Editor’s Note: The following is a revised, public version of an originally private letter that was sent to U of T President Meric Gertler, alongside The Varsity, on July 31, 2020.
Dear President Gertler,
Last November, we submitted a letter to you — signed by over 100 faculty, staff, and students — which called for an end to the practice of calling Campus Police when a student is experiencing distress. As you recall, this protocol led to the arrest and handcuffing of a student who was seeking counselling from the Health and Counselling Centre (HCC) at UTM on October 2, 2019.
We did not receive a response from you regarding that letter. Instead, we received a letter from Ian Orchard, Acting Vice-President & Principal, UTM, which stated that the administration would be “reviewing the services and supports we offer students with mental health needs,” and that “Campus police are also reviewing protocols in this area.” To date, we have not received any assurances that campus police will not be called when students are experiencing distress at the University of Toronto.
Today, we write to you with a much more urgent demand, that the University of Toronto work toward removing Campus Police and all forms of policing from the university environment.
WE DEMAND THAT:
- The senior administration of the university immediately begin a comprehensive process for defunding and abolishing Campus Police and creating anti-carceral community safety initiatives;
- The university immediately halt all campus police involvement with students who seek support for health and wellness issues;
- The university end the practice of training invigilators to call Campus Police or 911 when they encounter a “difficult” student;
- Funding intended for further training and policy development for Campus Police be reallocated to the hiring of more counselors and trained personnel to support students in crisis;
- The senior administration of the university immediately rescind the following recommendations put forth in the December 2019 Report of the Presidential & Provostial Task Force on Student Mental Health:
(a) The action item attached to R6 which calls for “enhanced mental health training for Campus Police and increase collaboration between Campus Police and other on-campus first responders (e.g., crisis response team, residence life staff)”;
(b) The action item attached to R6 calling for the university to “Enhance faculty and staff training related to handling after-hours student crises.” Our workload has already increased with the coronavirus pandemic. That money should go to hiring those with expertise in crisis intervention and the provision of mental health support;
(c) The action item attached to R16 that calls for the development of “a trauma-informed protocol to support Campus Police in their evaluation of the safety and risk of students transported to the hospital for further assessment be developed.”
Police intervention in mental health crises has repeatedly resulted in unnecessary and tragic deaths, including three within recent months. There is simply no excuse for the university to continue to place students in distress at further risk through involving police.
We stand with students and community organizers who are calling for police-free schools at all levels of education in Ontario. In doing so, the university will be following the widespread and growing recognition of the ways that policing endangers the well-being and lives of Black, Indigenous, racialized, disabled, and queer people.
On campus, a number of racialized women have come forward to share their experiences of being handcuffed after seeking mental health support at U of T HCCs. Unfortunately, this does not surprise us.
The role of policing in upholding settler colonialism and racial capitalism is irrefutable as shown by the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, D’Andre Campbell, Sean Reed, Steve Taylor, Tony McDade, George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Eishia Hudson, Jason Collins, Rodney Levi, and Chantel Moore, to name only a few of the Black and Indigenous people who have died following police intervention in the past few months in North America.
The institution of the police is irredeemably racist and threatening to Indigenous and Black life. Therefore, the University of Toronto must end all partnerships with Toronto Police Services and all carceral institutions and work with members of the university and surrounding communities identified by staff, students, and faculty to foster safer campuses.
We are particularly concerned that as the campus opens up in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Black people and Black female students in particular will be especially at risk. As Beverly Bain, OmiSoore Dryden, and Rinaldo Walcott note:
The attempt to interrupt the spread of the virus has brought together policing and public health. Since at least the post-emancipation period in the Americas — and this period includes Canada — public health and policing have been launched against Black communities. Both public health and policing depend on assessing Black people as wayward.
The calls to defund and abolish police are increasingly global and supported by research that shows us that policing does not make people safe. It is an institution premised on the assumed need for fear, domination, and force; it threatens, harms, and sometimes kills. Hundreds of academics and lawyers across Canada have written an open letter calling for all jurisdictions to defund the police in order to invest in healthier communities and well-being. Specifically, they note:
Defunding the police is not a panacea. It is also not an invitation to privatize security or extend the scope of surveillance to other institutional bodies. It is one change among many that is needed to bring about a more just and less violent future. For these reasons and more, we call on governing bodies at all levels to take immediate action in support of building strong communities, not strong police forces. We expect that our governments will listen to the evidence provided to them and take the necessary steps now.
In June 2020, Ryerson University heeded the call and made the decision to cancel its proposed special constable program. We sincerely hope that the University of Toronto will not be left behind in this moment of transformational change.
Defunding the police is only the beginning of this change. It must be followed by broader commitments to learn from Black and Indigenous movements and scholars, communities, and political movements who have developed and are developing modes of caring that are ethical and promote the well-being of all.
On June 2, 2020, the University of Toronto released a statement in solidarity with “the Black community.” We welcome the sentiment, stated by University of Toronto’s Vice-President of Human Resources and Equity, Kelly Hannah-Moffat, that “Racism is not an issue for racialized communities to fight; it impacts everyone and it is our collective responsibility to purposefully work to create inclusive spaces that actively support our colleagues.”
Today, we call on the administration to act on its commitment to Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities by being true to its words. We call on the University of Toronto to defund and remove Campus Police from the University of Toronto.
Sincerely,
Vannina Sztainbok, Social Justice Education, OISE
rosalind hampton, Assistant Professor, Black Studies, Social Justice Education, OISE
Beverly Bain, Women & Gender Studies, Historical Studies, UTM
Rinaldo Walcott, Professor, Women & Gender Studies Institute
Tanya Titchkosky, Professor, Social Justice Education, OISE
Rod Michalko, Retired Professor, Social Justice Education, OISE
Deborah Cowen, Professor, Geography & Planning
Gavin Smith, Professor Emeritus, Anthropology
Anne-Emanuelle Birn, Professor, Centre for Critical Development Studies, UTSC, and Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Kristen Bos, Assistant Professor, Historical Studies / Women & Gender Studies Institute
Kathy Liddle, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Sociology
Paolo Frascà, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Italian Studies
Nicole Laliberte, Associate Professor, Geography, Geomatics and Environment, UTM
Luisa Farah Schwartzman, Associate Professor, Sociology, UTM
Stan Doyle-Wood, Assistant Professor, Equity Studies / Transitional Year Program, New College
George Dei, Professor, Social Justice Education
Gail Super, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Aziza Chaouni, Associate Professor, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design
John Noyes, Professor, Germanic Languages and Literatures
Anne McGuire, Associate Professor, Equity Studies
Rachel La Touche, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Sociology
Anup Grewal, Assistant Professor, Historical and Cultural Studies, UTSC
Shahrzad Mojab, Professor, OISE
Uzoma Esonwanne, Associate Professor, Department of English and Centre for Comparative Literature
James Deutsch, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Patrick Keilty, Associate Professor, Faculty of Information
John P. Portelli, Professor, Social Justice Education, OISE
Jayeeta Sharma, Associate Professor, Historical and Cultural Studies Department, UTSC
Erik Schneiderhan, Associate Professor, Sociology
Whitney Kemble, Librarian, UTSC
Cynthia J. Cranford, Associate Professor, Sociology, UTM
Dana Seitler, Professor, Director, English and Sexual Diversity Studies
Jens Hanssen, Associate Professor, History, and Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations
Brian Price, Professor, Visual Studies, UTM
Natalie Rothman, Associate Professor, Historical and Cultural Studies, UTSC
Kristin Plys, Assistant Professor, Sociology
Kanishka Goonewardena, Associate Professor, Geography & Planning
Alissa Trotz, Professor, Caribbean Studies, and Women & Gender Studies
Ted Sammons, Assistant Professor (CLTA), Diaspora & Transnational Studies
Iliana Sztainbok, Graduate Programs Administrator, Faculty of Music
Bettina von Lieres, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, UTSC
Melanie J. Newton, Associate Professor, History, UTSG
J. David Hulchanski, Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
Scott Richmond, Associate Professor, Cinema Studies Institute
Nicholas Sammond, Professor, Cinema Studies Institute
Connie Guberman, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Historical and Cultural Studies, UTSC
Elena Basile, Sessional Lecturer II, Sexual Diversity Studies, University College
Roberta Buiani, Lecturer, Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
Naomi Seidman, Professor, Religion and Diaspora Studies
Phil Goodman, Associate Professor, Sociology, UTM
Kristy Bard, Grievance Officer, United Steelworkers 1998
Cameron Gilpin, Field Services Technician, Information Technology Services
Dina Georgis, Associate Professor, Women & Gender Studies Institute
Emily Gilbert, Professor, Vice-Principal, University College, Canadian Studies and Geography & Planning
Karina Vernon, Associate Professor, English
Rebecca Lee, Admin support, Munk School
Kass Banning, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Cinema Studies Institute
Michelle Daigle, Assistant Professor, Centre for Indigenous Studies and Department of Geography & Planning
Michelle Buckley, Associate Professor, Human Geography, UTSC
Matthew Farish, Associate Professor, Department of Geography & Planning
Rupaleem Bhuyan, Associate Professor, Social Work
Marcelo Vieta, Associate Professor, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education
Néstor E. Rodríguez, Associate Professor, Spanish & Portuguese
Dr. Joan Simalchik, Director, Women and Gender Studies Program / UTM, Historical Studies
Julius Haag, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Sociology
Ellen Berrey, Associate Professor, Sociology, UTM
Jamie Magnusson, Associate Professor, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education, OISE
Marieme Lo, Associate Professor, African Studies and Women & Gender Studies
Nik Redman, United Steelworkers 1998
Sam Tecle, Assistant Professor, New College
Matthew Hoffman, Professor, UTSC, Political Science
Anna Thomas, Assistant Professor, English
Eve Tuck, Associate Professor, Social Justice Education
Julie MacArthur, Associate Professor, Historical Studies
Chandni Desai, Assistant Professor, Equity Studies, New College
W. Chris Johnson, Assistant Professor, Women & Gender Studies Institute and History
Sarah Switzer, Postdoctoral Fellow, Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, OISE
Justen Bennett, Building Reception, Rotman School of Management
Ely Lyonblum, Research Grants Officer, Faculty of Music
Evelyn Austin, Undergraduate Student, Mathematics
Connor Plantinga, Student, English
Roxana Erao, Student, English
Grace Cameron, Student, Women & Gender Studies / English
Kristina Schwill, Undergraduate Student, Faculty of Arts & Science / New College
Megan Pham-Quan, Undergraduate Student, Women & Gender Studies / Philosophy / French Studies
Mariba Douglas, PhD Student, Geography & Planning
Jessica Kirk, Graduate Student, Social Justice Education
Fiona Wilson, Graduate Student, Linguistics
Sefanit Habtom, PhD Candidate, Social Justice Education
Lisa Schlegl, PhD Student, Linguistics
Ruth Maddeaux, PhD Candidate, Linguistics
Samantha Hatoski, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Robert Prazeres, PhD Candidate, Linguistics
Marissa Adamou, Humanities
Laura Toth, Undergraduate Student, Department of English, Arts & Science
Wallis Caldoza, PhD Student, SJE, OISE/UT
Leah Montange, PhD Candidate, Geography & Planning
Shannon Giannitsopoulou, SJE MA Candidate, SJE, OISE
Raluca Geampana, Undergraduate Student, Arts & Science
Bronte Shamata Gardner, Postgraduate Student, Psychology, UTSC
Alisha Krishna, Student, Faculty of Law
Katie Bannon, Graduate Student, Social Justice Education
Sefanit Habtom, PhD Candidate, Social Justice Education, OISE
Nicole Anderson, Graduate Student, Social Justice Education, OISE
Sujata Thapa, PhD Candidate, Department of Geography & Planning
AJ Bedward, MA Candidate, Social Justice Education, OISE
Elaine Cagulada, PhD Student, Social Justice Education
Emmanuel Rutayisire, Graduate Student, Curriculum & Pedagogy, OISE
Diana Barrero, PhD Student, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Efrat Gold, PhD Student, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education
Pedro Morán Bonilla, PhD Candidate, Social Justice Education
Robyn Maynard, PhD Student, Women & Gender Studies Institute
Sophie Bourret-Klein, MA Student, Social Justice Education, OISE
Asmita Bhutani, PhD Student, OISE
Janelle Brady, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Nadine Abdel-ghafar, MA Candidate, Social Justice Education
Mao Thao, Student, OISE
Emma McCallum, MA Candidate, SJE, OISE
Christine Sun, Undergraduate Student, Political Science, Human Geography, Critical Equity and Solidarity Studies
Yusra Shafquat, Undergraduate Student, Molecular Genetics, Cell and Systems Biology
Jessica Wright, PhD Candidate, Department of Social Justice Education
Kevin Yamandu Sztainbok, Student, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design
Chelsey Rhodes, PhD Student, Social Justice Education, OISE
Nikki Mary Pagaling, Alum (Class of 2020), Geography & Planning
Kristine Luangkhot, Alum, School of the Environment
Alessandra Sztrimbely, Alum, MSc Anthropology & International Relations, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Christina Vani, Alum, Department of Italian Studies
Brieanne Berry Crossfield, Alum, OISE
Tania Caballero, Chair, Students for Barrier-free Access
Philip S. S. Howard, OISE/U of T Alumnus; Assistant Professor, Integrated Studies in Education, McGill University
Danielle Sandhu, Alumna, OISE
OmiSoore Dryden, PhD Alum (Class 2016), Social Justice Education, Sociology and Equity Studies in Education, OISE
Andrea Vásquez Jiménez, MEd Graduate (2019) / #PoliceFreeSchoolsONWide Organizer, Social Justice Education, OISE
Jennifer Nelson, Alum, PhD, OISE/UT, 2001
Patricia Molloy, Alumna, OISE
Marie Laing, Alum, OISE
Lucinda Qu, Faculty of Arts & Science (2020)
Chelsea Fung, Alum, Women & Gender Studies Institute
