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Dedicated to Malton –MISSISSAUGAWATCH.CA (non) mayoral address (Lincoln Alexander Secondary School)
October 9th, 2010
Lots to do so I’m going to make this fast.
What follows is my experience trying to get my mayoral (non) campaign speech across to the audience still hanging tough inside the cafeteria at Lincoln Alexander Secondary School on October 7, 2010 when my turn finally came.
As a strategy I waited until Mayor Hazel McCallion gave her talk—which everyone assumed was the last of the evening. Nope.
I’d been waiting a very long time to talk to the good folks in Malton and especially Lincoln Alexander. And it was Show Time.
I won’t be providing a transcript of the video (they cut the microphone on me because they didn’t know that I was a mayoral candidate and—well, you’ll have to watch). So instead, along with the video, I’ll just cut-and-paste my script.
Dedicated to Malton –MISSISSAUGAWATCH.CA (non) mayoral address (Lincoln Alexander Secondary School) 7:34 min
(Click here to go directly to the clip on YouTube)
SCRIPT OF THE MALTON/LINCOLN ALEXANDER SPEECH
Hi. I’m unique among the people here because I am *not* running, I’m simply registered. I registered as part of my research into municipal governance and the City of Mississauga in particular. Since January 2007 I’ve spent over $2,000 on Freedom of Information to investigate Mississauga.
The McMurtry/Curling Report on The Roots of Youth Violence states:
“Community Centres and programs run by mainstream social service providers that have facilities are not “youth-friendly” or accessible to youth, particularly Black youth.
“Not youth-friendly”—that’s what I see too.
I have a moral obligation to tell you something.
In 2008 I attended four Mississauga Youth Plan meetings, one of which was held across the street at Malton Community Centre on March 3, 2008. I witnessed a City of Mississauga security guard deny a half dozen black youths entrance into that meeting. A couple of the kids peered through the window to friends inside and gestured that the guard wasn’t letting them in! I’ve got a photograph to prove that.
At this meeting, youth were asked to write up a wish list. Of the four Youth meetings I attended throughout the city, Malton kids were the only ones to write “DON’T KICK US OUT” as a wish.
However, you won’t see “DON’T KICK US OUT” recorded in the City’s official version of the Mississauga Youth Plan!
Here are the City’s Security records for Malton Community Centre January 1, 2006 until September 26, 2008. During that time, City security guards issued 200 bans and arrests!
By contrast, the combined stats for Cawthra, Meadowvale, Clarkson and River Grove show only 22 bans representing more than twice the foot traffic of Malton Community Centre. And no arrests.
People might respond with, “Well, you know, this is Malton –isn’t 200 what you expect?”
So I investigated the City’s bans for the nearby Westwood Mall Transit Terminal during the same period. NO bans—or arrests. Zero.
I don’t know about you but I am pretty sure more people go through that transit terminal in a day than Malton Community Centre.
From what I can figure, of the 200 Malton Community Centre bans/arrests, 48% of them are youth and minors.
Contrary to its own guidelines, the City does not inform parents when a child is banned. Over the entire City there are hundreds of parents and guardians with no clue of the City’s bans to their kids.
That’s deadly because if a kid returns to property before a ban’s expiry, he is ARRESTED. Freedom of Information retrieved this direct quote from the Director of Corporate Security about the Arrest policy: “…no exceptions. Let them tell it to the judge”.
And that’s still not the worst part.
It’s what Staff and security guards write about you or your kid into their computer system that you have to worry about. The vast majority of people written into City Security’s “occurrence narratives” simply cannot imagine what’s written about them!
And that computer database with stuff written about your kid rides in the front seat console of every one of the City’s Security RESPONSE UNITS.
And how would you like to be the parent of this kid?
Or this one?
If your kid goes to Malton Community Centre I urge you to file Freedom of Information on any records that the City of Mississauga might have on your youngster.
If nothing comes up, great.
If it does? Do not try to fix things up by dealing directly with City Security. They are highly-accomplished liars and I have proof of this. Besides, you can’t remove what these security guards wrote about your kid. But you CAN enter into the records your youngster’s side of the story.
And you can file a complaint—even if it was something that happened back in 2006.
Go to www.mississaugawatch.ca. I will help!
Thanks for listening.
Signed,
MISSISSAUGAWATCH
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Mississauga graffiti wall removed –and graffiti artists/taggers adapt new strategy
June 22nd, 2010
It’s funny how things work out…
I can’t even count the number of Peel Youth Violence Prevention Working Group and Steering Committee meetings I’ve sat in on since their inaugural March 2007. Then there was observing four (bogus) Mississauga Youth Plan meetings. And sitting in on Peel Regional Council meetings when the Peel Youth Charter or youth issues were on the agenda. And myyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy but the adults talked. And talked. And talked.
But the very youth that the politicians and bureaucraPs were entrusted to help just never showed. Indeed, in the case of the City of Mississauga, steps were taken to ensure that “bad youth” had better think twice if they wanted their say. You know, the two percent youth that Hazel McCallion does not consider “good youth”. The “two percent” youth that our public institutions loathe.
As readers know I began studying Brampton/Mississauga graffiti back in April 2009. Since then I’ve compiled hundreds of photographs and many hours of videotape. I will never post the majority of the material because I know the images can be used as evidence against a graffer or tagger should he ever get caught.
Researching graffiti absolutely catapulted my understanding of the “bad youth” that our public institutions prefer didn’t exist.
Oh, but what a researcher can learn from graffiti and tags! You get this new way of seeing —and you’re richer for it.
I find myself touring Mississauga examining walls and fences and surfaces, thinking, “Now there’s prime real estate for a tag. I wonder why there isn’t one…” Best of all this study of graffiti has taught me to see the City as no middle class muddler can hope to. With such clarity! Graffiti is Real!
I’ve learned a lot about graffiti through the simple act of documenting it. But the true insights into the world of the graffer/tagger come through direct email via YouTube. What I feel blessed about is that graffers took a chance to contact me. To tip me off to graffiti locations. To explain the symbols, the language. But mostly to teach me the psychology of their sub-culture —the adrenalin rush of a successful night out with their graffiti crew.
Which brings us to…
Last week one of our graffiti study sites was obliterated. Some grafs at this location had “08″ for dates suggesting they had been up for almost two years. Why the Big Erase now? I suspect it’s got to do with MUNICIPAL ELECTION TIME. Either way —gone.
As of today we’re starting a new tradition. Whenever one of our graffiti study sites goes down, MISSISSAUGAWATCH will document its demise for the record. We’ll also “resurrect” BEFORE pics/video of what the graffiti and tags had looked like. That way these youth graffiti-voices aren’t completely lost.
So. Here’s the video. Followed by transcript.
YouTube Video, “MISSISSAUGA GRAFFITI REMOVED: Comparative (Before Erase. May 27, 2009. After Erase. June 19, 2010)” 3:11 min
(Click here to go directly to the clip on YouTube)
[VIDEO TRANSCRIPT]
MISSISSAUGAWATCH (at our study site after graffiti was removed June 19, 2010):
It is June the 19th, 2010 and this is the —what’s left of the graffiti wall here at the [audio dampened to protect location] past the [audio dampened to protect location].
I had documented the graffiti here. It’s been erased. Gone. As has a lot of the material at the front. And what’s interesting is, this week —say Monday/Tuesday, Councillor Nando Iannicca sent out a Councillor’s Report that had a rather prominent little column on graffiti.
And, gosh, it wasn’t two days after that I noticed the graffiti that had been here for a long, long time had been erased.
[TRANSCRIPT ENDS]
Photos and video clips of what the graffiti looked like back on May 27, 2009.
Click here for a larger (1024 x 395) version.
Click here for a larger (768 x 1024) version.
Click here for a larger (768 x 1024) version.
And two Before and Afters.
Click here for a larger (1024 x 618) version.
And of course…
Click here for a larger (640 x 960) version.
Funny. The May 2009 footage represents the first record I have of MIOH/MYOH and I only discovered that during the preparation of this video! Note too the few additions between May 2009 and April 2010. That means both HACR and MYOH got nailed at this site!
I can tell you this. Removal in no way discouraged them. On the same day I discovered this graffiti site removed, I noticed HACR and MYOH in several new locations. It’s very very clear that they learned a lesson though —and adapted accordingly!
Signed,
The Mississauga Muse
MISSISSAUGAWATCH
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MISSISSAUGA BRAMPTON GRAFFITI RESEARCH (preliminary) Off the Cuff Hate Crime/Gang REPORT PART 2
April 2nd, 2010
This time Part 2 —the transcript of this video report —uploaded to YouTube just prior to the Hate Crime/graffiti data released by the Peel Police Services Board at their Friday, March 26, 2010 meeting.
Rather than repeat the introduction, please click here if you’re interested in viewing/reading Part 1 MISSISSAUGA/BRAMPTON GRAFFITI RESEARCH (preliminary) REPORT conclusion: Studying graffiti/tags is an important window into youth culture first.
Otherwise, we begin Brampton/Mississauga graffiti Part 2 video and transcript.
WARNING! DO NOT VIEW THIS VIDEO IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY THE F-WORD AND EVEN WORSE WORDS!
NOTE: When I uploaded Part 2 to YouTube on March 25th, I referred to it as a DRAFT and said that I’d replace it at a later date with a more-worked version. I’ve since changed my mind. Viewing this a week later, I realize that it’s important to show “works in progress” –even as rough, rushed and off-the-cuff as this one was.
Video: MISSISSAUGA BRAMPTON PEEL GRAFFITI RESEARCH (preliminary) REPORT PART 2 (MISSISSAUGAWATCH) 10:31 min
uploaded March 25, 2010
Click here to go directly to the clip on YouTube
Video: MISSISSAUGA BRAMPTON PEEL GRAFFITI RESEARCH (preliminary) REPORT PART 2 (MISSISSAUGAWATCH) 10:32 min
[VIDEO TRANSCRIPT]
MISSISSAUGAWATCH (parked directly in front of the City of Mississauga Big Yellow evil empire, March 25, 2010):
Just to speak a little bit further on the lack of overlap between what the July and August 2009 Peel Regional Police graffiti photographs showed and mine —that was a surprise. I had actually figured that I would recognize more tags than I did.
[DIP TO WHITE]
The other thing is, in my own driving and looking around, the tags that I documented, while they might still be there —they’re the original tags that I documented a year ago. And I often don’t see new ones by the same individual.
And I’m not quite sure how to interpret that.
[DIP TO WHITE]
Peel Police has [sic] suggested that catching graffiti [sic] is very difficult to do —and catching people in the act. That’s not a surprise.
So the question is, do the kids just naturally grow out of it in the sense that they’ve tagged maybe for a few months and then just grown out of that, or whether they’ve been caught, whether they’ve been talked out of it by buddies —I don’t know. But it doesn’t seem to be something that for a lot of them they don’t do for any length of time.
[DIP TO WHITE]
For graffiti people who might be out there watching this and offended, I have to admit that I haven’t been at the Mississauga Graffiti Wall. I’m aware that it exists. I just have difficulty getting access to it. But it appears to run —I’ve checked Google Maps and it runs along Streetsville. And I have seen the graffiti there and there’s a lot of beautiful stuff there. I’m talking about the artwork because it is Art —it’s just unauthorized Art and therefore it’s a crime, but—
It may be a crime, but it’s still Art.
In the case of somebody spraying “FTP” on a post, don’t convince me that’s art —that’s just tagging.
[DIP TO WHITE]
One thing just looking at the occurrence reports and the quality of the occurrence reports, who’s ever writing them, the descriptions are excellent. The best occurrence reports also explain what the graffiti represents. And I’m satisfied myself, that I’m beginning to recognize gang-related graffiti versus just a bunch of boys [sic] who are out on a lark.
[DIP TO WHITE]
However at the same time just because somebody’s putting up gang graffiti doesn’t make them gang members either. It just means that they know the gang symbols —as do I.
[DIP TO WHITE]
There was the underpass, clearly permission wall underpass and it had been sprayed with —I know one of the words was “White Power”. I can’t remember if there was the word “N*****” in there. I seem to remember that to be the case, which again would it clearly make it a Hate Crime.
But what was interesting is, I remember, oh, about a year ago, maybe more, Councillor Katie Mahoney saying, oh, we put up these permission walls and when we do, other graffiti artists respect this art and won’t draw over it.
Wronnnnnnnnnnnng! They draw over it.
And the best example to show that taggers will draw over other graffiti artists is just to go to the [points to Mississauga City Hall] skateboard plaza in there.
[DIP TO WHITE]
Some of the permission walls constantly attract taggers. There’s only one that doesn’t and it was done by a respected, well-known graffiti artist. And it seems to be that, yes, that stuff is not touched because people recognize it as a true graffiti artist.
The other stuff? Pfffft.
[DIP TO WHITE]
I have to say that at this time last year, I don’t think there was as much graffiti around as there is now. I think it’s on the increase. However, at the same time I also know that I’m a much much better at spotting it.
So, and Peel Police also suggest that maybe there isn’t as much —that the increase that they see might not be so much an increase in graffiti, as an increase in reporting.
[DIP TO WHITE]
There’s a lot of question marks, here. You see I’m kind of struggling with what the graffiti says.
But there’s absolutely no doubt that if you are not —I’m talking about now people who want to understand youth and trends of youth. I’m not talking about the kind of youth that feel comfortable walking into building.
[DIP TO WHITE]
The youth that I’m interested in and the most at-risk aren’t going to be writing as much. They’re more likely going to be expressing themselves on YouTube.
Again. It’s just a hypothesis right now.
And I think in the case of video, YouTube is richer for the [sic] kind of research because sometimes you see incidental things. In the case of one video, I was, I won’t say what the subject was but somebody was
[DIP TO WHITE]
driving down Highway 10. And you could see out the window, as they were videotaping out the car, there was a Mississauga Transit bus. And also a City of Mississauga Transit Enforcement vehicle. I don’t know if it was the 301 or 302 car but there are these little snippets that you get and then you can email the videographer and say, hey, can you tell me something about that incident.
Or, hey, I noticed some interesting graffiti you’ve got in your video. Can you tell me the location.
And you know, at first they don’t want to tell you. But then when they start looking at your stuff and they realize that yeah, you’re really interested in researching and what they have to say, they do share it.
[DIP TO WHITE]
When they really know that you’re not reporting the location, you get, I get emails —really terrific insights into graffiti and the tagging culture. And it is a culture. It’s a —yes, it’s a sub-culture.
But when you think about these people [points to Mississauga City Hall], these people look down on —not just look down on, they look at taggers and graffiti artists and the “bad youth” with the most, with the most contempt.
And [points to Mississauga City Hall], these people view themselves as “decent folk” where the tagger is essentially an animal.
[DIP TO WHITE]
What was really interesting was to be going through and reading each of the [Peel Police] documents and I matched the photographs up with the occurrence reports and then I flipped the page and I saw big black spray paint on yellow brick and I knew immediately that it was [points to Mississauga City Hall] City Hall.
And as I looked at the other pictures, sure enough, somebody, and I don’t know the date, about late July, “bombed” City Hall!
And it looked like they started at the skate plaza, went around the front, did the pillars —I don’t know what those watchtowers are at both ends—
[DIP TO WHITE]
But I want to make it clear I will never report a location of graffiti and tagging. Because when you’re researching if you report, what happens then, it becomes erased. And because of that, you have changed something in what you’re researching.
And one of the things I’m researching is how long some of these graffitis [sic] —graffiti meaning paintings or drawings, or tags, stay up!
If it’s on public property, Public Works, I will tell you this, Public Works gets rid of stuff really fast. A lot of the stuff on private property stays up a lot longer.
[DIP TO WHITE]
Peel Regional Police and Peel Council say how much they try to work with the community. I had been at the Lincoln Alexander School lock-down, had an opportunity to talk to Malton residents and they spoke very highly of Peel Regional Police. Every last one, including a Honda Civic, you know, with the dark tinted glass coming in with three youth in it.
And you’re kind of thinking, oh oh, [laughs] this is going to be a drive-by shooting. No, they rolled down the window and they asked what was going on and those guys in there with the hats this way [turns cap sideways] they supported Peel Regional Police too.
[DIP TO WHITE]
What I’m trying to do is anything that I remember I want to record right now because I’m really interested in how much of it, of my observations, matches Peel Regional Police. And wouldn’t it be interesting if it’s different? Because it really shouldn’t be. If —there might be different stuff that Peel Police record, but the ratio of the Hate Crimes and “FTP”s [F*** the Police] and this kind of thing, the ratio should be the same as my photographs.
Should be. Well, we’ll see.
[DIP TO WHITE]
[PART 2 VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ENDS]
Signed,
MISSISSAUGAWATCH
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MISSISSAUGA/BRAMPTON GRAFFITI RESEARCH (preliminary) REPORT conclusion: Studying graffiti/tags is an important window into youth culture
April 2nd, 2010
—As promised —the transcript of this video —uploaded to YouTube just prior to the Hate Crime/graffiti data released by the Peel Police Services Board at their Friday, March 26, 2010 meeting.
Advisory: I research graffiti/tags and do not report any locations no matter how offensive (even racist) it is. After all, if I am documenting such observations as how long something stays up, I can’t be the one reporting it! Having begun my research into graffiti on April 19, 2009, I can now confidently say that studying graffiti/tags is an important window into youth culture. Graffiti and especially the tags, give marginalized/alienated youth a voice they simply don’t have anywhere else.
These youth never showed at Mississauga Youth Plan meetings. Never showed for Peel Youth Violence Prevention meetings.
These youth NEVER show. Because they KNOW.
Like I do.
Want to prep you for the graffiti stuff with a quote from Peel Regional Chair Emil Kolb, February 28, 2008.
“I had a young gentleman in to see me yesterday that was here to convince me that we need to get away from the word, ‘multi-culture’ and we need to get to the word of ‘integration’. If we don’t get to the word of integration —how these communities are going to integrate, that, maybe not in our time here soon, but maybe in his children’s time, they’ll be a big issue in this Region.”
To me, that’s the most important thing Chair Kolb ever said in the four years that I’ve been researching municipal governance.
OK, enough background.
WARNING! DO NOT VIEW THIS VIDEO IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY THE F-WORD AND EVEN WORSE WORDS!
Video: MISSISSAUGA BRAMPTON PEEL GRAFFITI RESEARCH (preliminary) REPORT (MISSISSAUGAWATCH) 10:09 min
uploaded March 25, 2010
Click here to go directly to the clip on YouTube
Video: MISSISSAUGA BRAMPTON PEEL GRAFFITI RESEARCH (preliminary) REPORT PART 2 (MISSISSAUGAWATCH) 10:32 min
[VIDEO TRANSCRIPT]
MISSISSAUGAWATCH (parked directly in front of the City of Mississauga Big Yellow evil empire, March 25, 2010):
March 25th, 2010 and all I care about is that I get this report up on YouTube today and before tomorrow’s Peel Police Services Board meeting.
I read in the Toronto Sun that Peel Regional Police were going to be tabling their annual Hate Crime statistics.
[DIP TO WHITE]
And there was mention that quite a bit of the material that would be presented was in the form of graffiti.
So I’m absolutely intrigued and I want to record my own findings and study so far on graffiti and I thought what better place to do it than right here in front of Big Yellow evil empire City of Mississauga city hall. Because, see right there? Freedom of Information, direct observation, videotape, observing the Mississauga Youth Plan, Peel Youth Violence Prevention —all manner of emails and documents going back and forth, that, right there is a MAJOR Root of Youth Violence.
So I thought no better place than right here with that in the background.
[DIP TO WHITE]
OK, first of all the Mississsauga Youth Plan. I had been observing it including four meetings, ostensibly called “youth input” meetings.
Let’s put it this way. The youth that really needed a voice, not only weren’t represented, they wouldn’t have even been welcome there!
[DIP TO WHITE]
So I realize that the youth who were most at-risk, the ones who got in trouble with police and that I would see at Brampton Court House —they’re not going to these meetings.
And I thought, well, how do I even go about finding them? And I managed to do that through YouTube. And it became very clear that if you want to know what youth are thinking (laughs) you don’t invite them to the Mississauga library!
The youth that I’m primarily interested in, the target group, the most at-risk, have already pushed these people aside and recognized them for what they are. Frauds.
[DIP TO WHITE]
But how do you gain access to them? To be able to see what it is that they’re thinking and what it is they’re saying because, for the most part, they’re not interested in talking to people like me. I’m 60 years old for example. They just— and a lot of them don’t even trust you or think that you’re legitimately interested in them. And, by the way, I don’t blame them.
And they certainly have a hatred —an absolute hatred, for institutions. And may I also say that I don’t blame them for that either.
[DIP TO WHITE]
So in March 2009, I watched a lot of true youth voice videos on YouTube. And it became obvious that graffiti was a big thing in those kids’ lives. So by April I was already deciding that I was going to start documenting graffiti here in Peel Region.
[DIP TO WHITE]
The other thing I want to say is even though I’m a resident of Mississauga, I think Peel Region. And in fact, the fact that I’m wearing this hat today is symbolic of that. I’m a Peeler. I think in terms —I love the City of Brampton. I love Brampton kids. Those are the kids I taught for most of my career. So there’s this strong feeling of community within me and pride for Peel.
So it wasn’t just a case of me documenting City of Mississauga graffiti, I also wanted to know what was happening in Brampton. And I began my first photographic foray on April 19, 2009.
[DIP TO WHITE]
And I did not report any of the graffiti. While I put these samples up on my Flickr site, I did my best to try to hide the locations. And I can say that even now, that some of these graffiti and tags are still up.
[DIP TO WHITE]
There are some really-truly graffiti artists. And I mean like ART. It’s zero question, it’s ART.
[DIP TO WHITE]
The other thing is, in July and August I also expanded my graffiti research to the Hawaiian Island of Maui. And also expanded my research to include skateboarding culture and to compare —and I also researched skateboarding, to compare the urban-style skateboarding that we have here in Brampton slash Mississauga versus the west coast style of skateboarding that you’d see in California and definitely on Maui.
Very very interesting and I also speculated that there would be a difference in the graffiti between the urban here Mississauga one and west coast, Hawaiian Island kind of graffiti as well.
[DIP TO WHITE]
The other thing that I did, is in July and August, what with me researching Hawaiian or Maui-based graffiti, it meant that there was a two-month window that I didn’t have graffiti here in July and August. So what I did just recently, is I filed Freedom of Information with Peel Police requesting their graffiti information for the months of July and August.
And I can’t thank Peel Regional Police enough for two reasons. For one thing the amount of material that they gave back both in terms of print-outs, colour print-outs and also one DVD cost —was roughly $44.00. And they waived the fee. I’m grateful.
But the other thing is, by reading their —Peel Regional Police’s occurrence reports and the quality of their observations and the insights there, that did two things. I learned a lot from what Peel Regional Police is looking for in terms of its own graffiti research. And to realize that they are applying Science to the study of graffiti. As am I, by the way.
[DIP TO WHITE]
One thing that I found with the graffiti here, is I agree too that a lot of the graffiti is —of the Hate ones, and there isn’t as much as you might think. Which in some ways is good.
But yeah, you see the swastikas. You see the White Power. You see N***** and niggaz.
However, I’ve also documented graffiti which shows sort of the Chinese —the target Chinese community, with the Chinese hat and the moustache, with “Chinaman” down there. Or drawings of the turban. And then —I mean really offensive stuff!
The other thing I was looking for was the relationship that these youth who do graffiti have with Police. Because I felt the relationship between youth and Police would be reflected in the graffiti.
And I admit that there’s some “F*** the Police” and “FTP” which is short for “F*** the Police”. And Peel Regional Police, in their July and August 2009 data also showed some evidence of that.
But what was neat was, it’s still quite rare.
And when you go, for example, to the City of Hamilton, which is one of my alternate study sites —comparative sites, “F*** the Police” is one of the most common pieces of graffiti. As is “FTP”. And I’m talking about every pole. Along every area— even in the parks.
And I’m talking about Beasley Park where “F*** the Police” is about this high in big black letters and has been there since I started back in April.
[DIP TO WHITE]
So there’s a really huge difference in the relationship, I believe —at least that’s what I think it suggests between the youth in the City of Hamilton and the Police, as opposed to what we see here in Peel and the relationship with Police.
Sure there’s the odd tag but it isn’t nearly as prevalent and as obvious as City of Hamilton.
And so one of the questions you ask is well, what’s the message there?
[DIP TO WHITE]
The other thing that is interesting is, when I looked at the photographs that Peel Regional Police had for July and August, there was very little overlap between what they documented and what I did.
And the other thing really interesting is, Peel Regional Police —their July/August stuff, a lot of it was parks. And a surprising amount was City of Mississauga sites and parks. And City of Mississauga Corporate Security being the ones filing the reports on graffiti.
[DIP TO WHITE]
That’s not a surprise because I avoid City of Mississauga property because (whispers) I know about these security guards.
[DIP TO WHITE]
So I always have a— I have to have a [sic] audio recorder to even feel remotely-safe on City property. So I try to avoid that and my analysis is more along the roadways and just driving along the roads and pulling aside when I see something.
[PART 1 VIDEO TRANSCRIPT ENDS]
Signed,
MISSISSAUGAWATCH
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Are increases in Youth bans and arrests a natural consequence of “Zero Tolerance” Policies?
October 14th, 2009
Let’s get right into it.
What follows is a transcript of a deputation I gave to City of Mississauga Council this morning. Called “On Matters of INsecurity”, it was an attempt to correct statements made by Councillor Pat Saito at the September 30, 2009 Council meeting.
She and it seems all City of Mississauga elected officials believe that “various steps” are taken by City of Mississauga security guards before youth are banned from City Property, As Councillor Saito put it, “a ban is not an instant step. Usually. There are other steps that have been taken before that happens in many cases.”
My deputation made it clear that for youth and minors there are no “various steps” prior to banning. And that Mississauga City security guards arrest youth (12 and up) immediately should they return to Property during a ban. After all, Director of City Security Ken Owen insists, Zero Tolerance is the hallmark of Zero Tolerance policies.
In short I reminded Mayor and Councillors of some of the youth-toxic consequences in the “Zero Tolerance” Violence, Vandalism and Bullying Policy that Council passed unanimously in December 2006.
So, here’s video of today’s “Zero Tolerance” deputation followed by my speech notes.
Video: ABOUT BIG BROTHER: On Matters of INsecurity, “ZERO TOLERANCE” (7:13 sec)
(Click here to go directly to the clip on YouTube)
I will be handing this speech note to the City Clerk’s office for inclusion in the October 14, 2009 Council meeting minutes. Please know that footnote [1] does not appear in the original presented at Council. But now will.
DEPUTATION: a matter of INsecurity
First of all, thanks Madam Mayor for inviting me to meet with you on August 31st regarding City of Mississauga Corporate Security’s practices of banning and arresting youth and minors while on City property. I apologize that I wasn’t able to attend.
You see, back in July I emailed a list of questions to Commissioner Breault that I needed answering prior to our meeting and there seems to be a bit of a hold up. [1]
Today I want to address something that Councillor Saito said during the last Council meeting (and that the September 30, 2009 Council minutes failed to record).
Regarding making details of youth banned and arrested from City facilities public information, the Council minutes correctly state:
Councillor Pat Saito asked if staff could look at making the information public on Bans at Arenas and Public Places. She enquired if staff could post the information on the site without violating the Freedom of Information Act, particularly the reason for the ban, the type of incidents and what the City is doing about it. She felt that the information could be posted monthly or bi-monthly. Councillor Pat Saito provided direction that a report be brought back on her request.
All true. But the minutes fail to mention what I believe is the most important thing that Councillor Saito said.
(This is a transcript from video)
Quote:
… I think it’s important that our residents are made aware of these incidents and they’re made aware of the various steps that are taken, because a ban is not an instant step. Usually.
There are other steps that have been taken before that happens in many cases.
Frankly I’m surprised that any City of Mississauga elected official would somehow think that various steps are taken before youth and minors are banned from City property. Whatever would give you that idea?
I’m here to tell you that $2,100 worth of Freedom of Information suggests that nothing can be further from the truth.
Regarding Councillor Saito’s belief that “the various steps are taken, because a ban is not an instant step usually”, back in December 2006 Council passed the Violence, Vandalism and Bullying Policy.
Well, just a reminder what the Policy says about bans:
“The City of Mississauga will take appropriate disciplinary action when incidents of vandalism, violence or bullying occur in City facilities. Such action may include the immediate banning of the patron from the facility.”
Security Special Occurrence Reports secured through Freedom of Information confirm “immediate banning” not just of kids as young as 9/10 from three facilities at once (Mississauga Civic Centre, Living Arts Centre and Central Library) but also immediate “Zero Tolerance” arrests of kids should they return during their ban.
Freedom of Information has confirmed the arrest right here of a 12/13 year old who returned to the skate plaza two hours after being banned from there.
Fact is, the Violence, Vandalism and Bullying Policy makes it clear that anyone returning during a ban “will be” arrested. Zero Tolerance. Instant step.
The only way to escape arrest under the Violence, Vandalism and Bullying Policy, should you return during a ban, is to be under 12 years of age.
Now Councillor Saito, you stated that you weren’t going to get specific about what youth information you want generated. I believe you should be specific.
You need to be aware of the “non-robust” nature of that database (and “non-robust” is how the City described that database, not us).
The Security database is wonky, about as flexible as a cinder block and has spit out spurious, unreliable reports when accommodating our Freedom of Information requests.
The database does however have enormous value in its raw data –that is, its historical information. It does after all contain stats on almost three years of worth of bans, fines, trespass and arrests issued by your security guards to hundreds of people –many of them youth and minors.
Essentially, embedded in that raw data just waiting for extracting is a unique social history of the City of Mississauga –testimony of what happens when Security guards are granted the power to ban (and this is a direct quote)
“at their own discretion, and/or effect a trespass arrest if required. This is done at the time of an incident and is necessarily independent of any control or oversight from the Violence and Vandalism Committee.“
That database therefore is invaluable for Roots of Youth violence research.
Next. Related topic.
I need to address Councillor Iannicca’s kindness that he extended to me back in June. How he said he believed that I was sincere, had done my homework but just wasn’t sure of The Ask.
Sir, tomorrow I have to go into Toronto to file yet another appeal with the Information and Privacy Commissioner because the City has blocked total access to City Security’s records of bans, trespass and arrests –the very records that Councillor Saito requested be made public just fourteen days ago.
The Ask, Councillor Iannicca?…
I’ve taken the liberty of preparing a list of specific queries for that database that I believe Council should see.
My husband and I are pursuing our request for the database through appeal to the Privacy Commissioner, but we recognize that for the present, the reporting requested by Councillor Saito and approved by motion of Council is currently the only means of extracting meaningful information.
I therefore ask that these queries be included in any reporting requested by Council. Thank you for your consideration.
[1] In fairness, Commissioner Breault reminded me that I had pulled the original set of (21) questions and then re-submitted them and that I had given her a meeting date of January. True. But what I didn’t make properly clear to her was that I set January on the assumption that I’d get the Mississauga Corporate Security database and my answers by the end of October to get time to prepare..not going to happen.)
And for the record, this is The Ask that I handed to Council.
REPORTS/QUERIES NEEDED:
Record of all Youth bans, trespass and arrests from all City facilities/Property including Transit terminals and routes from January 1, 2006 to current: (fields to include Date, Time, Year of Birth, Gender, Anonymized Identifier (to replace name), First three letters of Postal Code or if missing, City, Banning Period, Primary Ban File Key, Secondary File Key, Facility 1, Facility 2, Facility 3, Facility Group, Security Guard Witness, Security Guard “Writer”, SOR Group and “To” (Shift Supervisor name).
Where there is an arrest, fields to include:
Violent
Weapons
Arrested
Resisted
Fled
Level of Force Used
Name of Peel Regional Police officer.
Database should be able to present these data (including all fields) at the click of a mouse organized by:
Age
Gender
First three letters of Postal code (or if not recorded City)
Facility 1 (aka Facility where Ban originated)
Security Guard “Writer”
Security Guard witness
Shift Supervisor.
Signed,
The Mississauga Muse
FLUSH THE KNOB-GUARDS!
HUMANS DESERVE SPECIAL CONSTABLES EXCLUSIVELY UNDER PEEL REGIONAL POLICE!
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