Pride Toronto has reportedly been in talks with Toronto police since the incident to try to improve relations. The decision came after the advocacy group Black Lives Matter Toronto brought Toronto’s pride parade to a standstill in 2016 until Toronto Pride’s then leadership agreed to a list of demands. They also weren’t allowed to march with weapons, cruisers or police floats.
Toronto police officers were banned from attending the annual parade in uniform in 2017. We will rally and rise, but it will be with heavy hearts as we have not yet begun to grapple with our anger, shock, and grief.” “At the end of June, we will come together as we have for decades and we will be seen.
The arrest of Bruce McArthur, the alleged serial killer, has added a new poignancy and a new pain to the fears that sit at the heart of anyone who lives a life of difference,” the letter read. “It is an incredibly complex and difficult time. The organization cited the loss of seven community members, allegedly at the hands of accused serial killer Bruce McArthur, and the handling of the case by the Toronto police as part of the reason for the request. The letter, which was addressed to the “LGBTQ2S communities and the broader community of Toronto” was signed by members of Pride Toronto, the 519, Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention, Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention, Toronto People with AIDS Foundation and the Sherbourne Health Centre, was released on social media on Monday evening. Pride Toronto has requested that the Toronto police department withdraw an application to participate in June’s Pride Parade. Pride Toronto calls for the Toronto police to withdraw their application to march in the upcoming 2018 Pride parade…