Halton Residents Rally For Change in Georgetown

It started with a Facebook post on a local group. Josh made an innocent post following the death of George Floyd, the man killed by police during an arrest in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, which sparked a flurry of debate from within an online group. These types of debates can bring out the best and the worst of the people who engage from behind a screen and keyboard. While overall Josh describes the conversation as having “spiralled in a positive direction” and connected interested members of the online group with Bonita, who then formed the Halton Hills Alliance for Social Change. Acton UP spoke to the group organizers, Josh, Bonita, Blake and Aly. All four are residents of Georgetown of varying terms between four years and life long. Some are educators, some are parents, some identify with the Black Indigenous People of Colour (BIPoC), some identify as white, but, the thing that brings them together is the matter with which they all identify. People should not “face negative repercussions for existing” as Aly says she feels. She explains that “just because you don’t condone it (racism), you also don’t acknowledge it exists. Racism is under-acknowledged and being unintentional is not an excuse.” She quotes Maya Angelou “Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible…. We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” It is in that spirit that they have organized a Solidarity March on Sunday, June 14. It is organized “in solidarity with the national and international action against police violence in the community,” says Josh. He further describes the march as “peaceful” with the intent to “stand against racism against the BIPoC community at large and in Halton Hills. Everyone in this organizing group shared lived experiences of racism. Some stories involved police, others the community at large. Their stories were both vulnerable and candid. In a statement, released June 4, Halton Regional Police Chief Stephen J Tanner stated, “These peaceful marches send an important message to our community and beyond – that we have a collective role to play in ensuring that all people are treated with dignity and respect.” Sunday’s march starts at Mold Masters Sportsplex Park in Georgetown at 2 p.m. The organizers encourage everyone to arrive early as there will be road closures. Social distancing protocols will be in place. Join them to show your support for social equality and let everyone know that no one should live with the underlying feeling of not feeling safe. Sunday’s march starts at Mold Masters Sportsplex Park in Georgetown at 2 p.m. The organizers encourage everyone to arrive early as there will be road closures. Social distancing protocols will be in place.