Tackling racist attacks on Doone Street 'extremely critical,' says Fredericton's mayor-elect
No action was taken by municipal government after months of promises and apologies, group says
Mayor-elect Kate Rogers says she'll soon tackle reports of racist attacks in Fredericton's Doone Street neighbourhood, which immigrant families say have been ignored by city hall for years.
"Once I'm sworn in as mayor and once the new council is sworn in, I'll be sure this is an item that we discuss in meaningful ways to address the concerns that are extremely critical," Rogers said in an interview.
Rogers and councillors are to be sworn in on June 7.
Mayor Mike O'Brien met with some immigrant families from Doone Street, a neighbourhood of subsidized housing on the city's north side, shortly after CBC News published an article in February that shed light on the attacks taking place against newcomers.
The residents described incidents that included smashed cars, broken windows and white men chasing newcomers with bats in the middle of the night.
The problem was addressed as an urgent concern during council meetings as well.
During a couple of meetings in February between the mayor and the victims, promises were made and apologies were given, according to Yusuf Shire, the New Brunswick African Association president.
But since then, no action has been taken.
"We see this as a sign of disrespect," Shire said Tuesday. "How many times do we have to talk about these issues? Are we waiting for someone to die or be killed by these attacks for them to realize it's serious?"
An open letter to council
The association published an open letter addressed to Rogers and the newly elected councillors on May 28. It was signed by some newcomers who live or have lived in the Doone Street neighbourhood.
"In private meetings, there seems to be mutual agreement on the importance for engagement and involvement … yet when it comes to action, the response from the City of Fredericton continues to be deliberately vague," the letter said.
In an interview, Shire said the association is getting calls from African immigrants in New Brunswick "every other day" who want to leave the province for places with tighter immigrant communities.
"We're trying to convince people to stay in New Brunswick but we want accountability from the government," Shire said.
It's too late for some. Amanda Siner, who lived on Doone Street as a single mother of four from around 2011 to 2014, was among those signing the letter to the council-elect. She has already left Fredericton.
"Sometimes, when I remember my time there, it makes me cry," Siner, who moved to New Brunswick from Nigeria, said from her new home in Calgary.
Group pushes for task force
Shire said the purpose of the open letter was to bring the issue of racism back to the forefront.
The New Brunswick African Association and those signing the letter are pushing for the creation of an anti-racism task force.
"We want to be able to have representation," said Shire.
The city pitched events celebrating the diverse cultures of newcomers and the creation of a new bike club for the community, Shire said, but these aren't enough.
"That won't fix racism in the community. What about the attacks? Who will want to go outside to bike?"
'Passing the buck'
Siner said it's disappointing to hear that the racist attacks that made her give up on New Brunswick years ago are still other immigrants' nightmares.
"They'd come from nowhere, chunking rocks at your window," she said.
Siner and her daughter would try to catch the people who were throwing the rocks.
"I'd tell my daughter, you take the front door, I'll take the back."
She said it seems to be a never-ending cycle, with the children who threw rocks at her window and screamed the N-word at her and her kids learning from their parents.
When she tried to raise these concerns with their parents, they would shoo her away from their doors, calling her the N-word as well.
"How can you try to give immigrants a good life, when people in these communities live 10, 15 years committing the same crimes?"
Shire believes this won't change unless there are consequences for people who commit racist attacks and until the government takes the issue seriously.
"But the municipal government, the police, Social Development, they keep passing the buck. That is how I call it."
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
