Abolition can't wait.

It is impossible to reform a police state. The police, since their inception, have always upheld white supremacy as an institution. There is an uninterrupted continuum of anti-black violence throughout the history of police force in Canada, and it happens here in Ottawa. Do not forget Abdirahman Abdi, who was killed by police officers in 2016.

If the City of Ottawa is actually committed to community safety, it can start by defunding police, and re-allocating that money to provide homes, mental health and medical support, transportation, education and food.