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For the last five months the Black Brilliance Advisory Committee alongside Students 4 Inclusive Schools has been advocating the removal of the SRO program in all Waterloo Region School Boards. Our advocacy was supported by @LAENToronto who were instrumental in the removal of 1/
the program @tdsb Given the visible lack of SRO oversight; the disproportionate harm of Black and Indigenous youth, their own lack of confidence in the system our original request for an independent external review in partnership with community researchers. 2/
The board approved an internal committee review. The next stage of our advocacy to ensure strong community representation and impartiality within the @wrdsb review process. @ScottPiatkowski has been forthright and attentive in hearing the concerns of the community. 3/
When the BBAC was made aware of @Trustee_Ramsay being included in the committee we immediately objected. He declared in approving the review that he did not agree with the community’s perspective on the SRO program. This is not indicative of entering the review process 4/
Open to hearing the voices of the community. One purpose of the review is to determine should it be removed by declaring before the process has begun that he doesn’t agree with the removal @Trustee_Ramsay has declared his bias. 5/
You can watch the @wrdsb October 19 board meeting where he clearly states his bias. In that meeting, alongside Trustee Smith that alleged that members of the BIPOC community were being harassed by “BLM”. Neither Trustee was able to substantiate these claims. 6/
It was a display of racial violence & gaslighting of the Black community leaders that is practiced by the system to silence community advocates. Ironically, @Trustee_Ramsay said he was protecting these individuals right to privacy by not sharing their names w/out permission 7/
Yet, the trustee did not offer me and the members of the BBAC this same courtesy. He shared an email sent to the board and those that have been engaged in the advocacy process since the beginning publicly w/ @DamatoRecord 8/
He then went on the radio today @farwell_WR admitting to doing so & and insinuating that this a natural outcome of emailing our trustees to advocate for community. This further confirms why the trustee’s voice on the committee is not an impartial one. 9/
Will the @Trustee_Ramsay be sharing ever email he received from community groups with the media? Further, this affirms the need for this review to be independently led and I call on all Trustees to amend the motion to towards this model. It is the only to instill trust in the 10/
the process. And finally, the absence of journalistic integrity @WR_Record that I have repeatedly spoken to left me with no further choice but to step down from the CEB. The continued attempts silencing of Black Activism by all arms of the system is as old as the colony 11/
