Posted: May 26, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: May 26
Alicia-Marie LeJour is co-chair of the Black Diaspora Coalition in Ottawa. She says support for BIPOC communities in the wake of George Floyd s death has to be more than performative. (Submitted by Alicia-Marie LeJour)
One year after the killing of George Floyd, Black activists in Ottawa are toiling to remind Canadians to do more to fight racial injustice and police abuse of power not just in the capital, but across the country. George Floyd s death is just one anniversary that we cross, said Alicia-Marie Le Jour of the Black Diaspora Coalition in Ottawa. One officer has been convicted . this is merely accountability. Justice for us [as Black people] is not to have to experience [police brutality] again.
OTTAWA All charges have been stayed against 12 demonstrators who were arrested during a protest at the intersection of Nicholas and Laurier last month. The individuals were arrested and charged after police broke up the demonstration about 36 hours after it started. “Around 3:15 a.m. the Ottawa police service moved in, telling the group to disperse,” Deputy Crown Attorney Mark Holmes told the court, which gathered virtually Friday morning. “Those who didn’t were lawfully arrested, the individuals who were arrested were identified to the satisfaction of the police, they were processed and release, each one facing a mischief of property charge.”