Outrage and calls for reform have followed following the death of George Floyd in the United States last week, and Canada is not excluded from the fray.
Floyd died after a white officer kept his knee on his neck for almost nine minutes. Floyd repeated to the officer “I can’t breathe,” while in handcuffs and having three other officers on him.
The amount of time it took to charge the officer, and the fact that it’s another of a long list of examples of a white officer killing an unarmed black person, ignited protests across the US.
Sydney Joao is the VP Events Coordinator for Western Univerisity’s Black Students Association.
She says it’s been nice to see the level of support shown from all walks of life in these protests, although it’s sad it took this long to get it.
Joao hopes this level of support results in actual change and reform, but isn’t optimistic, based on previous rally’s and protests where calls went unheard. She notes their demands for system reforms aren’t easy things to fix but they never will be, if people stay silent.
She also said Canada has the same systemic issues we see in the US, and we as a country need to work on how Indigenous people and other people of colour, are treated.
The full interview between myFM Reporter Grant Deme and Sydney Joao can be found below.
