Tag Archives: racism

CKMS News – Report and support: Responding to hate motivated incidents in Waterloo with the coalition of Muslim Women

CKMS News – 2023-11-16- Report and support: Responding to hate motivated incidents in Waterloo with the coalition of Muslim Women

by: dan kellar

Waterloo – With the recent release by the city of a new guide to navigate and report incidents of hate and discrimination in Waterloo, the Coalition of Muslim Women Kitchener Waterloo have yet another tool to offer from their growing kit to combat rising incidents of hate and discrimination.  The group worked with city staff and other community partners such as the Community Justice Initiatives, as well as the regional police services to create the guide, which  highlights the group’s online “Hate or Discrimination Documentation and Reporting Service” which is accessed at reportinghate.ca and receives hate incident and discrimination reports from across the country. 

This show features an interview with Sarah Shafiq, the director of programming and services for the Coalition of Muslim Women KW, an organisation which is described on its website as “a small, but mighty group of racialized Muslim women that have been standing up to hate, discrimination, Islamophobia, and gender-based violence since 2010.” 

The Interview focuses on the services that the group offers, the partnerships with the city of Waterloo and the regional municipality, and the surge in reports of anti-Semitic, anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, and Islamophobic incidents reported in the past month.  Shafiq also mentions the feelings of disappointment and fear members of her community are experiencing, bringing up memories of the post 9/11 era of profiling and discrimination. 

This recent surge in hate incidents reflects the past several years of data available from both the Coalition of Muslim Women and Statistics Canada.  According to statscan, in 2022 police-reported hate crime incidents in Waterloo Region doubled to 144 events, representing 22.7 incidents per 100,000 of population, more than double the national average of 9.3 incidents per 100,000 of population. These numbers add to the 38% increase in hate crimes reported nationally in 2021, compared to 2020 data. 

The 2022 Snap Shot of Hate in Waterloo Region produced by the Coalition of Muslim Women shows a wide gap between the number of police reported hate incidents and the number of actual incidents which take place, with only 10 of 97 incidents that were reported to them ever being reported to the police.  With the new guide, the online reporting tool, and the other services offered by the Coalition of Muslim Women, Sarah hopes people will be comfortable in reporting incidents of hate and discrimination and be able to access the other services and supports the organisation offers.

 

CKMS News – 2023-11-10 – City of Waterloo develops a new hate incident reporting guide

CKMS News – 2023-11-10 – City of Waterloo develops hate incident reporting guide

by: dan kellar

Waterloo – As hate crimes and incidents of discriminatory hate have surged in Canada over the past several years, Waterloo Region has not been immune to the ugly trend, seeing the highest ever level of incidents in 2021 and then 2022.  As part of a response to these increases, the City of  Waterloo has developed a new guide to “support residents in navigating and reporting local incidents of hate and discrimination.”  The new resource “offers clear instructions on where to file a report and outlines what to expect throughout the process.”

In this show, we speak with Julie Legg, the Supervisor of Neighbourhood Services for the City of Waterloo, and Paulina Rodriguez, the Anti-Racism and Social Justice Advocate, also for the City of Waterloo.  The interview explores the development of the hate incident reporting guide, the importance of reporting hate incidents, and how this guide helps further the City of Waterloo’s inclusion and diversity initiatives, and create a city where as Julie Legg says “Hate isn’t welcome”.  

This new guide from the City of Waterloo was a collaboration which included community partners Community Justice Initiatives, and Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener Waterloo, as well as the regional police services.

In 2022, according to Statistic Canada, police-reported hate crime incidents in Waterloo Region doubled to 144 events  This represents  22.7 incidents per 100,000 of population compared to 6.7 per 100,000 in 2017 or 2.5 per 100,000 in 2018. In Canada, hate crimes rose 38% in 2021 from 2020, reaching 3358 incidents, and in 2022 surged even higher, with 3,576 hate crime incidents being reported.  That is on average 9.2 hate crime incidents per year per 100,000 of population.

As the Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener-Waterloo reported in their 2022 Snap Shot of Hate in Waterloo Region, only 10 of 97 incidents that were reported to them were ever reported to the police, suggesting that the police-reported numbers of hate incidents and hate crimes may be significantly lower than the actual number of these incidents that take place in the region.  

The new guide from the city, includes details on alternatives to reporting hate motivated incidents to the police, such as the reportinghate.ca website run by the Coalition of Muslim women of Kitchener-Waterloo.  According to Paulina Rodriguez from the City of Waterloo, these reporting alternatives are highlighted in an effort to support community members, and “meet people where they are at, where they feel most comfortable”.

 

CKMS News – 2021-06-27 – Ongoing anti-racism work in Baden

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Host: Namish Modi

This piece features an interview with Township of Wilmot council member Cheryl Gordijk.

Gordijk speaks about the anti-racism rally which took place in Wilmot in early May, as well as the presence of hateful posters plastered around the township recently. After this interview, the person who was allegedly responsible for the posters was ruled out for charges by Waterloo Regional Police.

Gordijk also talks to CKMS about hate-motivated issues in Wilmot over the last year. Mayor Les Armstrong shared a White Lives matter post on Facebook in 2020, hate graffiti was seen in Baden, while the SJAM statue has been a strong source of contention.

The interview took place on June 4 2021. 


This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca

CKMS News – 2021-06-26 – Sarah Shafiq of the Coalition of Muslim Women KW on combating anti-Muslim hate.

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Host: Namish Modi

This piece features an interview with Coalition of Muslim Women KW director of programming and services Sarah Shafiq. The interview was on June 22, a little more than two weeks after the murder of four members of a Muslim family in London.

It was determined that the motivation for the attack, by 20-year-old white man Nathaniel Veltman, was hate-motivated.

Shafiq discusses the mission of the coalition, as well as what the organization has done to support the nine-year-old boy who lost the rest of his immediate family.

Shafiq also touches on the importance of allyship and what non-Muslims can do to help combat islamophobia.


This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca

CKMS News -2021-06-21- Overt and systemic racism in the region

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Host: Sherice Alishaw

With the increase in awareness about acts of racism and racist structures resulting from the Black Lives Matters and Defund The Police movements, there have been many opportunities for people and institutions to learn and adapt their behaviour, but are our communities actually learning the lesson? Racism and racial profiling are still rampant within our communities highlighted again in a recent incident which saw the unlawful arrest of a Black Cambridge woman after police mistook her for another person. 

In this episode, we speak with Jeneka Johnson, a member of our community who suffered racial profiling at the hands of a potential landlord. We discussed her story and what had transpired the day she tried to inquire about an apartment in the Kitchener Waterloo area. We also have an open discussion about ways you can promote equality within your community. 

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This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant project and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca

CKMS News – 2021-05-10 – Waterloo Region Weekly Roundup

Host: Melissa Bowman

This episode of the Waterloo Region Weekly Roundup has us planted firmly in Wilmot township. First, we’ll hear from the April 26th Wilmot Council meeting and learn about the First Peoples Group, the Prime Ministers’ Path project, and the discovery of several ‘white lives matter’ posters in the township.

I’ll also share some updates about the Anti-Racism rally held on May 9th at Baden’s Castle Kilbride, in reaction to the discovery of those posters.

download audio of this episode

This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca

 

CKMS News – 2021-04-04 – Waterloo Region Weekly Roundup

Host: Melissa Bowman

In this episode we’ll take a bit of a tour through much of the region! I’ll share updates about a proposed development in New Hamburg that was met with some resistance from neighbours. There are many housing updates from Kitchener council including a unique partnership with the YWCA for new supportive housing. The Region also discussed housing as they approved a new development with an estimated 50 affordable housing units for the Beechwood neighbourhood. And finally, we will hear some updates from Waterloo council and the work they are doing on equity, diversity, and inclusion.

This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca

CKMS News – 2020-12-17 – Waterloo Region Weekly Roundup

Host: Melissa Bowman

On this week’s show I start with the discussion Wilmot council is once again having regarding Wilmot Mayor Les Armstrong’s Facebook Post that suggested that the Black Lives Matter movement is a hoax. 

I’ll share details about that meeting and Council’s reaction to the Integrity Commissioner’s report based on his actions. Kitchener is one step closer to having a downtown cycling grid and I’ll outline some highlights from that committee discussion. 

Lastly, I’ll dive into the details of Waterloo council’s recent decisions on equity, diversity, and anti-racism initiatives.

This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca

CKMS News -2020-12-10- Waterloo Region Weekly Roundup

Host: Melissa Bowman

It’s city budget season and we’ll kick that off by taking a look at Kitchener’s preliminary budget which includes a rather passionate discussion around whether to try to get the proposed 1.1% tax increase down to 0%.

We’ll also discuss the Region’s recent decision to close its 5 regionally-operated child care centres in 2021, resulting in the loss of over 200 existing child care spaces as well as the equivalent of 62 full time positions.

Lastly, we’ll look at some other stories worth keeping an eye on, including the Integrity Commissioner’s recent announcement regarding Wilmot mayor Les Armstrong’s Facebook post earlier this year.

This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca

CKMS News -2020-11-30 – KWAG curator Crystal Mowry on new exhibit “Black Drones in the Hive” – Part Two

Host: Shalaka Jadhav

On the centenary of the first-ever exhibition of the Group of Seven painters, KWAG is premiering Deanna Bowen’s “Black Drones in the Hive” as the cornerstone of fall programming.  This curatorial choice serves to break up with the narrative that the Group of Seven has served around terra nullius, and bring visibility to the narratives and intersections between Indigenous, Black, and settler stories.

This interview serves as part two of two with Crystal Mowry, senior curator at the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, uncovering Deanna Bowen’s “Black Drones in the Hive”.  In part two, Crystal will dive into some of the curatorial choices that bring the exhibit to life, the unlikely patternicity that links some of Kitchener’s historical characters to themes in the exhibit, and the evolving role of art spaces in supporting collective movements beyond the gallery.

Black Drones in the Hive is on view at KWAG until 28 February 2021.

This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca.

Music for this episode was courtesy of Dylan Prowse.

CKMS News – 2020-11-19 – KWAG curator Crystal Mowry on new exhibit “Black Drones in the Hive”

Host: Shalaka Jadhav

On the centenary of the first-ever exhibition of the Group of Seven painters, the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) is premiering Deanna Bowen’s “Black Drones in the Hive” as the cornerstone of fall programming.  This curatorial choice serves to break up with the narrative that the Group of Seven has served around terra nullius, and bring visibility to the narratives and intersections between Indigenous, Black, and settler stories.

This interview serves as part one of two with Crystal Mowry, senior curator at the Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, uncovering Deanna Bowen’s “Black Drones in the Hive”.  In part one, Crystal will talk about her role as a curator slash co-conspirator, share some of the themes of this timely exhibit, and reveal some behind the scenes stories that illustrate the journey of bringing these works together.

You can learn more about the exhibit from the artist herself, on Nov 26.  KWAG is hosting Montreal-based artist Deanna Bowen discussing her solo exhibition, Black Drones in the Hive, in conversation with Crystal Mowry herself.

Black Drones in the Hive is on view at KWAG until 28 February 2021.

This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca.

Music for this episode was courtesy of Dylan Prowse.

CKMS News – 2020-10-15 – Police target a Black PhD candidate for arrest

Host: Ivan Angelovski

Black Lives Matter of Waterloo Region, along with other Black and African organizations in the Region, started a petition for the police to drop the charges against Irene Ekweozoh, a Waterloo based PhD candidate in law.

Ekweozoh was arrested on September 20th, after problems with her White neighbour in their apartment building.

The issues began in February, when, according to Ekweozoh and the police report, after an argument, her neighbour unleashed a dog on her and her 13 year old daughter.  The police told Ekweozoh that charges were not warranted against her neighbour in that incident.

In this episode you will hear from:
Irene Ekweozoh, PhD student targeted for arrest by Waterloo regional police, Fanis Juma an organizer with Black Lives Matter of Waterloo Region, Tapiwa Jabhama from the African Canadian Association, as well as Fidelia Otokhina and Promise O Williams from the Nigerians in the Region of Waterloo.

In a statement from the regional police service’s public relations department it was noted that “anyone with concerns about police conduct or professionalism can call to speak to a supervisor to relay their concerns or issue a formal complaint at 519-570-9777 (WRPS). Complaints about police conduct can also be filed with the Ontario Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) here: www.oiprd.on.ca.”

The Black Lives Matter Waterloo Region statement in support of Irene can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYirGQ8tOYyTppvBskF8fi3EBOyaWgpOcLC-PnhL-s3byoyQ/viewform


This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news. You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. And you can email news@radiowaterloo.ca to get in touch with comments or ideas about stories to cover.

The music was Blackroom by Moby, courtesy of mobygratis.com