Mayor Nenshi speaks out about protesting and defunding CPS

Mayor Nenshi shares why Calgarian’s haven’t seen him at protests and as Sarah Freemark learns, his opinion on the idea of defunding the police service.

CALGARY (CityNews) – Calgary’s Mayor Naheed Nenshi spoke out about racism, protests and the idea of defunding the police force.

Despite his support for anti-racism movements, he hasn’t been seen at a single rally or protest.

“I have a 79-year-old roommate, my mom who lives with me and I can’t bring COVID back, I just can’t.”

“I don’t want the story to be on Breakfast TV, the Mayor shows up at protest. I don’t want to take the oxygen.”

“It really is time to listen, I think that’s important because we’re in a stage right now, where listening and learning is critical.”

RELATED: ‘Extraordinary pride’: Mayor Nenshi supportive of mass demonstrations in Calgary

“How do we go from not being racist to being actively anti-racist. How do we understand that lived experience of people of colour, particularly black Canadians and indigenous Canadians is very different, in fact in some cases they don’t have the ability to live their life to the full potential.”

“Let me be clear, playing the race card is rarely part of a winning hand. If someone tells you they’re experiencing racism, don’t say you’re playing the race card, listen to them.”

“Ultimately, our society has evolved to a place where the women and men of the Calgary police service, while they are not perfect and they will admit they’re not perfect, have been on a journey to become allies with marginalized people – to understand their job as to protect everyone’s safety.”

“If one thing comes out of this moment, that’s that we have a broader conversation about what safety means and what the role of police is in encouraging that safety in our community.”

“How do we look deeply at issues of systemic racism, these are hard questions and I don’t know the answer. But it’s time to learn.”

https://www.facebook.com/sarah.freemark/posts/10158663020555979

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