“There is still a long road ahead:” Dean Dexter Voisin talks to media about the current protests and the excessive use of police force

Dean Dexter Voisin spoke to media this week about the protests in the United States and the excessive use of police force in both in the US and Canada.

On the disproportionate use of force by police against racialized Canadians, Voisin told Global News that even if we revamp all the policies, if we don’t address the underlying issues, they’re still going to be applied differentially.

“If you remove chokeholds, that doesn’t prevent Black folks from being shot, being perceived as being dangerous,” he said.

Voisin also appeared on CBC morning shows across Canada including Windsor Morning, Daybreak North, Up North, Calgary Eyeopener, Information Morning, Edmonton AM, A New Day, and Superior Morning.

> Click here to listen to his conversation with Mark Connolly on Edmonton AM

The current protests are having a impact, but there is still a long road ahead, Voisin tells CP24.

“Keep in mind that in 2014, when Eric Garner, when he was murdered at the hands of a white cop, that cop was not formally charged,” he said. “Since Eric Garner death, there have been 14 high profile incidents involving involving police officers in the murder of black citizens and only 3 of those 14 have resulted in convictions.”

Additional media:

• Calls to defund police grow, but Toronto’s mayor not buying in, Canada’s National Observer
• “Discomfort is part of change”: How to be an ally in fighting anti Black racism, The Canadian Press