Support Tayjun Rodney
On March 24th, 2017, a community member arrived at the scene of Shoppers Drugmart where they found a young black student on the floor outside the doors of the store screaming in pain due to an injury he sustained by a Loss Prevention Officer hired by Shoppers.
An altercation ensued prior to their arrival where the officer who was hired by Shoppers Drugmart and dressed in plain clothes tackled the student. What resulted was the student’s leg being twisted at a 90 degree angle.
Procedures are put in place in order to ensure the safety of the LPO as well as the students who frequent the store, these procedures were not followed. Instead of Toronto Police Services being called the LPO executed an excessive use of force that no student should be subjected to. They are not paid to violently place their hands on folks who come in and out of the stores they are hired by.
York Security arrived at the scene but were unable to do anything to support, talk, de-escalate or interact with the student despite being equipped with the means necessary to protect it’s students. A policy that exists between private corporations and the York University Development Corporation makes it so that York Security has no jurisdiction in the interactions between students and the private entities they hire within York Lanes.
We. Are. Outraged.
https://www.facebook.com/YUBLACKSTUDENTS/videos/1180471868730839/ *What we need from you*
The York University Development Corporation is responsible for developing and managing York Lanes. These folks are the ones who hire out private corporations such as Shoppers Drugmart in order to provide a service to students.
What is extremely concerning for The York United Black Students Alliance and our members is that there are multiple private corporations within York Lanes that follow the very policy which gives York security zero jurisdiction in interacting with incidences between the corporations and students. This could’ve happened to any other student in any other facility within York Lanes.
The fact that York Security did not have access to utilize the training they have been given to prioritize student safety is problematic and a safety concern.
The fact that procedure was not followed by the Loss Prevention Officer hired by Shoppers highlights the severity of this safety concern.
The fact that this store also has a history within its short time here of anti-black sentiment and racism which has been accounted by a large number of our constituents highlights the particular lack of safety on campus, especially that of black and racialized students on campus and in York Lanes.
We have made demands to the University to address the anti-black racism at York. The University must implement sufficient strategies recommended and endorsed by the student community in order for this campus to be safe and equitable.
Please donate to Tayjun Rodney's fund. To cover his legal costs.
Share this and demand that York University pay for the student's legal and hospital fees in light of this incident.
#SurvingYorkWhileBlack
#ProtectBlackStudents
#BoycottShoppers
#DemandAccountability
