We must work to dismantle anti-Black racism and white supremacy, which are pervasive in Canada, too.
We are inspired by the solidarity from transit workers in New York City and Minneapolis who have refused to transport police and arrested protestors to jail. Here’s part of ATU 1005’s recent statement:
“We have a saying: 'NOT ONE MORE' when dealing with driver assaults… We say 'NOT ONE MORE' execution of a black life by the hands of the police. NOT ONE MORE! JUSTICE FOR GEORGE FLOYD.”
As the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants reminds us in their recent statement:
“Expressions of solidarity are meaningless if we do not confront and work to end the Anti-Black racism that is insidious and pervasive, and deeply rooted in our own communities.”
What you can do right now for racial justice
One first step you can take right now towards racial justice is to
make a donation. But there is so much more to do: Learn about anti-Black and colonial violence in Canada. Challenge racism within yourself and the people you know in your family and workplace. Join in
collective action. Challenge the organizations you are part of to meaningfully contribute to movements for Black lives -- including TTCriders. Our organization, which has one white staff person, is reflecting on our mandate and how our work can better support movements to dismantle white supremacy and systemic racism.
Keep reading to learn more about the connections between anti-Black racism and public transit. We’ve also compiled an incomplete list of Toronto-based Black activists and thinkers who work on public transit issues. If you are not sure where to start with learning and taking collective action, write to us at [email protected] and we can share more links and resources.
Transit inequality
Access to public transit has always been a racial justice issue, connected to economic, disability, and gender justice.
New research shows that Torontonians who have been able to give up transit during the Covid-19 pandemic are "wealthier, whiter, more likely to have been born in Canada and less likely to have a disability compared to those who continue to ride.”
The areas of Toronto with the highest rates of Covid-19 cases have a higher population of Black people and are also served by some of the busiest bus routes. "Black people may end up working front-line jobs where they are less valued and where they don’t have adequate access to personal protective equipment like masks, Dr. Onyenyechukwu Nnorom recently told Global News. These communities also rely on early morning public transit to get to work on time, putting them further at risk."
This map by Sean Marshall also shows how some of the most crowded TTC routes during the pandemic serve areas where racialized and low-income people live and work.
Policing on the TTC
Black Toronto residents are disproportionately targeted by TTC fare inspectors and enforcement officers. The
Toronto Star reported last year that the TTC had been effectively carding riders since 2008, collecting 40,000 records on transit riders who were not charged with an offence. The
Star’s analysis found that 18.5% of recorded interactions were with Black people -- but Black residents make up just 10.7% of Toronto transit users.
Reece Maxwell-Crawford, a Black teenager who was tackled and pinned to the ground by TTC fare inspectors in 2018, wrote an open letter and took legal action to address systemic racial profiling on the TTC.
TTC fines are higher than other Canadian cities; nearly triple the fine amount in Vancouver and Ottawa. Yet some cities in North America, such as Seattle, are lowering fines and moving away from harsh enforcement because it is not effective and Black people and people of colour face harsher fare evasion penalties. You can read a bit more information about fare inspection on the TTC here.
Defunding the police
Sandy Hudson of Black Lives Matter - Toronto
explains that to effect change that could actually stop police killings of Black and Indigenous people, we must have a conversation about shifting resources away from police budgets. In this
recent interview, Desmond Cole argues that police should be defunded and disarmed.
Did you know that Toronto Police Services is the biggest expenditure in the City Budget?
[caption id="attachment_10273" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Source: Lauren Pelley, CBC, March 2019. Via @elamin88. [/caption]
The TTC Board voted to spend $3.2 million to hire 50 more staff in 2020 to reduce fare evasion (although the rollout of these new hires has been delayed due to cost-cutting during Covid-19). Yet the real evaders are the politicians who have underfunded the TTC for decades.
TTCriders is calling on the provincial and federal governments to provide emergency and long-term funding. The TTC faces a $575 million shortfall by Labour Day due to lower ridership during Covid-19.
The TTC suspended fare inspections during the pandemic after significant public pressure, but has just announced that fare inspections will resume in July.
Learn more
Toronto is rich with Black activists, thinkers, and urban planners who write about or work on public transit issues.
Click on the links to be directed to their social media profiles or some of their recent work on public transit issues. Follow them, read their work, and invite them to speak:
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Sarah Mohamed, incoming president of Scarborough Campus Students’ Union
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Cheryll Case, urban planner at CP Planning
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Amina @bambinoir on Twitter, urban planner
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Shannon Holness, urban planner and Community Benefits organizer with TCBN
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Jay Pitter, award-nominated author and placemaker
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Rosemarie Powell, Executive Director of Toronto Community Benefits Network
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Michael Manu, former Budget Lead at the Toronto Youth Cabinet
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Jamaal Myers, urbanist and community builder
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Brittany Andrew-Amofah, Senior Policy Analyst at Broadbent Institute
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Loretta Fisher, member of Workers Action Centre and Spring
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Zainab Hussein, Masters of Environmental Studies graduate
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Franklyn McFadden, accessibility activist
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Milen Tewelde, organizer
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Kumsa Baker, campaign manager at Toronto Community Benefits Network