The creation of the Governance and Human Rights Committee was announced, but where is the Black representation?

BY PAUL JUNOR

The creation of the Governance and Human Rights Committee was announced in a press release from the Peel Regional Police (PRP). It was created by the Peel Police Services Board (PPSB) to replace the present Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Steps have been taken by the PRP and PPSP in partnership with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to tackle systemic anti-Black racism in policing in Peel. Sumeeta Kohli, Chair of the new Committee, stated “It will bring a renewed level of accountability in overseeing these initiatives, advancing further efforts, and directly engaging with the community at the governance level.”

The composition of the new board includes members of the previous board and no representative from the Black community. This has raised concerns and promoted many in the diverse: Black, African and Caribbean community in Peel to raise questions. In addition to Chair Sumeeta Kohli, the board consists of: Vice-Chair Ahmad Attia, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Brampton Deputy Mayor Martin Medeiros, and Ron Chatha, Board Chair of the PPSB.

The primary objective of the Governance and Human Rights Committee is to utilize a human rights approach to tackle the issue of policing governance in order to face head-on the issues, problems, and concerns of regions in: Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon from a Community Safety and Well Being Perspective.

The press release notes that an independent, objective, external individual will be included in the committee. The Committee will retain a third-party academic with expertise in human rights and governance to: help redefine the committee’s mandate, review existing Board policies from a human rights perspective, and meaningfully engage with community members to translate lived experience to Board governance, policy, and changes in strategic priorities.

Ron Chatha, Chair of the PPSB reinforces the important role that the Committee will play. He states in the press release, “Taking on issues like anti-Black racism cannot be done as a one-time project. Advancing our approach to policing and regaining community trust is an on-going process. Through the new Governance and Human Rights Committee, the Peel Police Board hopes to transition from piecemeal projects to a multi-year strategy for systemic change.”

Alexandra Shimo (The Mississauga News) on Thursday, November 10^th reached out to members of Peel’s Black community to get their feedback on the lack of Black representation on the new committee. David Bosveld states, “The problem is that the new committee is made of old members. There is no representation of Black communities. It takes a lot more than a committee to solve these issues, regardless of the name.”

Sophia Jackson who works with the PDSB as a child and youth counsellor states, ”There is a conflict there. It’s a conflict of interest that doesn’t clear the way for community members and progressive, forward thinking individuals who are vested in the status quo.”  She is concerned about who will bring that human rights perspective. She states further, “When we’re talking about an academic, who is that going to be?” What other members are going to be part of the committee? Are we looking at bringing in individuals from the Black community that are well versed and will speak with advocacy for the community?”

Andria Barrett, entrepreneur in Brampton states, “It’s nice to see things evolving. We need to improve the reputation that (Peel and the Black community) has. We can’t be stagnant and we can’t continue to do things the way we’ve always been doing things.”

Robert Serpe wrote an email in response to the lack of Black community members. He notes, “This is a board committee, and as such, committee membership is made up of police services board members.”