Members of N.B. s Black community discuss challenges facing people of colour
In this three-part series, members of New Brunswick s Black community discuss the inequities facing people of colour in Canada, and potential solutions for offering better protections against racism and police abuse.
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CBC News ·
Posted: Jun 01, 2021 7:00 AM AT | Last Updated: June 1
Matthew Martin, Neil Clements, and Timothy Christie took part in a three-part series titled Colour Bar, focusing on the big issues relating to racism and racial discrimination in New Brunswick.(Jocelyn Elsdon/CBC)
Racial inequity has been at the forefront of people s minds across North America in the past year, and New Brunswick has been no exception.
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The unnecessary and untimely death of Carl Reinboth, a respected harm reduction worker, mentor and advocate who was recently attacked on Somerset Street, came as a shock to the community of people he supported, and to the Chinatown neighbourhood where he was killed. We understand why, in the face of that shock, there are sudden and instinctive reactions. We also hope that in the light of day, we think more clearly about how we avoid these tragedies in the future.
We understand why, in the immediate aftermath of a senseless death, people turn to what they know. We have been told time and again that safety equals policing, and that is an idea that has been proven hard to shake. But more police, short of an officer on every street corner every hour of the day, would not have prevented what happened last month.
Article content
The unnecessary and untimely death of Carl Reinboth, a respected harm reduction worker, mentor and advocate who was recently attacked on Somerset Street, came as a shock to the community of people he supported, and to the Chinatown neighbourhood where he was killed. We understand why, in the face of that shock, there are sudden and instinctive reactions. We also hope that in the light of day, we think more clearly about how we avoid these tragedies in the future.
We understand why, in the immediate aftermath of a senseless death, people turn to what they know. We have been told time and again that safety equals policing, and that is an idea that has been proven hard to shake. But more police, short of an officer on every street corner every hour of the day, would not have prevented what happened last month.
The New Brunswick legislature in Fredericton. (Image: Brad Perry)
The provincial government announced the role on March 24th as part of an effort to develop an understanding of the nature and impact of systemic racism.
According to a release essential qualifications include a demonstrated understanding of the demographic, social, economic, cultural and linguistic context in New Brunswick.
“We are eager to begin this work, which will examine the nature and impact of systemic racism in our province and result in recommendations to address related concerns,” said Aboriginal Affairs Minister Arlene Dunn.
The commissioner is required to produce a report with recommendations on a provincial strategy and action plan to address concerns of barriers opportunity and equitable access to programs and services.
The Portapique shooting has exposed the damage white, male entitelement can do. It’s been one year since the mass shooting in Portapique. Across the province, communities and families are taking time to remember the 22 lives that were violently and prematurely taken in an act of misogynist violence. Over the past year we have all struggled to make sense of this violence, the loss of innocent lives and the appropriate pathway forward towards healing. For some of us, the lurking sense of vulnerability to violence and danger in the aftermath of this act is a new and frightening reality that we must come to face. We feel it as police car pulls up slowly behind and we remember that the shooter used a replica police car in order to stalk and gain access to at least one of the victims.