Thousands march in Mississauga for anti-black racism protest
Thousands of people gathered in Mississauga to march against racism and police brutality in a peaceful protest on Sunday.
The demonstration started at Celebration Square as protestors marched while holding signs that read "black lives matter" and chanting "justice now."
"It's amazing. It's beautiful to see," said Dwayne Stephens, a protestor who helped organize the march.
"To see everyone unite together as one to fight injustice, we need more of that."
The crowd started at noon and marched toward the Marilyn Monroe Towers, in the city's downtown core, where they took a knee and paused for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the same amount of time a police officer kneeled on the neck of 46-year-old George Floyd before his death.
Floyd's death has prompted countless protests in the United States, Canada, and several cities around the world.
Racism in Canada
Stephens says he is happy the GTA is coming together in protests condemning injustice because he says problems with racism don't just exist south of the border.
"I think society as a whole has this illusion that racism only happens in the U.S." he said. "But it happens everywhere, really and truly, even in Canada."
It's a sentiment shared by MPP for Brampton North Kevin Yarde, who also attended the rally.
Yarde, a member of the first Black Caucus in Ontario, said "systemic racism is not just an American thing, it happens here in Canada as well."
"The black community and the police community have to come together," he said. "If we don't come together then we're not going to end racism."
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie also stood in solidarity at the protest saying in a tweet, "I am an ally. I am listening."
Demonstrators calling for body cameras
The demonstrators marching in today's rally in Mississauga are also calling on Peel Regional Police to move forward with body cameras for their officers.
"It can't be their word against the word of a dead man," Stephens said to CBC Toronto.
"There are a lot of cases where minorities are being killed by police but it's only the police and the victims. We need another witness there to at least validate what happened on the scene."
On Friday, Peel Regional Police announced that they will be begin the process of implementing body cameras.
Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah has been asked to bring forward a report with options for the use of body worn cameras for Peel police officers.
The Peel Police Service Board says that the matter will be discussed and decided on at their next board meeting on June 26.
This comes as a response to community reaction and incidents of police brutality in the United States and Canada and the police service says it is taking action to "preserve the public trust, while at the same time allowing police to do their jobs effectively."
Mayor Crombie, along with Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown have thrown their support behind the plan, with Crombie tweeting "we recognize this won't fix everything."
"Mayor [Patrick Brown] and I will be consulting with the Black African & Caribbean communities starting next week."
