Following yet another string of assaults at York University, attempts to quell concerns over campus security have backfired, with some students alleging racial profiling at the hands of Toronto police.The allegations stem from the increased presence of uniformed officers at York’s Keele campus in response to four crimes on university property in less than two weeks, including one sex assault, two armed robberies and an assault with a metal pipe.
The suspects in all of these cases are black men, according to York University security bulletins. The notices also include descriptions of the suspect’s clothing and in most cases an approximate age and height.
But Alexandria Williams, president of the York United Black Student Alliance, said uniformed officers have stopped students who don’t meet the descriptions, which list the suspects as being between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10.
“They’re going up to young, black men who are no taller than 5-foot-3 or 5-foot-4, and asking them to empty their pockets, and show them their identification . . . under the pretext that they look too young to be on campus,” she said. “That’s when I start to have a problem, because that doesn’t make me feel safe as a black woman, as a member of the black community.”
Williams was one of a dozen demonstrators who brought charges of racial profiling before York University President Mamdouh Shoukri on Thursday at an event aimed at encouraging dialogue in the face of growing unease.
About 250 students, staff and community advocates gathered to discuss their concerns with a panel of university officials and members of the Toronto police at the inaugural President’s Open Forum on Campus Safety.
Shoukri characterized the issue of racial profiling as “very important,” something he said he came to understand “on a personal level” in the aftermath of Sept. 11.
“It is deep. It is serious. And it is real,” said Shoukri, who is a Muslim from Egypt.
Panelist Al Coulter, a Toronto police investigator, said he was not aware of the racial profiling allegations at York. Coulter encouraged the demonstrators to provide police with information about the incidents.
“Clearly, if they bring them forward we’ll deal with them,” he told the Star. “That’s not what we promote.”
The demonstrators also spoke out against those who have suggested that the frequency of assaults on campus is due to its proximity to Jane and Finch, which ranks among the city’s most crime-stricken neighbourhoods.
But Shoukri said that university officials have always preached “absolute inclusivity,” and gone to great lengths to build connections with the surrounding community.
“York University is part of the broader community,” he said. “So this issue of creating a barrier between York and the community around it is totally unacceptable.”
While York has been in the spotlight in recent months due to a spate of sex assaults, university officials said the incidence of “crimes against a person” on campus was about two per 1,000 in 2011, about one-fifth that in the city of Toronto.
The university has committed $10.2 million to safety and security-related expenses this year. Some of the latest developments include adding new exterior emergency phones and cameras, hiring a sexual assault prevention officer and retraining all York security personnel.
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Rachel Mendleson
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