August 26 Toronto Police shot and […]

When

1979-08-26

Description

August 26 Toronto Police shot and killed Jamaican-Canadian Albert Johnson at his home as police-minority relations continued to deteriorate in Toronto. The police claimed they shot Johnson in self-defence when he threatened them with a gardening tool that they mistook for an axe. Thousands of Blacks marched eight miles through the streets in protest, and many of the city's minority groups, including gays and lesbians, were outraged and demanded reforms and accountability by the police in the handling of minority issues. On September 28, 1979, Constables Walter Cagnelli and William Inglis were charged with manslaughter in Johnson's death. At a rally held on September 30, 1979, 2,000 police officers pledged moral and material support for the two officers, and supported a vote of non-confidence in Mayor John Sewell, who had criticized police violence. (See also September 11 and 13, 1979.)

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