Judy Haiven questions why police and reporters broadcast the release of a man deemed a high-risk offender who has completed his sentence. “I’m no expert in this matter of crime and punishment. But it can’t be good to target, name and shame ex-cons in our midst. After all, 95% of people in prison do get released. They have to walk and live among us.”
The Disability Rights Coalition is collecting signatures to an open letter to Premier Stephen McNeil, asking his government to stop warehousing people with disabilities and focus on investing in community living options instead. Alternatively, the group is asking people who are institutionalized and/or waiting for a community living space to file an individual human rights complaint.
Organized mutual support has always been strong within the autism and disability communities, but it can g much further, writes Alex Kronstein, who looks at the Antigonish co-operative movement and the Black Panthers social programs for inspiration
Rana Zaman on the Christchurch terror attack, its causes and what to do to counter white supremacists. “We should not be surprised with increased acts of terrorism against Muslims; the signs were there, clear as day. ”
Dr. Cynthia Bruce on the recent Human Rights decision on institutionalization and what it says about the pervasive force of ableism in Nova Scotia. “Describing ableism only in terms of discrimination against disabled people fails to capture the essence of ableism’s power to oppress. Discrimination is an intensely felt outcome of ableism, but the origins of such discrimination rest in deeply held beliefs that disability is undesirable, unwanted, and a burden on individuals, families, and society.”
News release: The Nova Scotia chapter of Autistics United Canada announces their inaugural neurodiversity flag raising event on Friday, March 29 in recognition of World Autism Acceptance Day. Neurodiversity is the natural diversity of human brains and minds.The rainbow infinity symbol symbolizes the great diversity in the Autistic community, and is widely used to represent the larger neurodiversity community beyond autism, such as ADHD and dyslexia.
News release: Krista Carr, Executive Vice-President of CACL, explained, “When it comes to pursuing justice for Canadians who are or have been institutionalized, CACL will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. Even if it takes 1,500 individual complaints – as these rights are secured in the CRPD, which Canada has ratified with Nova Scotia’s agreement.”
Joint media release by People First Canada and People First Nova Scotia tackles the decision in the recent Human Rights tribunal on warehousing of people with intellectual disabilities. “To completely dismiss the idea that people with disabilities are discriminated against in most every system in our society is not someone being ‘un-woke’ – this is someone who is completely unaware and obviously not paying attention.”
On Wednesday March 13 Yusuf Faqiri will be in Halifax to talk about the death of his brother Soleiman, who lived with schizophrenia and was killed by guards while in solitary confinement in Ontario. Yusuf will speak about deaths in custody, the journey to justice for his brother, and the treatment of mental illness in Canada. Schulich School of Law, room 104, 7 PM.
At least eleven men and women have died prematurely in Nova Scotia prisons and jails since July 2011. We talk with prison activist Martha Paynter to understand these shocking numbers.