There is one good thing about the Toronto Star that even those who are not on the far left of the political spectrum can appreciate--they have a great website. While breaking national and international news is always readily available on the Internet, the Star is pretty well the only site that updates local Toronto news outside of regular business hours.
The Star’s website is also a good site for the links that they provide. For example, when the Supreme Court of Canada comes down with an important judgment, The Star inevitably provides a link to the actual court decision and reasons. The Toronto Star’s website is excellent for purposes of research.
Earlier this week, in reporting on one of the numerous shooting incidents that seem to be taking place on an hourly basis, the Toronto Star provided links to a series of editorials, stories and columns on the issue of racial profiling. These pieces dealt with black Toronto City Councillor, Michael Thompson, who last summer suggested that young black males in certain high crime areas of Toronto be stopped and question by police in order to combat violent crime.
The Toronto Star produced a lengthy and high profile series of articles on racial profiling back in 2002. Through the questionable use of statistical data, the paper made the police out to be the bad guys who were arresting young black males solely because they were black. although the cooperation between those in the black community and the police has never been great, the racial profiling series went a long way to further strain relations between that community and the Toronto police.
The "fear factor" is certainly a large part of the reason why people in high crime areas are reluctant to come forward and tell the police what they know. But many of the gun crimes, specifically the number of gun deaths (which is 44 at the time of this writing), remain unsolved. Many in the black community are unwilling to provide information to the police to assist in solving these crimes even though tips can be provided to the police anonymously through Crimestoppers.
The "progressives" such as the Star and politicians like Mayor David Miller and Councillor Pam McConnell revel in their criticism of the police and then appear to be shocked at not only the number of these incidents but the facts that so many of these violent crimes remain unsolved. although the media trot out what seems to be an unlimited number of screaming and hysterical mothers and baby mothers, it seems of little interest to those on the left that the vast majority of the victims of gun crime are also black.
The Toronto Star made their point back in 2002 when they ran their racial profiling series. Continuation of past racial profiling articles is bound to be counterproductive.