Is This For Real?

We ended up taking a bit of an unexpected pause due to the dynamics around police criticism given the officer deaths in March. In this episode we discuss how the officer deaths were politicized to further consolidate power and resources for police as an institution, and examine how institutional failures of police may have even led to these officer deaths..Oumar had a with Hailey Yasmeen + Mae of the Asilu Collective, a grassroots abolitionist organization working towards policing-free schools in Ontario. Oumar talked with them about their approach to activism and education, a more holistic definition of abolition, and collaborating with other community groups to work around the system rather than in direct opposition.Useful LinksArticle about the police officer deaths in MarchEdmonton police say more people interested in joining force after deaths of officersSohi calls Alberta adding police, crisis workers on transit a 'significant investment'Alberta government pushing to add 100 more police officers between Calgary and EdmontonEPS expands HELP, PACT teams and opens Integrated Care CentreCity leaders will consider UCP request to transfer transit authority to Edmonton policeNo charges for Edmonton police constable who kicked Indigenous teen in the headQuestions over video of Edmonton police arrest showing knee near driver's neckAlberta Sheriffs and Edmonton police execute nearly 3,000 arrests: provinceAsilu Collective WebsiteOttawa Students Speak Out: Cops Out of Our Schools! ReportConnect With UsPatreonTwitterInstagram

We're unraveling the current situation with policing downtown, where the province has deployed 12 sheriffs to the already heavily policed Chinatown area and self-identifying “liberal” politicians are more openly pro-police than ever.We also got to talk with an anonymous worker in the nonprofit sector, who shared some thought-provoking insights about the ways that organizations are set up to fail and why he will ultimately be leaving the sector.Useful LinksWhat got funded — and what didn't — in Edmonton city council's budget debatePublic Safety and Community Response Task Force Sheriffs deployed to Downtown Edmonton in latest effort to improve safety: UCP, policeCouncillor Anne Stevenson is grateful for more policeEdmonton's Actions on Downtown and Transit Safety (Mayor Amarjeet Sohi's Blog)Connect With UsPatreonTwitterInstagram

We're diving into some ways that our system of governance tries to control or eliminate threats to their power. From a deliberately inaccessible public civic engagement process amid budget deliberations, to local pundits endlessly pushing for a return to the status quo when we never left in the first place. Oumar interviewed Calgary community organizer Taylor McNallie about the relentless attacks she's faced from police and the media's ignorance.

The theme of this episode is our society's comfort with silent racism and covert discrimination. We're diving into the fourth police budget increase of the year so far, the police DNA phenotyping scandal, Alberta's new premier, and the announcement that the provincial province will be providing $187M towards homelessness and addiction supports. Oumar also got to interview Nicholas Marcus Thompson of the Black Class Action lawsuit against the government of Canada, a landmark case that was recently elevated to the United Nations after the government tried to dismiss it.

Edmonton's city council recently committed to funding the Chinatown Healthy Streets Operation Centre, a $15M hub meant to deploy additional officers into Chinatown. The vote passed overwhelmingly, with a number of councillors expressing valid opposition but voting in favour anyway.We had a chance to interview Edmonton city councillor Michael Janz about the decision, hear about his “insider-outsider” theory of change, and question whether meaningful progress can be achieved from within the structure of city council.

We're turning our focus to the devastation inflation that we've all be facing throughout this year. We're taking a look at a new study from the University of Calgary that outlines why inflation hits low-income households especially hard, record profits that companies like Loblaws are making during this time, and some incredibly cringe advice that the media is giving to consumers.We also have some on the ground reporting from the Pope's visit to Edmonton. We discuss the clearing of homeless encampments from the area surrounding the Sacred Heart church, the problematic messaging embedded into the Pope's activities here, and whether or not meaningful change can ever even be achieved through symbolic gestures.

We interviewed Ashlynn Chand about some great reporting she did on Amazon's union-busting at the Nisku warehouse. We discuss our government's alignment with corporate interests at the expense of workers and how politicians co-opt working class struggles. And we even detail some recent victories in the labour movement in Alberta.

Oumar and Nicholas discuss the recent school shooting in Texas and its relevance to Edmonton's school resource officer program. We also discuss the violence and challenges in Chinatown, as well as the tendency from politicians and the community to support further enforcement of the same system that causes those challenges.

Canadian media is terrible when it comes to holding powerful institutions accountable and challenging the status quo. In this episode we're talking about the media's failure of students criminalized by the School Resource Officer Program, and examples of how both independent and traditional media can be shaped by toxic work environments and politics of recognition.

Black History Month has always been more or less a joke, but it was especially terrible this year. We're looking back on this especially unfortunate February, from revelations that the Edmonton Police Service owns a plane (!) and is gearing up to purchase yet another, to the Calgary Police killing of community member Latjor Tuel. We also brought back Tom Engel to the show for a great interview about the Police Act, an important piece of legislation that we should all be focusing on ahead of the next provincial election.

The Edmonton Police Service budget continues to be increased, for the second time in a row since the killing of George Floyd and supposed calls for police accountability. We break down the recent history of police funding in Edmonton and the complicity of media and politicians in this cycle of growing police power. We also had a great discussion with Rob Houle about the harmful roots of policing in the west and the ultimate impact of the Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force, of which he was a part of.

With the recent federal election in Canada and local election in Edmonton, we continue the thriving era of neoliberal politics that leaves harmful institutions unchecked, despite everything that has come to prominence in public discourse since we started the show. We had a chance to interview Edmonton's new mayor Amarjeet Sohi to dig a bit deeper into the emptiness of performative politics and why politicians can't save us.

The Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force was formed by Edmonton city council last summer in response to protests and hearing on anti-Black racism in the city. Oumar talks to task force member Irfan Chaudhry about the recent release of the task force's recommendations, the nature of committees in creating change or exposing hypocrisy, and the police's attempts to keep any change within their own purview.

We're seeing a lot of performance politics these days, particularly from our elected leaders who fancy themselves progressive. This allows them to evade criticism from media, would-be allies, and others in power while they remain complicit in systems of anti-Black violence. Oumar talks to Celina Caesar-Chavannes, former Liberal Member of Parliament about her experience being tokenized, excluded, and eventually left to burn by her own party while they continued to create a performance of a progressive politics. She also shares her advice for creating change and surviving in institutions that are designed to crush us.

Though we are increasingly aware of how carding and street checks disproportionately impact Black and Indigenous communities, we are decreasingly aware of the myriad of ways in which we are constantly surveilled. Oumar talks to Harsha Walia (BC Civil Liberties Association) about algorithmic policing, WIST, and the insidious nature of technological surveillance. Harsha also shares her thoughts on the hopelessness of reform, and how calls for the defunding of police are rooted in community safety.

Our communities have been calling to defund the police for decades. But despite a wealth of research, lived experiences, and successful examples of divestment from police, our local government continues to increase the police budget while cutting community services. Oumar talks to Batul Gulamhusein about the complicity of our municipal politicians in police violence and how we should approach next year's election and the future beyond that. How can we elect leaders who we actually trust? How are we investing in the community mechanisms of care? And if we're not calling the police, who are we calling?

It's plainly obvious that the most vulnerable people are the most heavily policed. Along with a lack of mental health and addiction supports, this creates a cycle where vulnerable populations remain in poverty or enter our punitive justice system. Hannan and Oumar talk to Shima Robinson, an organizer at the recently-closed Pekiwewin camp, about police targeting of homeless populations, the importance of de-escalation training, and the need for transit accessibility. We also speak to Mark Cherrington at the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights about the fear of police, lack of police accountability, and what a world without police might look like.

Phone cameras and social media have given Black people a way to expose the oppression our communities face at the hands of police. Police violence is nothing new, but the fact that it seems new to some is a testament to how our predominantly white media organizations have failed to challenge those in power, failed to treat Black people with dignity, and failed to cover glaring injustices while enjoying their privilege. Oumar and Hannan look into Canadian media's friendly relationship with police forces, the sinister ways in which Canadian media organizations actively silence BIPOC journalists, and how this method of “journalism” leaves racism unchecked.

As a podcast that strives to properly communicate the experiences of Black Edmontonians, it's been difficult to produce content with only one voice. Today we're introducing a co-host, Hannan, who will bring important perspectives and talents to the project! Hannan and Oumar discuss their goals for this podcast and the importance of editorial freedom.

After a failed school board motion to suspend Edmonton's school resource officer (SRO) program, police will remain in schools this September. Bashir talks about his obstacles in uncovering information about the program, while Oumar meets with a teacher who provides exclusive insight into her horrific experience with an SRO.

Sifa Ngeze was involved in a vehicle accident in 2018. When her husband, Jean-Claude Rukundo, arrived to check on her, police pinned him to the ground with one officer's knee on his neck. Sifa and Jean-Claude reflect on this traumatizing experience in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder and the calls for police accountability. We spoke again to Tom Engel, founder and Chair of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association Policing Committee, about the disturbing commonality of this brutal practice and the complete lack of disciplinary action.

Oumar speaks with Moe Tesfay about his experience of police mistreatment as a veteran and local business owner. Tom Engel recounts his 20 years as Chair of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association Policing Committee, and explains the lack of police accountability from our current systems of politics and law.

Oumar and Bashir meet at Dickinsfield Junior High and discuss how this upbringing shaped their relationship to policing in Edmonton. Avnish explains his work in the legal field and why police accountability is necessary for building safer communities.