The South Etobicoke News

Serving Humber * Mimico * Lakeshore Village * Long Branch * Alderwood

Police moving in on masked culprit accused of defacing their monument

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If anyone knows this woman, tell her to get in touch with the cops.

Police have identified a woman, who they say, is a ‘person of interest’ in a June 20 defacement of  their cherished Ontario Police Memorial.

Investigators have released mages of a woman wearing a mask in connection with the vandalism.

On the same day anti-police demonstrators held a rally at Nathan Phillips Square and on University Ave. in front of the U.S. Consulate. Members of the OPP Queen’s Park detachment discovered the monument had been defaced with “BLM” scrawled in red spray paint.

The memorial to fallen police officers is located on the Ontario Legislature grounds in a park in the Grosvener St.-Queen’s Park Cres. E. area.

Unveiled in 2000, the memorial features twin bronze statues of male and female police officers flanked by a granite eight-panel wall of honour inscribed with the names of Ontario police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty over the past 200 years.

Police urge anyone with information to call 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers.

Health Canada recalls a hand sanitizer sold in the area

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Residents are being warned of a bad batch of hand sanitizers.

Health Canada have recalled a brand of hand sanitizers that was sold online in the community.

Blake Shaver, of Bread&Butter Designs, says “it has come to my attention that Visibly Clean Hand Sanitizer, manufactured by Brands International, which I sold to some of you through my website was recalled by Health Canada.”

“I have emailed everyone who purchased this product from me but I wanted to make sure that everyone knew about the manufacturer’s recall,” according to a posting.

He wrote that Brands International is responsible to exchange all lots of Visibly Clean remaining in the marketplace. They are offering an exchange for their 8-ounce Germs Be Gone with a pump top.

“If you still have Visibly Clean product and you didn’t receive my email please message me directly for instructions,” Shaver says.

For more info visit breadandbutterdesigns.com

 

 

 

For now most of our sports are on hold in the community

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By REJEAN CANTLON

South Etobicoke gyms await Stage 3.

On July 13th the province announced that 18 of 32 regions within Ontario will enter Stage 3 to reopen which is slated to start on Friday, July 17th. Although South Etobicoke is not included in the group of 18, looking forward, some local sports minded citizens are anxious for what lies ahead for our local athletes.

According to provincial authorities, amateur and recreational sports could resume so long as they “do not allow prolonged or deliberate physical contact” between players.

So what does this exactly mean?

It means that contact sports like wrestling and judo are out, for now. South Etobicoke will remain in Stage 2 until it is safe to move on. Once we are in Stage 3, other sports with some form of contact like hockey, lacrosse or football maybe allowed as long as these sports can be modified to maintain physical distancing and as little contact as possible is made. The provincial directive goes on to say that recreational facilities in Stage 3 regions including, bowling alleys, gyms, play-ground equipment, and pool halls can open for business, as long as physical distancing (2 meters apart) is in place.

As South Etobicoke awaits the green light to move to Stage 3, government officials are clear to point out that despite much of the province opening up, it does not mean that life is back to normal. Officials state that restarting activities in stages will ensure we keep everyone safe, healthy and moving in a responsible way.

 

City probing alleged case of racism at Centennial Park

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Mayor John Tory says the City is investigating allegations by two Black women that they were racially targeted by a bylaw enforcement officer at Centennial Park.

The irate women claim the incident occurred on June 16 after they had completed a work-out on a running track at the park. When they had arrived at the park earlier that morning, the gate to the park was open, and there were people inside exercising.

Videos posted to Instagram show the women repeatedly asking the officer why he asked them to provide identification as they were leaving the park, and no one else was targeted.

The women say on leaving  the park the gate that they had entered through was closed. Two white boys who also hopped over the gate with the women, say they were not approached by the officer or asked questions.

“Do you know you’re trespassing right now and if you were at my home, I could shoot you?” the women alleged the officer said to them.

The officer also threatened to photograph the licence plate of their vehicle.

“I was so shocked,” one of the women said afterwards. Visibly upset, the other woman complained she felt they were singled because they are Black.

“’Enough is enough, we can’t be dealing with this still. This is 2020,” one of the women Tweeted.

Tory says he will await the outcome of an investigation.

“No bylaw officer should ever threaten or even suggest violence,” Tory posted on Twitter. “I want to be clear that as Mayor I will not tolerate any City of Toronto employees engaging in behaviour that threatens residents or demonstrates anti-Black racism.”

Artist Moises Frank paints murals of Blacks in Graffiti Ally

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Long Branch Neighbourhood Association mural lead Moises Frank has been busy drawing Black figures in Toronto’s Graffiti Ally during recent protests for racial equality.
Frank, whose art graces the Eight Street Skatepark, is well-known in the area and has done other work to beautify spaces in Long Branch and the community.
He and Jessey Pacho, co-organized the “graffiti jam,” as their way to speak out against the oppression they are seeing.
They put out a call and about 40 artists from the Toronto area and Montreal converged in Graffiti Ally, near Spadina Ave. and Queen Street W. to pay tribute to George Floyd and other Black figures through their art.
Joining the other murals in the ally are illustrations of Martin Luther King, Jr., Floyd, whose death led to global protests after he was killed by a Minneapolis cop on May 25; and Breonna Taylor, 26, who was killed by Kentucky police in her home last March.
The alley is a tourist hotspot since its buildings have been gradually covered over the years with bright-coloured sketches and paintings.
Moises has recently worked for the NBA Allstar game, Converse Canada and last year drew a fantastic departing mural of former Toronto Raptor Kawhi Leonard after the team won the championship.
 

Problem-kid LeBron James want others to succeed

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As students return to school, all eyes are focused on NBA basketball star LeBron James’ I Promise School in Ohio that feeds and educates for free 240 at-risk inner-city children.

You may like or hate the former Cleveland Cavaliers now Los Angeles Lakers star, but at the end of the day he stepped up to the court and using more than $8 million of his own money provided an outlet for success for kids in his hometown of Akron.
Jubilant residents of the hard-hit city are delighted as their vulnerable 3rd and 4th-Graders will no long have to walk the streets and be exposed to gangs and crime.
The school, a project of the LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron Public Schools, provides students with a slew of awesome perks; which includes free tuition, uniforms, breakfast, lunch and snacks, transportation, bicycle and helmet and more importantly, access to a food pantry for their families.

The students who graduate will be guaranteed tuition to attend the University of Akron. All they have to do is show up and study. Their parents also have access to higher learning.
James was a problem student when growing up and missed months of classes as a result. Education remained important to him and he was driven by a mission to help kids overcome what he faced as a low-income student growing up in the ‘Rubber Capital of the World.’
“The jitters before the first day of school are real right now!!! Tomorrow is going to be one of the greatest moments (if not the greatest) of my life when we open the #IPROMISE School,” James said in a Tweet.
“This skinny kid from Akron who missed 83 days of school in the 4th grade had big dreams…”
He recalled skipping school for months as he and his mom moved from one couch or spare room to another thanks to friends and family members. He credits mentors, some of whom he met at school, for helping him to turn his life around so he attended every day of 5th Grade, the first year he played organized basketball.
James, who has won three NBA championships and four league-MVPs, called the school opening the greatest moment of his career.
“Walking these hallways and seeing, when I was driving here, just the streets that I walked, some of the stores are still up when I was growing up,” he told ESPN. “It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

The school’s curriculum was crafted with the help of Akron County educators, who say they’ve long seen their students underperforming in the classroom. There will be a focus on hands-on education, with an emphasis on developing problem-solving skills, according to the school’s website.
Students will also have a later start time for school days and more staggered breaks in order to promote year-round education.
The NBA champion has become increasingly active in social issues in recent years, often speaking out against instances of racism and other forms of inequality. He said that for him, this school is an opportunity to create change.
“For kids in general, all they want to know is that someone cares. And when they walk through that door I hope they know that someone cares,” he said recalling his early days.
Some 43 staffers will help run the I Promise School, including teachers, a principal, four intervention specialists, a tutor, English as a second language teacher, music instructor and gym teacher.
Other famous Black celebrities as Sean “Diddy” Combs, ESPN analysist Jalen Rose and a few others have also put their names and millions in funding schools for at-risk youths in the U.S.

See more at www.torontonewswire.com

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