Sulaimon Giwa has strong opinions about modern policing from years of academic and academic experience.
However, he does not have a concrete answer as to what it means to defund the police.
“That’s a question I’m trying to deal with,” he said. “Are we really using the right language to define and have meaningful conversations around this issue of police brutality and this issue of the police budget?”
That’s one of the main questions Giwa will be asking his students in a new course offered at the University of St. Thomas this fall.
“Cutting Police Funding: Rhetoric vs. Reality” is a fourth-year criminology class that will explore what defunding looks like at the police and community levels, and what implications this call to action has for racial and Indigenous communities.
“At the end of the day, I want students to have a deep conversation about what we really mean when we talk about defunding the police,” he said. “What is lost and what is gained when we use this language, and by using this language, are we doing a disservice to the movement itself in terms of what it stands for?”
Giwa says he wants students to think about what “police defunding” really means, and whether that’s the right language for discussions about police brutality and police budgets. (Submitted by Sulaimon Giwa)
Regardless of the terminology used to describe the phenomenon, Giwa said it has long been a topic of discussion and debate. However, the conversation became louder after the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.
“With the events that we’ve seen recently, but which are definitely long-standing, in terms of police abuse of power, over policing of racist communities and under-protection, it’s created the climate for this kind of discourse around defunding the police,” he said.
Giwa is a Nigerian-born associate professor at Memorial University who teaches about disrupting whiteness and systemic inequalities. He has degrees in social work and criminology and criminal justice. He also holds a diploma in police education and has worked with several police organizations and Correctional Services Canada.
Giwa’s life and academic experiences have shaped his views on policing, but he won’t impose a particular viewpoint on students, he said. Rather, it will facilitate critical conversations.
Hoping for critical conversations
“It’s really hard to come into that space in a neutral sense because I picture myself as a black, gay man, and those are realities for me and for you every day,” he said.
“But I think it’s really, really important that I don’t come into that space with my own values and beliefs and have students necessarily take those positions.”
Giwa knows of some similar post-secondary courses in the United States, but has not heard of any being offered in Canada.
Black Lives Matter, New Brunswick would like to see that change. The group’s chief executive, Matthew Martin, fully supports the STU course and said it has a place in all post-secondary institutions.
Matthew Martin, executive director of Black Lives Matter New Brunswick, would like all higher education institutions to offer courses on issues related to police defunding. (Submitted by Matthew Martin)
“It needs to be something that’s not just an elective … I think it needs to be included in any program aimed at working with racialized community groups,” he said. “The more people are aware and prepared for the injustices faced by indigenous, black and racialized community members, the better they understand it.”
Martin said the group has contacted various police organizations in the province about the divestment drive. He said most police chiefs are willing to have a discussion but fail to act on it.
“There’s been a lot of conversation, but again, there’s never been that step forward for somebody to say, ‘Let’s take this leap,’ or ‘Let’s have a real strategic plan for what this is going to look like in our municipality,'” he said.
The University of St Thomas expects that there will be significant demand for a place on the course. Criminology classes usually reach capacity fairly quickly, according to spokesman Jeffrey Carlton.
It predicts high demand for places
He expects the topicality of the topic to spark the interest of many seniors.
“It’s a great opportunity for these students to take what they’ve already learned, see what’s going on in society and then put a scientific lens on it and delve into those questions with a scientist whose expertise is in the field, ” he said.
Carleton said the university is excited to have Giwa as the Visiting Chair of Criminology and Criminal Justice for the fall term.
Fredericton Regional Police did not respond to a CBC News request for an interview.
For more stories about the experiences of black Canadians – from anti-black racism to success stories in the black community – check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project that black Canadians can be proud of.
(CBC)
Add Comment