The Yonge Street riot was a civil disturbance that occurred in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the night of May 4, 1992. [1]
Events
Originally, the protest had been focused on Rodney King, as the officers that beat King had recently been acquitted. [2] [1] [3] However, a young Black man named Raymond Lawrence was killed in Toronto on May 2 by two officers of the Peel Regional Police. [2] [4] Accordingly, the protest grew to encompass Lawrence's killing as well. [2]
The protest began at the United States consulate on University Avenue, and then moved to the intersection of Yonge and Bloor Streets. [3] It was led by the Black Action Defence Committee. [5] Witnesses noted that many engaged in looting and violence were white skinheads. [2]
Aftermath
Following the disturbance, according to a contemporaneous report in the Toronto Star, Ontario premier Bob Rae called for "reforms" in the "education and justice systems". [6] Rae tasked Stephen Lewis with drafting a report to analyze the causes of the disturbance. [1] Alexander and Glaze summarize Lewis's conclusions as follows: "[w]hile the LAPD trial verdict, and the May 2 Toronto police shooting death … acted as catalysts, the root causes of black unrest were simmering frustration over police mistreatment, discrimination in employment and housing, and a school system dominated by Eurocentric curricula." [7]
References
- ^ a b c Walkom 1994, p. 219.
- ^ a b c d Vyhnak, Carola (May 4, 2017). "Once Upon A City: The 1992 riot that served as a wake-up call for police". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Black, Simon (May 2, 2017). "Yonge Street riot remembered". Now. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ "Timeline". Ontario Human Rights Commission. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
- ^ Johnstone, Marjorie; Lee, Eunjung (July 3, 2018). "State violence and the criminalization of race: Epistemic injustice and epistemic resistance as social work practice implications". Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work. 27 (3): 234–252. doi: 10.1080/15313204.2018.1474826. ISSN 1531-3204.
- ^ Maychak, Matt (May 6, 1992). "Hooligans to blame, not racism, Rae says". Toronto Star. p. A7. ProQuest 436656748.
- ^ Alexander, Ken; Glaze, Avis (1996). Towards Freedom: The African-Canadian Experience. Toronto: Umbrella Press. p. 14. ISBN 1-895642-20-5. OCLC 35761157.
Sources
- Walkom, Thomas Lawrence (1994). Rae Days. Toronto: Key Porter Books. ISBN 1-55013-598-8. OCLC 30669140.
Further reading
- Lewis, Stephen (June 9, 1992). Report of the Advisor on Race Relations to the Premier of Ontario, Bob Rae (PDF) (Report).