Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman Alienates African-Canadians By Making Racist Comments About Africans

Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman has discredited the office of mayor of the City of Toronto following his racially offensive comments prior to his recent trip to Kenya. Mel Lastman loathed the prospect of visiting Kenya and made the following vitriolic statements

What the hell do I want to go to a place like Mombasa [Kenya]? ... I'm sort of scared about going there ... I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me.

The comments by the mayor reinforces a form of racism that is as distasteful as it is degrading to African-ancestored people and people of all races and nationalities who have struggled to break free of such primitive and harmful stereotypes.

This from the Mayor of a city whose slogan is Diversity, Our Strength. This from the mayor of a city whose population is comprised of almost fifty percent people of colour.

Would the mayor have dared to make a similar statement about the people of Europe, Asia or Israel prior to a visit to one of their countries? I say no.

The mayor through his racist slur against Africans has driven a further wedge into a divided city as he puts down African ancestored people as inferior. There is where the crux of the racism lies. It lies in the double standards of Mel Lastman and his apologists. The mayor has ignored the poor, the homeless and immigrants of this city. Toronto is a polarized city where poverty, economic inequality, unemployment and homelessness are racialized and criminalized.

There are also serious issues and concerns about the degrading and unacceptable treatment of blacks by officials at Pearson International Airport and other Canadian ports of entry. African ancestored people who are visitors or returning Canadians face harassment, discrimination, negative differential treatment and racial profiling at ports of entry when returning to Toronto from abroad or when visiting Toronto. Hardly a voice of outrage is expressed at this insidiously degrading situation that African ancestored people are subjected to. Recently a Canadian M.P., a Canadian Civil Servant and a Nigerian visitor who are African ancestored people were racially profiled, humiliated or had their rights violated on entering Canada from abroad.

During his ongoing tenure as the mayor of the City of Toronto, Mel Lastman was pushing for the Safe Streets Act and Community Action Policing - Target Policing, while the police were busy letting his wife off without consequence for shoplifting at Eatons - the same company where many black employees were being fired or forced to quit their jobs because of the racial profiling and harassment of blacks at that company due to the false perception by that company that blacks, Pakistanians and young Asians were thieves who as a result were subjected to racist surveillance by Eatons.

The mayor comments revealed to the world the contemptuous way African Canadians are treated in a city, province and country that touts multiculturalism while at the same time remaining smug about human rights in Canada despite the erosion of rights in this country as reflected in the dysfunctional Ontario Human Rights Commission and Canadian Human Rights Commissions among other institutions.

Mel Lastman has further alienated many of the people he was elected to serve. Consequently, Toronto can 'Expect the World' of outrage for the racially insensitive treatment of African ancestored people by the Mayor. There will be a rally on July 24, 2001 at Nathan Phillips Square - City hall to voice concerns about racism in Toronto and to demand justice, equity and access.

Shame on you Mel Lastman; do the honorable thing, resign!!!

Media Reports of Mel Lastman's Statements on Africa