Members of the Black Lives Matter movement in Toronto organized a demonstration outside Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s home on Thursday night, prompting huge police presence in the neighbourhood.
Police were called to Wynne’s home in north Toronto on Friday after several items were discarded on her front lawn, a police source told CP24. The items included flowers and a small tent.
Black Lives Matter Toronto released a statement confirming their presence outside Wynne’s home. The statement said that members of the movement left a wreath and a photo of Andrew Loku, the South Sudanese migrant who was shot dead by a Toronto police officer in July 2015, as part of their on-going demonstrations.
The release said that Premier Wynne has “ignored” the incident and ultimately the black community.
“The decision makers to whom we have submitted our demands to, including Kathleen Wynne, continue to ignore the Black community and thousands of people who support us,” movement co-founder Sandy Hudson said in the release. “So we have no choice but to bring our actions to them. Eleven straight days of protest and our Premier has said nothing. That is a shame.”
The local Black Lives Matter movement has been demonstrating outside of Toronto Police headquarters on Yonge and College Streets for almost two weeks. The movement has demanded that all police officers who shoot and kill civilians be named publicly, regardless of whether it is deemed justified by the special investigations unit.
The movement has also asked for the special investigations unit to be reformed and compensation be given to families of black men who been killed by police in the GTA.
Premier Wynne is in Ottawa on official business this Friday, her staff has said.
Officers from various law enforcement divisions – including Toronto’s Fire Hazardous Materials Unit, the local CRBNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) response team and the premier’s OPP security detail – responded to Wynne’s home and closed off a portion of the street.
Speaking in Ottawa, Wynne said the sight of a tent and other items in her driveway “unnerved” her partner, who was at the residence at the time.
Wynne said she is serious about addressing issues regarding police and race in the province but that her home is not the place to have that discussion.
"I would like for the protests to happen in places other than my home," Wynne said in Ottawa. "And you know quite frankly, it's not just about my home, it's about the neighbours as well. It's about the people on the street who didn't choose to put their name on a ballot."
