in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 18 ,2 02 1 | 10 WEBUYYOURGOLD • GOLD AND DIAMOND JEWELLERY • GOLD, SILVER AND PLATINUM IN ANY CONDITION • GOLD AND SILVER COINS, OLD PAPER MONEY • HIGH GRADE WATCHES, ROLEX, PATEK, CARTIER • PREMIUM PAID FOR HIGH END JEWELLERY • DIAMONDS OVER 2 CTS. 3325 Harvester Road Burlington NEW LOCATION 905-639-6678 barrysjewellers.com A contest launched by Halton police, which asked the public to design a Black Heritage Police Cruiser, is meeting with some mixed reviews from the local Black communities. The grassroots anti-rac- ism groups Halton Black Voices and the Halton Hills Alliance for Social Change (HHASC) have launched an online petition demanding Halton police immediately retract the contest. As of press time, the pe- tition had 1,246 signatures. Halton police an- nounced they would be holding the contest on Feb. 1 in honour of Black Histo- ry Month. In their press release, officers said they and their contest partners envision this dedicated police vehi- cle featuring key figures and imagery to celebrate the region's rich history of African and Caribbean cul- ture. Bonita Uzoruo, founder of HHASC, however, sees the contest as performative and self-serving, noting it does nothing to address the problems of racism in polic- ing and society in general. "It's a way to look like ac- tion is being taken without actually doing real action or taking the real steps that are needed in our commu- nity," she said. "These kinds of gestures are meaningless ... There's so much work that needs to be done." Kimberly Cato of Halton Black Voices said there is also a big problem with putting revered Black fig- ures and imagery on a po- lice cruiser. "A cruiser, for the Black community, is a symbol of oppression," she said. Cato went on to com- pare putting images of Black heroes on the side of a police cruiser with put- ting an image of Anne Frank on the side of a gas chamber. Gennile Thomas, found- er of Halton Black Voices, also said that local Black grassroots organizations, such as her own, were not consulted by Halton police about this contest. The petition, which Uzo- ruo and Thomas's groups created, also calls on Hal- ton police to commit to en- gaging with diverse Black and racialized communi- ties, including local grass- roots organizations, to build a foundation of trust. The groups also want Halton police to work with the Black communities through open and trans- parent consultations and collaboration to create a framework that will ad- dress anti-Black racism. When reached for com- ment, Halton police said the contest would contin- ue. They said the goal of the initiative was to highlight the service's commitment to working with and learn- ing more about the region's African and Caribbean communities, not only dur- ing Black History Month but year-round. "This initiative was con- ceived by members of our Black Internal Support Network. In tandem, we sought input from a num- ber of individuals in the community, including the African and Caribbean or- ganizations who have cho- sen to partner with us in this initiative and contrib- ute to the one-time aca- demic scholarship that will be awarded to the individu- al who submits the win- ning design. These part- ners continue to support this collaborative initia- tive," said Halton police in a statement. "We recognize that any one project or initiative is not a fulsome solution but, rather, a means by which we keep the door open to meaningful and construc- tive dialogue with all mem- bers of the community we serve. We look forward to receiving and learning from additional submissi- ons to this design contest." The African Caribbean Council of Halton (ACCH) was among the groups po- lice consulted about the contest. When reached for com- ment, ACCH President Adejisola Atiba said her group supports the Black Heritage Cruiser contest because it feels it is the first of many steps in reaching its goal of inclusivity and equity. "As people of African and Caribbean heritage, we know where we are coming from, history is powerful, but it should be used as a guide, not as a stumbling block to hold us back from progressing, and giving ourselves, our children and generations unborn a fighting chance," she said. "We all see things differ- ently. The cruiser was seen as a means of oppression. Maybe our youth will see it as an opportunity to serve and be at the table to make decisions to support our community and protect. If we stay aloof, and do not rea- son, how then can we see the change we crave for?" NEWS 'THESE KIND OF GESTURES ARE MEANINGLESS' POLICE FACE CRITICISM OVER BLACK HERITAGE CRUISER CONTEST DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com Bonita Uzoruo is among those who've taken exception to the Halton police Black heritage cruiser contest. Graham Paine/Metroland SCAN THIS CODE to read about police cruiser contest.