A growing discourse surrounding the legitimacy of policing institutions in so-called Montréal and across all of Turtle Island has brought to the forefront the voices of scholars and activists who have been dedicated to abolition and similar causes for many years.

When presented with the opportunity of hosting a panel on the broad topic of defunding, the panelists will assume defund and abolition are on the table and work from there to discuss safer communities, particularly in and around Tio’tia:ke.

Reimagining Safety exclusively centers on traditionally underrepresented BIPOC perspectives. The four panelists are:

-Jessica Quijano, founder and lead organizer of the Iskweu Project;
– Marlihan Lopez, internationally celebrated scholar and organizer for BLM;
– Amy Edward, Restorative Justice coordinator at the First Peoples Justice Center of Montréal;
– El Jones, anti-carceral activist and principal author of the first-of-a-kind government commission to define detasking and defunding the police in the context of so-called Canada.

This panel discussion will help to facilitate conversations that move communities forward on these issues, empower the Concordia student body to continue these important conversations, and move folks to get involved in on-the-ground work to create a more sustainable future that is safe and healing for impacted communities.