A fundraising effort to cover the legal fees of a young Black man who says he was racially profiled when a white woman called 911 on him for standing on a bridge will go in part towards helping pay for legal representation for anyone who finds themself needing help for a race-related incident.
Last week, Ntwali Bashizi was resting on a bridge after a bike ride when a woman approached and asked him to move so she could pass while adhering to physical distancing guidelines. When he didn’t, the woman called 911.
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Organizers don’t know how long Spratt’s services will be needed or how long the work will continue, but the idea to expand this representation was an easy one for them.
“We also recognize that there’s so many people who don’t have access to funds and this is why (Spratt) does what he does, which is why we said what is left over from this case we can then turn that into a trust for other Black people that need legal representation with race-related cases,” Whitelocke said.
The question might be for some why innocent people, who’ve done nothing wrong, require a lawyer. But Spratt explained that the work is more than defending against an allegation of wrongdoing, it’s about advocacy.
“It’s just really important that people know that lawyers, and especially lawyers who do criminal work do all types of work. We represent victims of sexual assault. We represent people who have been accused but there’s also important advocacy to do in the community and especially for communities that have had troubled relationships with the police,” Spratt said. “It’s always good to have an advocate to push those in power to act in the best way possible, to disclose information, to take complaints seriously and to bear witness to interactions with the police in case there are any problems in the future.”
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Read Shaamini Yogaretnam’s full article: Ottawa Citizen