Original column – as published in the Toronto Star newspaper, on May 8th, 2024
I’ve been distracted over the last few days with the current disciplinary hearing for Toronto Police Superintendent Stacy Clarke. Stacy Clarke has the distinction of being the first black woman to attain the rank of Superintendent, on the Toronto force and is currently facing a battle to save her job due to allegations of ‘misconduct’. Admittedly, she shared interview questions with six black constables who were eligible for promotion. What’s not in question is the fact she did it! What’s also not in question is the fact what she did was technically wrong. What is up for debate however, is whether her actions were justified and whether they warrant her potentially losing her job.
I think Stacy Clarke is a hero! Yes, she broke the rules and did something technically wrong. But I still think she’s a hero, as do many in the black community. One of my complaints about the black community has always been that we don’t lift each other up like other visible minorities. But here was a black woman who was willing to jeopardize her career, for the betterment of other black officers in a police force that has been deemed by almost every report and study, to be institutionally racist.For all of the Conservative pundits on various Talk Radio programs who say that she should have followed the rules…..if we as black people stayed in our lane and followed the rules as they have been laid out for us, then we would still be drinking out of ‘colored’ water fountains and not be allowed to walk through the front door of business establishments. Our gains in this country and every other ‘white’ dominated society have been through civil disobedience, challenging and when necessary, breaking the rules.
It’s also quite telling that these same Conservative pundits have stated she should be punished harshly. So this is what it takes for them to say that a police officer should be punished for something they have done? This is what gets their goat? We’ve had police officers charged with sexual assault, assault, attempted murder, stealing drugs etc… We just had a murder trial for the death of a police officer that fell apart largely due to what appears to be police officers colluding to lie. In the case of Dafonte Miller, we even had two police forces – Durham and Toronto, who conspired to cover up a crime. We know it was a crime because the officer involved was eventually convicted of assault. And yet all of the ‘higher ups’ in the police force that covered up the original crime, went unpunished. Yet, this case of a black woman trying to help other black officers in an institutionally racist organization is what gets them really angry.
Gimme a break. Stacy Clarke is a hero and I wish more black people in positions of power would be willing to take risks in order to advance the plight of their fellow black citizens.
Sane Ramblings in an Insane World 