Prof. Rinaldo Walcott on Toronto's gun violence reduction plan and its impact on racialized communities

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Prof. Rinaldo Walcott on Toronto’s gun violence reduction plan and its impact on racialized communities

Intensified surveillance and policing is not the answer, says Walcott

July 26, 2018

Watch: Professor Rinaldo Walcott outlines the gaps in the city’s approach to reducing gun violence and explains how education can play a critical role in challenging violence in racialized communities.

Following a recent mass shooting in Toronto, city council responded quickly with a gun violence reduction plan which includes greater surveillance and increased police presence in priority neighbourhoods.

Dr. Rinaldo Walcott, Professor of Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and Director of the Women and Gender Studies Institute at the University of Toronto, shared his concerns about how the plan will impact the city's racialized communities.

“The plan fails to address significant issues that are affecting people's lives. Instead, it offers a quick response with more intensified policing as a way to stem a problem that has much deeper roots,” he said.

Walcott explained that the plan does not address issues surrounding inadequate housing, low wages, limited access to employment, and limited staffing and resources in schools.

Education is the solution

“Education is central to how people recover from the public health crisis of violence in their communities,” Walcott said, highlighting that greater access to education opens pathways to better employment opportunities and helps people better understand the experiences of those from other communities.

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