Justice for Jeffrey, unite to oppose police brutality, and combat racist attacks

Justice for Jeffrey, unite to oppose police brutality, and combat racist attacks

THE Organizing Committee for a Filipino-Canadian Youth Network is one with the Justice for Jeffrey Reodica Campaign and unites with the rest of the Filipino community in demanding justice for the death of Jeffrey Reodica. Jeffrey was shot by a police officer on May 21, when he and a group of friends set out to confront a couple of white youth who had attacked them the day before.

As the true story of Jeffrey’s fatal shooting unravels, it becomes clear that Jeffrey and his friends were victims of racism, both on the personal and systemic levels. Firstly, the encounter which led to Jeffrey’s death was sparked by an attack on two of his friends the day before. The two boys were physically assaulted by two white teenagers, after being told to “Go back to the Philippines and eat rice.”

Secondly, Jeffrey and his friends suffered brutal treatment by the police. According to the eyewitness account of Jeffrey’s friend, the police officer pushed Jeffrey to the ground, and slapped him around while pointing a gun at him. Jeffrey was shot while kneeling defenselessly on the ground. The other seven boys who were with Jeffrey were questioned by the police without the presence of a lawyer or their parents.

Thirdly, the mainstream media has been biased in reporting the incident that led to Jeffrey’s death, basing their reports on information from the police and unnamed witnesses. Details in the mainstream reports conflict with the eyewitness account provided by Jeffrey’s friend.

What happened to Jeffrey is an example of racism in its most brazen form that Filipino youth can be faced with. Even then, we come face to face with racism in our daily lives in our schools, in our communities and in our workplaces.

As Filipino youth, we join others in our community in demanding a clean and impartial investigation into Jeffrey’s death. Moreover, we call on our fellow youth to come together to be vigilant, to oppose racism in its many forms, and challenge the institutions such as the police and the media that perpetuate it.

Justice for Jeffrey Reodica!

Oppose police brutality!

Filipino youth, unite to combat racism!

(The Organizing Committee for a Filipino-Canadian Youth Network will conduct an anti-racism workshop in August. The workshop is entitled “Youth of Colour Combatting Systemic Racism.” Exact date and location to be announced. For more info, contact Mitchie at (647) 273-6553 or mithi_esguerra@yahoo.ca.)