FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2013
ADVISORY: Media Conference with families of police shooting victims to call for action to stop bodies from piling up
(TORONTO, ON) – The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) will co-host a media conference of family members of victims of police violence at the office of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations at 10:00 am on Tuesday, August 13, prior to a community rally for Sammy Yatim at Yonge-Dundas Square at Noon.
“Decades of inquest reports and recommendations are gathering dust on shelves while the bodies of victims are piling up. The Ombudsman investigation is a vital step, but the province must go further,” said OFL Executive Vice-President Irwin Nanda. “We are demanding an independent investigation into police training, policies and practices from the highest levels of decision-making right down to the front line response.”
What: Media conference with families of victims of police shootings
When: 10:00 am on Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Where: Office of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, 2 Carlton St, Suite 1001 (Conference Room), Toronto, Ontario
Who:
- Irwin Nanda, Executive Vice-President of the Ontario Federation of Labour
- Family members of Sammy Yatim and other historic victims of Ontario police shootings, including Trevor Graham, Byron Debassige, Levi Schaeffer, Sylvia Klibingaitis, O’Brian Christopher Reid
- Peter Rosenthal, Lawyer for the Michael Eligon Jr. Family
- Gary Pieters, President of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations (UARR)
- Selwyn Pieters, Criminal Defense Attorney
- Reuben Abib, National Conference of Black Lawyers and Never Again Coalition
- Racquiah Topey, Black Action Defense Committee (BADC)
Following the media conference, concerned community members will hold a noon rally at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square to demand justice for Sammy Yatim, followed by a march to the Toronto Police Services Board at 40 College Street.
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow the OFL on Facebook and Twitter: @OFLabour.
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For further information:
Joel Duff, Communications Director, OFL: 416-707-0349 (cell) *FRENCH/ENGLISH*
