FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 11, 2019
HALIFAX (KJIPUKTUK): Watching deer while Black incident demonstrates a much larger problem.
See also: Dr. Lynn Jones: Watching deer while Black – an open letter to Bill Mills, Mayor of the Town of Truro
Recently, Dr. Lynn Jones and two elders of the Black community in Truro were racially profiled when they were approached and questioned by police while watching deer on the side of the road near Jones’ home.
Dr. Lynn Jones who is a longtime union activist, Black community leader and sister of the late Rocky Jones responded to the incident by asserting herself with the police, communicating with town officials and expressed her concern not only about the incident but municipal governments’ response.
In her letter to the Mayor of Truro Jones stated that “ I’m angry that the new normal is for police to stop and question Black People wherever and whenever they step foot into areas white people determine are out of bounds for Blacks… I’m angry that overt and systemic racism and discrimination continues and is not eradicated.”
This incident demonstrates the problem of racial profiling and the negative relationship that exists between police and the black community is a provincial wide issue. It also demonstrates that the lackluster response by municipality government to address systemic anti-black racism provides us an opportunity to work collectively and collaboratively to renew a positive working relationship between all levels of government and the Black community.
It is these reasons that the African Nova Scotia Decade for People of African Descent Coalition (DPAD) was created.
DPAD’s mission is to: build strength and health across African Nova Scotian communities; as well as to forge a renewed working relationship with all levels of government which will create conditions for all African-descended people in Nova Scotia to thrive.
The DPAD Coalition therefore supports Dr. Jones letter to the Mayor of Truro and challenges the province and all its municipalities to work with leaders of the Black Community to address the racial profiling and systemic anti-black racism provincially.
Contact:
Vanessa Fells
DPAD Program Coordinator
dpadprogramcoordinator@outlook.com
