'Anger' over racist act by officer against Ghanaian-Canadian ladies

The blatant racist attitude by a Bylaw Enforcement officer, towards two young Ghanaian-Canadian ladies in Toronto recently, has incurred the wrath of the leadership of the Ghanaian Canadian Association of Ontario (GCAO).

The racially charged confrontation between the City Bylaw Enforcement Officer and the two women, Debra Ampon and Eva Amo-Mensah, which was captured on video is making airwaves on mainstream media in Toronto.

In the video, the Officer who is white is seen confronting the young Black ladies for trespassing while ignoring some white people for the same alleged trespassing at the Centennial Park in Etobicoke in the City of Toronto.

The Officer was also alleged to have said that, because the black ladies were trespassing, he could have shot them.

The mayor of the City of Toronto, John Tory, has come out openly to order an independent objective investigation into the allegation.

Meanwhile, the Ghanaian-Canadian community in Toronto under the leadership of Emmanuel Duodu has written to the Mayor and the Chief of Law Enforcement in Toronto strongly protesting the anti-black racist behaviour of the Bylaw Enforcement Officer towards the two Ghanaian-Canadian women.

The letter signed by the President of GCAO reads:

On behalf of the Ghanaian-Canadian community, I want to express our profound shock, dismay and frustration about the alleged anti-black racist behaviour meted out to Debra Ampon and Eva Amo-Mensah at Cenntenial Park in Etobicoke by a Bylaw enforcement officer.

With the recent events in the US including the death of George Floyd, we had hoped that our law enforcement officers would make every effort to avoid engaging in acts of anti-black racism. Our youth are still reeling from the events in the U.S and some of the incidents in and around Toronto. They are literally frightened and at times do not feel safe in their neighbourhoods.

We appreciate, Mayor John Tory speaking about this incident and supports the efforts to ensure justice is served. Since this incident, our community is distraught and shaken by the blatant display of anti-black racism and these young women of our Toronto Ghanaian community feel they do not belong.

While this case is being investigated, we ask for justice to address the emotional and psychological trauma these young women are currently going through.

The Ghanaian-Canadian community strongly registers its displeasure at the systematic racism in Canada that threatens the unity and development of our multicultural (mosaic) society.

We can no longer be silent while our youth are subjected to anti-black racism and injustice.