Missed Opportunity in an auspicious even

Missed Opportunity in an auspicious even

TORONTO – The cultural event followed by the town hall meeting with Toronto Police Chief William Blair last Wednesday, May 21, at the Toronto Police Headquarters on College St. was considered a first of its kind in the recent history of the Toronto Police Service, at least for the four ethnic groups that had worked hard to make it happen: the Vietnamese-Canadian, Korean-Canadian, Filipino-Canadian and Japanese-Canadian communities.

The hallway where the program was held was filled with people, many in ethnic costumes; the cultural performances were well applauded; and so were the speeches. The glorious ethnic delicacies were happily feasted on by an appreciative crowd, and then it was time for the much awaited town hall meeting with the Chief.

Blair welcomed everyone, saying the opportunity to come together “is very important to us.” He expressed pride in the diversity of Toronto, where people “live together in relative peace and harmony,” which, he quickly added, was not to suggest that there are no safety issues. He then thanked especially the organizers of the event – the eight member Planning Committee composed of representatives of the four ethnic groups; and the four police representatives who participated in the work of the Planning Committee, led by Police Constable Philip Mendoza.

Then it was the turn of the community to speak about their issues and concerns, which was what the Chief was ready to hear, as well as others who were present, including Toronto Police Services Board Chair, Dr. Alok Mukherjee, who preferred to stay at the back, Toronto Councillor and Toronto Police Services Board member Pam MacConnell, Councillor Raymond Cho who represented Mayor David Miller, members of the Toronto Police Service present and other guests.

What was heard that evening were the issues and concerns very well articulated by the representatives of the Korean-Canadian, Vietnamese-Canadian, and Japanese-Canadian communities. However, not a single community-police issue or concern was expressed by the Filipino-Canadian representatives, as if there were none, according to several people in attendance who were perceptive and interested enough to notice.

The need for an Asia-Pacific consultative presence in the police was well emphasized by Rowena Santos, a member of the committee, and later by Filipino Centre Toronto president Rosalinda Javier. But nowhere in their speeches was there any mention of any concern among the Filipino youth and other members of the community, in contrast to the very forthright and straightforward, yet respectful way the other representatives had presented their issues, reflecting the realities in their own communities, which apparently they were very much aware of. They spoke of issues such as fear of the police, racism, discrimination, the need for cultural competence in dealing with community police issues.

It seemed strange that nothing was even mentioned by the Filipino community representatives about the high profile police-community issue arising from the young Jeffrey Reodica case. This was one case that had galvanized the usually silent and passive Filipino community into working towards positive efforts to seek justice for an unnecessary death, and to ensure that such tragedy would not happen again. This failing was lamented by many who were waiting for the issue to come out. Ironically, that day (May 21) of the town hall meeting was the fourth anniversary of Jeffrey’s shooting.

Mentioning Jeffrey is not meant to open old wounds. It is to honor the memory of a young man who should not have died, to recognize that this was one time the community worked hand in hand with the family seeking to redress what it perceived as a grave injustice, and to work even with police towards positive changes in the way they deal with the youth. For this reason, Joel, Jeffrey’s elder brother, had courageously accepted the invitation to be part of the youth advisory body to Chief Blair.

Mentioning Jeffrey, to many people, is part of the healing of the hurt the community felt when Jeffrey had died, something which even Blair recognized as when he told this writer in a past interview.
“I was very well aware of the wound in the community” following Jeffrey’s death, he confided, that when he became the police chief, he found it important to personally convey his condolences to the family.

Even Dr. Alok Mukherjee acknowledges the impact of this issue as when he spoke in a community event last year: “Once in a while in our community, something happens which may be just routine, or which may have a profound impact, and I think the manner of Jeffrey’s death has to be one of those incidents that has had a profound impact… there is a need to reflect on what policing in this community means, and what we mean when we say we believe in community policing, what is the role of human rights, of anti-racism, of equity in policing… And I want to acknowledge the role of the Community Alliance for Social Justice… the fight you have consistently kept up is essentially the reason why these changes have happened. They did not happen out of the goodwill of anybody. I want to acknowledge that and to thank you for keeping uop the pressure.”

One wonders if the Filipino community representatives are even aware that there are still the many Filipino youth who continue to harbor fears of being unsafe in the presence of police officers, so that more work needs to be done to establish mutual trust between our youth and the police. In fact, one of the Coroners’ inquest jury recommendations which was meant to deal with this reality, and which Blair said they were already implementing, states:

“Community Liaison Officers (of the Toronto Police) should continue their practice of building up relationships and establishing trusts between themselves and the communities.”

Indeed, as our issues are being recognized by institutions such as the Provincial Coroner and the Toronto Police, the least that assigned community representatives can do in an important event like a town hall meeting is to articulate these issues with courage and dignity. After all, while the organizers and those involved very well deserve kudos for organizing the Consultative Committee, and in having the Chief’s approval for its establishment, there is a need for community representatives to bravely articulate our community’s concerns. This is precisely the reason for the town hall meeting, and the reason for a consultative body’s existence. It is the substance that matters most to the community, much more than the form. It is not niceties and platitudes that one wants to hear in a town hall meeting but substantial issues that matter to a community.

The Chief had his own way of articulating this message when, in approving the establishment of a Consultative Committee, after noting the passion with which the speakers had expounded on its importance, he said: “We need to recognize the diversity…we need to have the cultural competency…we need to build respect and trust that enables us to work together.”

He added, with emphasis, “We are not looking for cheerleaders…we need people who share your concerns…we also want these people to help us understand the culture…help us develop strategies for us to do a better job in building relationships…in reaching young people.”

Overall, the event was a success in meeting its declared objective of forming an Asia-Pacific Consultative Committee in the Toronto Police Service, and the organizers deserve all the congratulations. It was also a good opportunity for leaders to articulate their community’s issues and concerns, which were precisely what the police officials wanted to hear. That first event may have been a missed opportunity for the Filipino community, in terms of identifying concerns especially those affecting our youth, but there remains hope that in the next times, these concerns will be competently raised and heard.