Reflection III
In Report #5 of the Homeless Hub Report Series titled Can I See your ID?, Bill O'Grady, Stephen Gaetz, and Kristy Buccieri discuss the relationship between the homeless and police in great detail.
I wasn't very familiar with the Ontario Safe Streets Act (SSA) and after reading the report, I completely agree with the authors about how it should be abolished. There are too many negative aspects of it that have really opened my eyes. The SSA criminalizes homelessness, it's expensive for everyone, and increases the burden on homeless people who are trying to make due. It's interesting to see that in 2009, there were 13,023 tickets issued under the SSA, which amounts to almost 37 tickets a day! After reading this report, I very much doubt that the homeless deserve that many tickets. It's true that there are many homeless who do commit crimes, but not all of them. According to the authors, many of these tickets were issued because of stereotyping rather than actual crimes.
I can't recall a time where I have had any negative experiences when speaking with police officers. I even had two OPP officers as coaches when I played minor league hockey. They were great; however, not all police officers are - have you watched any of the G20 videos? I certainly have and was completely disgusted with how police offers were treating people, especially our youth.
I have a friend who lives downtown Toronto and he had two of his friends stay at his place for awhile because they were homeless. They were both about 19 or 20. I don't know the full story, but I know they were going through a rough time and were trying hard to get back on their feet. They are two amazing people with dreams and ambitions. Based on their appearance, you could probably guess they were homeless. They fit the 'junkie' stereotype - they carried large backpacks, carried rolled-up blankets, and had all sorts of random odds and ends that you might see a homeless person keep. One was a male who had a slightly unkempt beard and they both had dreads.
The stories they told matched a lot of what I read in the article. For example, on page 39 the authors describe people who have been stopped and search while waiting to get into an agency, sitting in a park, and hanging around with friends. I'm sure most people in Toronto who aren't homeless have never experienced this. Why? Because they look, well, not homeless. That's it. It's sad, really. I almost want to refer to it as 'police bullying'.
It's unfortunate that homeless youth receive even more negative attention from the police when they probably need the most help. They are likely suffering emotionally due to negative interactions with their families, have no money, face depression, and probably feel like they have no where to go. Again, there are people who are criminals and deserve the 'negative' police attention, but there are many great people on the streets. They should receive positive attention so that they can take what they need to get back on their feet so they can in-turn contribute to society.
Reference
Reference
Gaetz, Stephen; O’Grady, Bill & Buccieri, Kristy (2010)
Surviving Crime and Violence Street Youth and Victimization in Toronto.
(Toronto: Justice for Children and Youth, & the Homeless Hub. Homeless Hub
Research Report Series #1)
