Local Queer Anti-Racism Activism Fund

Hi friends, family and all who believe in Transforming Wilmot into an actively anti-racist community!

I'm David - my boyfriend Aashay and I have been summoned to court by Wilmot Bylaw officers. They are charging us with "attending an outdoor gathering" during the stay-at-home order. Because this is a new provincial offence, it is still unclear whether we will be fined or face greater consequences. We are hiring a lawyer to help us navigate this process and ensure Aashay's immigration status is protected.

The outdoor gathering they are refering to is the Wilmot Anti-Racism rally that was held on May 8th. This was a masked, socially distant gathering held in a park with around fifty attendees who were calling for Wilmot to actively push back against white supremacy.

This event was held because white supremacists were planning on holding a "white lives matter" rally and were threatening the safety and belonging of Black, Indigenous and Racialized people. This rally was held in the wake of the Derek Chauvin trial and the rising threats to BIR communtiies from the police and our governments response to COVID-19. In the weeks leading up to the rally, threatening letters were sent to local activists, and the white supremacist publication, the Wilmot Sentinel, was rallying support for the Sir John A Macdonald Statue and the genocidal legacy he represents. There was an air of fear in local racialized communities as Doug Ford had just granted police greater powers to interogate and charge people for being out in public. The desire to police the pandemic has led to the policing of activists.

In the wake of the rally the police targetted Indigenous attendees with tickets weeks before anyone else. They used their crackdown on the Wilmot Anti-Racism rally to intimidate activists organizing a solidarity rally for the Palestinian community. The harrassment of anti-racist activists has only lessened after the murder of a Mulism family in London and the discovery of 1323 children murdered by the residential school system. It shouldn't take death for our right to gather for justice to be respected.

In solidarity with the Indigenous activists who were already targetted by police, any money that is not used for our legal fees will be donated to O:se Kenhionhata:tie, the land back camp that is set up in Waterloo Region. We are grateful for the support and solidarity they showed us, and we are honoured to return the favour.

Anyways, the past few months have been really stressful and scary for Aashay and I. Working in retail, Aashay has had to endure racism often. Aashay told me that he knows his existence requires him to perform activism on a daily basis. It shouldn't have to be this way. Aashay shouldn't have to fight to have his identity validated all the time. We are uncertain as to what will happen in the courts and have been overwhelmed by the ways white supremacy has lashed out at us. Thank you for any donation you are able to make. We are grateful to be part of a community that champions justice and joy!