How Toronto Police Chiefs Protest Racism: Resign

Photo illustration (Donovan Valdivia / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The death of a black man, George Floyd provoked widespread solidarity around the world. Various reactions are shown. Take to the streets to raise funds. Mark Saunders joined in the solidarity. He is the Chief of the Toronto Police. And he resigned as a form of protest against the many cases of racism involving many police.

Saunders is a man of African American descent. He made the resignation Monday, June 8. Saunders, publicly condemned and opposed the brutality of the police that led to the loss of the life of George Floyd, the black man who was killed by the police of Minneapolis, United States, Derek Chauvin.

Launching Reuters, Saunders said, violence or racism should not be carried out by police officers who have the responsibility to protect and protect the community. For that, last week he also participated in the Black Lives Matter demonstration.

After that, Saunders wants to immediately end his long career as a cop in Toronto of 37 years, and has served as chief of police since 2015. "It still bothers me, that's not what law enforcement should do," said Saunders.

"In my career, I have been in charge of murder cases. There I saw many black young people being killed by other black men. For that, I have a commitment to become a police officer to end the problem," he added.

Saunders' goals for retirement are pretty clear. He wants to enjoy old age by spending time with his family while volunteering with a community that is willing to accept him. Moreover, now Saunders has suffered from kidney disease and underwent a transplant in 2017.

Even so, Saunders still firmly stated that his resignation was not due to illness, but purely out of disappointment with racism that led to the death of Floyd by members of the US police. In fact, the Toronto City Council has given the opportunity to extend the contract to Saunders until April 2021.

Then, Toronto Mayor John Tory granted Saunders' decision to retire. "We will continue to see the benefits of his work on modernization and cultural change in the years to come."