A community demands accountability after REGIS KORCHINSKI-PAQUET was reportedly murdered by Toronto Police Officers on May 27th, 2020. She was allegedly pushed off the 24th floor balcony by officers, where she fell to her death. This occurred at 100 High Park, Near Bloor Street. The name of the offending officers is unknown at this point.
According to the victim’s cousin, Toronto Police wrote it off as a suicide, and tried to prevent News Media such as CP24 from attending the scene.
According to the SIU, the women was on the balcony when police came, and then fell to her death. The notice posted on Twitter was vague, and leaves a lot of questions to be answered.
The mother of REGIS disputes the Toronto Police’s version, saying that the Toronto Police deliberately pushed her off the balcony, implying that it was a homicide, and not a suicide.
As of 1 AM Toronto Time on May 28, 2020, #JusticeForRegis was trending on Twitter with 10,300 Tweets.
Many local activists took to Twitter to denounce the murder of their community member. This is not the first time this has happened in Toronto, and with a similar incident happening recently in Minnesota, tensions are understandably at their breaking point. People are demanding answers.
Next Steps
Residents of Toronto and black rights activists have been floating the idea of having a protest in support of the victim’s family. People are also going to Twitter and Facebook to call out both the Toronto Police and the SIU.
Judging by this seriousness of this offense, it’s likely the next few days will see strong direct action from the black community. People are tired of seeing cops using violence against racialized communities, and this needs to end.
Article by: Mark Slapinski