Thursday afternoon Yasir Naqvi, Ontario Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services announced that the practice of police carding, a term which refers to random police checks, will be made illegal by the end of fall. The decision was lauded by groups representing African-Canadians, which consider the practice discriminatory.
Surprisingly, it appears that the move is popular with White people as well. The True Facts Wire interviewed Denise Johnson, a member of the visible majority who seemed capable of speaking on all members’ behalf. “I think the policy [of police carding] causes more problems than it solves,” Johnson said. “I read that article about carding in Toronto Life. I remember the article clearly because it wasn’t about condos. I even shared it on social media, albeit only on MySpace.”
When asked why she is opposed to the practice of police carding, Johnson explained, “I think it’s a sound policy in theory, but it seems like we just can’t have it without activists thrusting that dreadful R-word into the public sphere.” When asked to clarify, Johnson lowered her voice to a whisper and said, “racism.”
“I think there’s a real empathy gap between whites and the others,” Johnson continued. “I don’t think they understand how hurtful that word is, or the long history of it being used against us.”
“I just wish that People with Colours would understand that the R-word hurts us as much as the other stuff hurts them” Johnson said, referring to centuries of systemic violence and oppression. “I’ve always thought that the best way to deal with inequality is to protect the people who benefit from feeling bad. But of course, I do understand that living in a complex society involves making tradeoffs. So if canceling this legitimate policing tactic is the only way to dial down the use of the R-word, I can accept that.”
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