"Let's tear down monuments to anti-Blackness and colonialism, including the police system."
"Black Lives Matter held a rally and march today in Toronto in support of demands to defund the police, invest in communities and create emergency safety services that do not harm Black and Indigenous people. Along with a coalition of artists, the group artistically disrupted statues of slaveholders and monuments to colonialism at Ryerson University and at Queen's Park. The city of Toronto spends just over 25% of taxpayer dollars on funding the police. That's a cost of $1.13 billion dollars, comparable to the tax dollars spent on public transportation, the library, children services and public health combined" - BLM Toronto press release
"Much like the institution of the police, these statues are monuments that glorify the ugliest parts of our history and our present. If this society truly believes that Black lives matter, it's not enough to simply say so in words. Let's refuse to honour colonialism, anti-Blackness, and white supremacy. Let's tear down monuments to anti-Blackness and colonialism, including the police system. Let's build a society that truly values safety for all of us." - Syrus Marcus Ware, organizer Black Lives Matter - Toronto
"Torontonians are paying over $3.3 million per day on policing! In Peel Region, over 40% of taxpayer dollars are spent on the police. Most people have no idea how much money goes into policing, which is why we created defundthepolice.org, so that people can easily see how much funding is going toward this service that continues to target, harm and kill Black and Indigenous people in our community." - Ravyn Wngz, Black Lives Matter - Toronto organizer.