them ripped apart and scattered this time.  At first it seemed like a hateful response to the messages of love, but it turns out the fence they used was part of a cricket field, and the posters blocked the view for spectators that would use the benches there.  So it’s impossible to say who trashed it when for what reason, but at least we have all the pictures and video to remember it by. Now Sapphira is heading the permanent art installation/mural for Reclaim Dentonia, and also a jury member for the Leuty Boathouse mural project.

The past few months has seen Beaches-East York prove that when racism rears its ugly head, and it still frequently does, we band together against it.  My wife has found her voice in the tumult, and with the help of allies they are uniting more and more people. Let’s keep up the pressure and good vibes and ensure that it’s clear the Beaches will NOT tolerate racism, bigotry, or discrimination.

Adam Smith

Picture:  Protest in front of 55 Division, July 6, 2020

I went to the protest in front of 55 Division on July 6, and found the story of Mark Austin resonated with me.  Not because I’ve been the victim of racial discrimination, but because I too have been assaulted, multiple times, only to have 55 Division take no action.  And it seems to be a common story.

The first time I was assaulted was by a drunk person with mental health issues (I only learned that later) on Queen St.  Despite giving him a wide berth he shoved me on the sidewalk, and when I called him on it he got belligerent.  When he got right in my face reeking of beer and spittle flying at me I yelled for him to back off, at which point he grabbed me.  I grabbed him back and threw him away from me and called the police.  Somewhere in the 5 second scuffle my ear was ripped and was bleeding.

Despite the sound of him in the background yelling at me the police clearly saw no urgency and showed up 20 mins later.  As I was advised not to follow him, he was long gone when the police did arrive.  They saw my ear, did not take any pictures, and took a bare bones statement.  They did not speak to the witnesses who saw it happen and waited with me.

I then turned to social media, drawing a picture of my assaulter that very night, and got a hit.  Locals knew his name and even exactly where he lived and had stories of his other disruptions.  I relayed all this information to the police, their response?  “He’s known to us.”  And that was it, they took no further action.

The second time I was assaulted was when a young woman nearly caused an accident with me driving recklessly on her e-bike.  When I called her out she punched me in the face.  Yes, a 20-something woman punched me in the face in broad daylight at Wineva and Queen.  Now, this assault did get the proper attention but I believe the only reason was because it was very public, multiple witnesses helped me detain the woman as she tried to flee the scene, and a detective just happened to be getting a coffee at Juice & Java and came out to see the commotion.  This time they did take pictures of my bruised eye, they did take action against the woman, although they convinced me not to press charges if she gave an apology.  I agreed, but it was the lamest apology ever, “I’m sorry my driving scared you.”  Pfft, but whatever, the police actually acted.

Third time I was assaulted was by an Amazon driver!  In his entitled mind he thought it was ok to park on Woodbine facing the wrong way and blocking the bike lane when he had AN ENTIRE ROW of available parking right where he blocked the lane.  He literally could have just pulled in three feet to the left and we would never have spoken.  I railed on him for blocking the lane when he has available parking right there, of course he cared not.  I slapped my hand on his van window as I angrily went around him, and he saw that as justification for running after me, grabbing me from behind, and yanking me off my bicycle in the street.  I turned around and asked him what the hell he thinks he’s doing?  Then he asked me to fight!  I stared at him in disbelief, and said, “That’s assault, I’m calling the police”.

Well, as you might guess, there was complete reluctance to do anything.  I gave them all the info, all they asked was, “Are you injured?  No?  We’ll see if there’s anyone in the area.”  And that was it.  A man felt entitled to pull me bodily from my bike onto the street because I slapped my palm on his illegally parked company vehicle, and I guess he is entitled to act that way, because clearly there are no consequences to such actions.

I’m not alone in this observation.  Through my various interactions with people around the neighbourhood over the years I’ve heard a few stories of 55 Division officers simply not wanting to follow up on assaults, brushing them off and refusing to take any further action.

As one less egregious but very appropriate example, this past weekend I was on the beach.  For the sake of the officer I will leave out details that might identify them (despite my extreme disappointment with their behaviour).  The beach was super busy, as it has been this last month since restrictions started lifting and people felt comfortable to venture out.  A motorized boat illegally pulled into the swimming area inside the buoys and came up to the shore.  Now thankfully there was no incident, but all day long I watched toddlers, including my own, frolicking in the shallows.  I was incensed the boaters felt they were entitled to violate that space with their boat, and this happened to be very close to where a man drowned a couple weeks ago.  I knew from earlier an officer was close by and went to speak to them.

Well, this officer was busy the last half hour lounging on a park bench on the boardwalk chatting with some people that seemed like friends of theirs.  And I mean LOUNGING, they had their arms spread wide and were pretty much reclined on the bench.  I approached and told the officer a motorized boat had illegally pulled into the swimming area.  Well to my consternation all I got was resistance from the officer, “Well, did anything happen?” they asked.

“No,” I replied, “but they’re not supposed to be there, it’s a swimming area inside the buoys, no motorized vehicles allowed.”

“Come on,” the officer took another tack, “Everyone’s just trying to have a good time.”

At this point my frustration was becoming clear, as I said, “It doesn’t matter, that’s where small children swim, including my toddler son.”  With VERY obvious reluctance the officer pulled themselves off the bench to go check it out.  They then spent the next 20 mins chatting amicably with the boaters, after which the boat driver, alone without a spotter (the other boater got off on the beach), backed out from the beach using their motor and went on their way.  I regularly snorkel in that area, thank goodness no one was in the path of that boat as it backed out.  My extended family witnessed this behaviour with me and were equally appalled.

As one last strange example, I once had the police show up at my door.  My wife and I were protesting a neighbour chopping down a mature tree, because the posted reason was “poor location”, which simply sounds like the owner didn’t like the fact they bought a house with an 80 year old willow tree in their yard.  Despite the fact I had never threatened or even spoken to this person face-to-face, they somehow convinced the police I was some kind of threat and needed to be spoken to.  They showed up at my door, talked to me for a few minutes, then went on their way.  What baffles me is why are the police willing to show up at my door when I’ve done nothing wrong, whereas it seems difficult to get them to follow up on actual crimes?  Could it be that the person who called the police is a home owner and everyone I know who’s been ignored are renters?  What does it take to convince the police to check on someone who’s done nothing wrong when they refuse to investigate people who are in fact committing crimes?

Now, I know this behaviour is not indicative of the TPS as a whole, nor even of police in general.  I know some excellent, highly ethical, and principled police officers, my brother for one, who would never dream of acting like that while on duty.  I’ve also heard through my police connections that in the TPS itself other divisions see 55 as more or less the slackers of the TPS, which seems to support the behaviour residents are witnessing.  I can’t speak for other divisions, but it would seem 55 Division has a long history of not wanting to follow up on certain crimes.

Is there an explanation for this behaviour that’s not being relayed to the public?  Is this common in other areas?  The possible reasons that come to my mind are perhaps:

• Officers know from experience that certain crimes without ample witnesses are incredibly hard to prosecute, and so are a waste of their time and the courts
• Officers know how overloaded the courts are and perhaps have been instructed to do their best to avoid taking actions that will result in more time in court
• Officers know how incredibly strained their time and budgets are and are forced to make decisions as to what will get attention and what is less serious and has to be let go

Or, worst case scenarios:

• Officers know the extra paperwork involved and simply avoid doing the work
• Officers do not want to spend their shift doing all the interviewing and leg work

Whatever the explanation is, the people deserve to hear it.  There is an expectation that our police service actually fulfills their function as serving the people by upholding the law, and when that expectation is left unfulfilled time and again, people are left angry and disenfranchised.

What I heard at that protest, and how I’ve felt as well, is that our police are not listening to us and not communicating with us either.  We are left in the dark feeling helpless, powerless, and unprotected.  Perhaps this would not be so if more officers actually lived in the areas they police, perhaps there is more at play than the public is aware of and there are deeper issues unbeknownst to us.  Problem is, we don’t know, there is an ongoing lack of action that is left unexplained.

We need police; they are the backbone of a just and equal society.  But when it starts to feel like they aren’t there for us, that there seems to be justice for some but not all, it breeds contempt and anger and disillusionment.  If there are deeper problems holding the police back, whether lack of funding or time, they need to be honest, but if it turns out there is a culture of police unilaterally deciding when and whom to police, that needs to be outed as well.  We cannot move forward without trust and understanding, and 55 Division and the TPS need to appreciate the optics of refusing to investigate or prosecute crimes in our neighbourhood.