Cities across Canada are hosting their own protests against racism and police brutality in response to the ongoing demonstrations in America. Protests in Toronto have been taking place all week and while they've gone on without a hitch for the most part, there was one man who attempted to stir up controversy with a Black face costume.
Videos emerged from the protest yesterday of a man wearing a Blackface costume as he walked through the crowd. The tensions rose and at one point, he was in the midst of a heated confrontation all while being surrounded by police. He argued that he wasn't "trying to be disruptive" even with the paint, though he's heard yelling at a protester, "If I want to put it on my face, I'll put it on my face." Sounds like something that should be reserved for bedroom dialogue, but anyways.
Per Global News, Toronto Police escorted him out and arrested him for breach of peace. Though they said that was what he was initially charged with, they stated that no charges have actually been laid and “inquiries continue.”
Along with the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, protests in Toronto were organized following the death of 29-year-old Regis Korchinski-Paquet. Paquet died after falling from her balcony after police were called for a wellness check. This story is unfortunately not the only one of its kind in Canada. Stories of mental health checks done by the police gone awry have made headlines this week in the wake of George Floyd's murder.
