Was police board protest warranted?
Re How police officers became the enemy in Toronto schools, Cohn, June 22 The Catholic school board and the police stacked the June 15 police board meeting by busing in kids and administrators who were in favour of School Resource Officers (SROs), without representation from the 48 per cent of Catholic school board students who aren’t in favour (according to a survey by the board).
The whole thing was egregious — uniformed police officers even sat in seats and gave them up only for pro-SRO deputants, while others such as myself were barred from entering the board room. So Desmond Cole and Black Lives Matter Toronto had no recourse but to protest.
The fact is that the SRO program violates the civil liberties of many students, including those whose immigration status the SROs report to the Canada Border Services Agency. This despite the school boards’ “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy with respect to immigration status — and the fact that every child is allowed to go to school, regardless of immigration status.
It’s mission creep and likely the main reason the police pull cheap stunts like this to make the SRO program look good. And this at a time when many other jurisdictions are calling a halt to their SRO programs. Rosemary Frei, Toronto
I can’t understand the pandering to Black Lives Matter TO. In all the reports I’ve read and heard, BLM is a disrespectful bully.
It effectively stifled the very people the SRO program affects: parents, students, teachers and police.
While the police have their faults, they have steadily made inroads with students and the gay community. Let’s continue on that road. Doug Massey, Toronto