There has been a lot of press coverage about the Toronto Police Force not reflecting the ethnic diversity of the city. The articles stop short of accusing the force of racism, possibly because even the most extreme cop haters are forced to realize that people who come from certain cultures and backgrounds do not see policing as a desirable vocation. But still, the police should reflect the ethnic mix that is found in Toronto.
Having established that, what can be done? The only sure solution is to boycott the police. Refuse to call 911. Hire private security guards. If approached by a police officer concerning an infraction, pull a “Bill Clinton”. Tell that officer to leave you alone; that you just want to get back to the job that you are supposed to be doing, and besides, you’re in favour of social problems.
But fair is fair and the police are not the only group in the megacity that does not reflect the city’s ethnic mix. If we are going to boycott the cops, we have to boycott all other groups whose membership does not consist of the same percentage of visible minorities as does the City of Toronto.
If you look at the skin colour of the Leafs’ players, they don’t look any different than they did in 1967. That year, Lester Pearson and John Diefenbaker were Canada’s movers and shakers, blacks walking down the street got stared at simply because they were black, and Toronto won its last Stanley Cup. In spite of constant poor performances, the fans have stuck with what passes for a professional sports team. But, there is not a player of colour among them. Unlike the police, they don’t even have women members. You would think that an organization with so many left wingers would at least have a token. Fans should stop going to games until the team becomes more diversified. This is the 1990s, not the cup-winning 1960s.
Suppose that you are a recently arrived immigrant. You are driving along Bloor Street and you can barely see where you are going because your windshield is too dirty. You really need someone to run out into the street and clean it for you, but you want to know the cost and can’t communicate in English. What do you think the odds are of finding a kid with a squeegee who can speak Tamil or Korean or Punjabi? Zip - zero - nada. For a city that prides itself on multiculturalism, it’s a disgrace that the automotive exterior glass cleanologists are inevitably white.
There are no visible minorities on council. Oh sure there are minorities but they aren’t visible. The "majority" councillors aren’t visible either. Toronto councillors are a lot like Wiarton Willy--they come out infrequently; when they do they think it’s a big deal, and you can never be quite sure whether they are really alive.
Toronto better smarten up!