Carding: A Really Dumb And Dangerous Idea

Editor:

 

Occasionally, some really dumb, mischievous, and dangerous idea appears at the most inopportune time. Carding is such an idea.

If the police had deliberated with great care, to devise a plan to worsen race relations in this city, they could not have done better.

From the combination of statutory and common (judge-made) law, police have been given enormous power to perform their duties, for which they are reasonably well-paid.

Most experienced criminal lawyers will agree, that the policeman on the street may be the most powerful person in the entire criminal justice system. They do not need more power.

In the early nineties the Ontario Court of Appeal found as a fact, that “Racism, and in particular black racism, is part of our community`s psyche.

A significant segment of our community holds overtly racist views. A much larger segment subconsciously operates on the basis of racial stereotypes. Furthermore our institutions, including the criminal justice system, reflect and perpetuate those negative stereotypes. These elements combine to infect our society as a whole, with the evil of racism. Blacks are among the primary victims of that evil.”

People of goodwill from all sectors of society have been trying for years to improve race relations in this city.

From where on earth did this dumb idea come? Could there be powerful people in our city, who actually want to worsen race relations with such a monumentally stupid idea, from which no one will benefit?

The decent people of Toronto, of whom there are many of all “races” must put a stop to this, before it goes any further.

 

Romain Pitt

Retired Superior Court Judge

Toronto, Ontario