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I have been to many public meetings where Susan Howard Azzeh, the co-ordinator for the Community Dialogue on Racism has spoken. The purpose of Ms Azzeh's presentations is to address concerns she has regarding racism in Niagara. Ms Azzeh is opposed to any expression of racism. Personally, I don't think racism can be eliminated, but if someone wants to try , I guess that's their right, (as long as the cure isn't worse than the disease). Once again I wish to state that I am personally opposed to racism, and I am opposed to all criminal acts of racism, just as I am against any criminal act committed against any member of our society. EVERY member of society is entitled to full and equal security of person and property, and should enjoy the full protection of the law. If organizations such the Community Dialogue on Racism were only concerned with opposing and eliminating criminal acts, I could give them my full support and encouragement. It's when they get into the area of social engineering that they get scary. All expressions of racism in our society can be eliminated, but we would also eliminate most of our personal freeedoms at the same time. The scary thing is, many people in this country don't think that's too high a price to pay. Big Brother wants you to work and play nice together!
You know, It's funny, but I always thought that most crimes were based on hate. I just can't seem to understand why a crime based on "race hatred" is so much worse than a crime based on any other type of hatred. Why must we insist on creating two classes of victims. It's not only social policy that creates this "two-tiered" mentality. It is enshrined in our criminal code. Ther perpetrator of a bias/hate crime will get a harsher sentence than if it wasn't a bias/hate crime. The reverse of this is that if you are the victim of a crime and while in the course of resisting your assailant, you call him a racial epitath, that will be used to the attackers benefit in court. In fact, it could see you charged with a bias/hate crime for defending yourself! If in the course of resisting, you use "excessive force" your using a racial slur will be evidence of your race hatred, and you, the victim, could be charged and convicted of a bias/hate crime. Your attacker could end up getting a lighter sentence than you. It's ironic that the Mayor's committee would probably come out in support of the attacker, since he ended up being the victim of a racist responce! So if you are ever assaulted by a person of color, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER call him a n****r! If you do, it will be used as evidence that you are a racist. Hey, it's not the poor criminals fault. No matter what else he has had to live with, he shouldn't have to endure racial slurs while he's mugging you.
Ms Azzeh thinks the Niagara region is a plagued by racism. Not only are people not nice to each other, but, according to Ms Azzeh, they commit criminal acts of racism as well! Ms Azzeh uses the figure of "about 60" racially motivated crimes in the past four years. Of course, she's used that number for the past two years, so I don't really know the time frame at all.
The Niagara Regional Police released their crime statistics for 1996 a couple of weeks ago. I went down the other day and picked up a copy. I don't know the name of the police officer I spoke to, but he is directly involved with producing the statistics.
I asked him if the crime list included the number of bias/hate crimes committed in the region. He told me that the Niagara Regional Police force doesn't track bias/hate crimes! I asked him where Ms Azzeh gets her figures. He told me he had no idea, but she doesn't get them from the police!
So, all these years, I accepted her figures on hate crime in the region. I always thought she got her numbers from the police. If an official "bias/hate crime" had occured, the police would record it as such. But now I'm starting to think that
I guess when a crime occurs, Ms Azzeh looks at it and says "Yep, Thats a bias/hate crime all right. I can tell one a mile away!"
So officially, there has been no recorded bias/hate crime in the Niagara Region, apart from Ms Azzeh's claims. Ms Azzeh's "favourite" example of bias/hate crime in the region is the arson of a variety store owned by a member of a visable minority. Apparently, the owner had been the victim of some racial slurs. The person who set the fire was (to the best of my knowledge) never caught, so who knows who set the fire, however Ms Azzeh declared it to be a bias/hate crime. She even claims that this incident was the catalyst that led to the formation of the Community Dialogue on Racism. I should note here that as far as I can see, Susan Howard Azzeh IS the Community Dialogue on Racism. It's her creation, she is the prime mover and the driving force.
I don't know what criterion Ms Azzeh uses to classify a crime as a bias/hate crime, but it's starting to seem to me that Ms Azzeh is the one who decides. If Ms Azzeh says it's a bias/hate crime, IT IS a bias/hate crime! Next time I see her, I'll be sure to question her figures and sources, feel free to do the same.
The Mayor's committee is a natural progression from the current situation. The Community Dialogue on Racism already investigates bias/hate crimes and "racist" acts, but they have no official status. This Mayor's comittee will give the anti-racism investigators the political standing they need. The committee (aka Susan Azzeh) will investigate all allegations of racist behaviour, then decide if a racist act has occured. Mz Azzeh will be the logical choice, since she has years of "combatting" racism. So much of the investigations will be subjective, so many could be be political. How many old scores and grudges will be settled under the guise of anti-racism? I'm not talking about the committee here, I'm talking about the people who bring forward the complaints. I hardly think the committee will be objective about any complaints. It will all be "Oh you poor dear, did the nasty racists discriminate against you? Don't worry, We'll make it better". Will the committee even consider that an act might not have occured, or that it was exagerated? NO, you can't question the sincerity of a "victim". If you do, you're further victimizing them. So all these poor victims of racism can come to the committee with their stories and expect full support and a satisfactory result.
The Mayors committee instead of bringing the people of St. Catharines closer together, will actually create tension and disunity. It will create a climate of fear and distrust. It WILL have a negative effect!
When racism is finally beaten, and we're all nice to each other on the basis of race, I wonder which of the other 101 CANADIAN PREJUDICES Ms Azzeh will tackle next? There's so many "ism's", and so little time.
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http://www.niagara.com/~freedom/accniag/hate.htm
ACC NIAGARA/freedom@niagara.com/March 30 1997/Revised August 29 2006