NDP Jagmeet Singh says radom police checks should be banned

[my5cents]

HALIFAX -- Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is renewing his call for a ban on all random police street checks, saying the practice -- sometimes known as carding -- is a form of systemic racism.

"People are being stopped because of the colour of their skin," he told an outdoor news conference, held in a park that is in a predominantly black neighbourhood in Halifax's north end.

"That's not good policing. That's not good for building a vibrant society .... When you're stopped in your community for no reason, it makes you feel like you have no worth."

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/random- ... -1.3872782

So when police stop a white person, that would be OK, I guess, but then if the police stop and check a new Rolls Royce being driven by a scruffy looking poorly dressed, white male. That would be "appearance discrimination".

[Jflem1983]

Im all for making roadside checkstops illegal.

[GordonH]

Im all for making roadside checkstops illegal.

I don't think NDP leader was talking about checking for impairment. lol

[jimmy4321]

I agree with Singh on this. Don't know how often this happens elsewhere but it happens in Halifax to people simply walking home from work late night early am

[Bsuds]

I don't have a problem with it as long as it's done in a respectful manner but I can see where that's probably not happening.

[rustled]

There was a time when people walking home late at night would have been reassured the police were out there, too, doing their job. Might think "nice to know they're there if I need them, getting a feel for who's out here when I have to be".

But in this day and age, we've been told this is a negative often enough that we'd rather they weren't out there interacting on any kind of human level with the public. To make it a negative, they make it about racism.

I've never been offended by a cop stopping me to ask what I'm up to. Just figure the cop's doing the job we pay them to do.

Why does anyone have a problem with it? IMO, they have a problem with it because they're told they should.

[jimmy4321]

I think the issue is that its not middle aged white men being checked out.

[my5cents]

I think the issue is that its not middle aged white men being checked out.

Perhaps because middle aged white men are in the demographic that are NOT doing crime. But that's just a guess.

With all these "rights" we have, if I'm walking down the street in blue jeans and a white T shirt and the police are looking for a suspect that was wearing blue jeans and a white T shirt, I have the right to tell them absolutely nothing, give them all the guff I want. Waste their time by not giving them enough information to realized I'm not the guy they are looking for.

So the bad guy gets away because during the 15 minutes I'm saying nothing, they can't just leave me, I'm acting like I could be the guy.

Was that being a good citizen ? Should I be proud that I stood up for my rights ?

[Smurf]

jimmy4321 wrote:

I think the issue is that its not middle aged white men being checked out.

Do you have proof of that? Years ago when I actually used to be out at night wandering around I was checked a few times. I'm not saying it doesn't happen just that I don't believe it is near as bad as it's made out to be.

I do not see anything wrong with checking people wandering around late at night or in areas where they wouldn't be expected. As has been said that is part of their job as long as it is done respectfully. Also the person being checked has to be respectful and I believe therein often lies the problem.

Jflem1983 wrote:

Im all for making roadside checkstops illegal.

I'm actually all for them. I wish they would double up on them especially after marijuana is legalized and get the problem drivers off our roads. You don't have to worry unless you are a problem driver. The safer they can make the roads and our cities, towns, whatever, the better off we all are.

[the truth]

HALIFAX -- Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is renewing his call for a ban on all random police street checks, saying the practice -- sometimes known as carding -- is a form of systemic racism.

"People are being stopped because of the colour of their skin," he told an outdoor news conference, held in a park that is in a predominantly black neighbourhood in Halifax's north end.

"That's not good policing. That's not good for building a vibrant society .... When you're stopped in your community for no reason, it makes you feel like you have no worth."

https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/random- ... -1.3872782

So when police stop a white person, that would be OK, I guess, but then if the police stop and check a new Rolls Royce being driven by a scruffy looking poorly dressed, white male. That would be "appearance discrimination".

the guy if a fool, and needs to step down http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/why ... -criticism

[my5cents]

......................I'm actually all for them. I wish they would double up on them especially after marijuana is legalized and get the problem drivers off our roads. You don't have to worry unless you are a problem driver. The safer they can make the roads and our cities, towns, whatever, the better off we all are.

Totally agree with you Smurf, but.

The only trouble is, to make checks, they would have to have police out on the street. In the last three weeks, driving in and around the central OK, between Penticton and Kelowna, I've seen one police vehicle in total. I'm not talking about seeing one police vehicle with a member writing a ticket or stopping a vehicle, I've just seen one police vehicle. It was driving on Hwy 97.

[Chyren]

Always so quickly it becomes a racism thing. Maybe, just maybe, we're past the racism conversation.

There's are thousands of police officers that do amazing work everyday and yet, there's tons of people that seem to always turn their job into a racism thing.

Canada IS NOT the USA.

If you're asked by police why you're how are your "rights" infringed? Either answer or don't answer. Its a free country but to quickly use racism as the "always played" card is getting old.

Cops need to be allowed to do their job. If you have a problem with your job there's a complaint process. Go and complain.

If cops are not allowed to investigate or patrol or do a beat walk then why the hell do you even want police in the first place?

[jimmy4321]

This has nothing to do with the RCMP i believe its to do with their city police that cover the HRM.
Its been the topic on & off on Halifax radio talk shows and news for a good 8 yrs that i remember.

[my5cents]

This has nothing to do with the RCMP i believe its to do with their city police that cover the HRM.
Its been the topic on & off on Halifax radio talk shows and news for a good 8 yrs that i remember.

For those, like I who have no idea what a "HRM" is (until I researched it) the HRM is the "Halifax Regional Municipality"

Profiling is a basic tool of police work. You are likely very correct that Singh had, or perceived he had problems with police bias in the HRM. For someone who wants to be Prime Minister of an entire country, I don't think solving a perceived problem in one small area of this country (and yes, there is likely others) should be solved by applying a country wide regulation or policing policy.

"Profiling" has been given a bad name. Yes, it could include harassing citizens because of their race, but there is so much more to profiling. Targeting police action to a particular race or races without other justification is wrong.

A police officer sees a beat up car with three occupants that look scruffy, crowing all around (looking around), the vehicle is in a warehouse district at 2:00 AM. After stopping the vehicle, it turns out that all three are Indo Canadian.

So is that racial profiling ? Do we want the police to ignore this vehicle under these circumstances ?

Let's say I'm driving my son's beat up old car. I've forgotten to get something from my warehouse that I need for a meeting the next morning not at the warehouse. My son has parked blocking my car in and I just borrow his car.

As I drive through the dark streets of the warehouse district a police officer spots the vehicle and pulls me over to find out what I'm doing in the area.

Should I be angry that I have been profiled because of the vehicle I'm driving ? ie "Why are you stopping me, why don't you go harass a criminal ?" How the heck does he know who I am or what I'm up to until he speaks with me.

Personally I'd be very happy that I was stopped and checked. That means the police are doing their job. They are protecting my warehouse and all the other warehouses.

I would expect that the police in stopping anyone under those circumstances should treat the occupants of the vehicle with respect. If the conversation with the occupants doesn't resolve the concerns of the officer, yes, further investigation is warranted.

I'm not saying that operating a beat up old car at 2:00 AM in and warehouse district gives the officer the right to drag me out of my son's car frisk me, and abuse me.

There is a hyper sensitivity to racial issues. The police get a report of a robbery in an area, the suspect is described as a black male wearing a hoodie. The police stop and check a black male wearing a hoodie, what do you think the chances are that this male, who is black and wearing a hoodie who is not the suspect is going to conclude that he was checked because he was black ?

[the truth]

exactly.............. but these people are turning everything into racism,