I could use anecdotes that'll augment the thread starters views, but here's what OCAP has to say:
The Metro Toronto Police 23 divison has a long history of violent and racist behaviour in the housing projects of North Etobicoke-charging kids with little to no evidence, brutal arrests, trumped up charges, slamming youth with baseless criminal records from an early age. Parents in protecting their children are hit as hard by the division.
In the last weeks, an increasing number of youth have been targeted and arrested by this division. One particular incident has shaken and angered families living in Mount Olive, a housing project at Finch and Kipling. In response to the arrest of a 14 year old boy at Mount Olive, organizer Amina Ali says,"The boys his age used to play basketball or go to the youth centre in Albion, but now at 7pm they have to go home. Because they're scared - maybe I'll be booked, maybe I'll be stopped. It traumatized the small kids under fifteen. What happened to Faizal did not happen to him alone. It happened to the whole community."
Link
Those who actually think that fashion plays a role in racial profiling need to look around. Hip hop fashion is embraced by white kids found in middle or upper class neighbourhoods throughout Canada (yes, even Winnipeg!). In fact they drive the market and back in white America, producing that backward Minstrel-esque nonsense that's more common nowadays.
The excuse: uniform infraction is ridiculous. Many police brutality cases occur amongst individuals who dress in the "normal" Anglo-Saxon manner. In fact colour adults often assume that, and yet they're abused by racist cops. However, to be honest, I often see discussions like this going nowhere in portals that attract a more affluent population.
That being said, Desi, all I can say is that you need to tough it up. Yes, it's obviously not simple, but countless number have gone through this. Luckily I was able to avoid this situation and receive university education. Many, otoh, around me haven't unfortunately. Your aim should be to maximize your social standing by attaining an education.
It's true that Toronto schools are atrocious, but head to the library and educate yourself. Being able to study in an independent manner is an attribute successful students carry. I found reading texts on aircraft structural design, history, microeconomics, and what not pushing me further in classes. Nothing wrong learning about active electronically scanned arrays, MEMS (or an application: STAR for AESA), fabrication processes (i.e. doping), physiology, etc when you're not supposed to.
I'm sure ou raise some very valid issues, however no one is going to take you seriously if you write like that. Do they not teach proper english in Rexdale?
Living in low income communities such as Alexandra Park, one thing I did notice is the atrocious education system. It's not that the teachers were incapable. Well actually, many if not most (IMO) were, and seemed to have limited drive to motivate the largely immigrant kids.
From what I remembered, immigrant students who had educated parents often were able to overcome these obstacles. Usually this trait is present amongst Asian and many Eastern European students.
That said, teachers aren't just an issue but so is the education model. Students aren't Anglo-Saxon anymore. There is a reason why the same model is miserably failing amongst Aboriginals as well.
Education models ought to be modified to ensure that kids can become highly productive adults. It should also apply to the children as well. Many often come from very troubling families. Note: I don't think we can say "suck it up" unless we torture them. (to the conservative brass)
slickpete83: Eastern Boc nations did have a strong attribute: education. That's often not the case in nations like Afghanistan, Congo, Somalia, etc where education is pretty much nonexistent. Those parents who migrate here don't have educated backgrounds ala bloc counterparts.
It's obvious that TDSB has yet to take that into account and invested in methods that could motivate students from troubled families. Not all children come from a pro-education family.
