reparations in Halifax: the Africville Legacy

the Halifax Regional Municipality will be making a public apology to the descendants of those removed from the community known as Africville for the purposes of constructing a new bridge.


the clip is quite telling. it shows how a community is marginalized over the years, the decades, and the leaders although stammering their words, explain how its OK.

this seems to be a time of apologizing. seems like it's a far enough gap that leaders are moved to make public and political amends. but is it just posturing?

I think so.

the people who were moved from Africville are still marginalized by HRM. and it's not unlikely that some strife comes from within the community. but self loathing is a characteristic present in all communities with generational poverty.

meanwhile in the suburbs someone burned a cross on the lawn of a bi-racial couples home. this is some KKK type shit way up here in Halifax.

it's not to say that Halifax is some maniacally racist place -on the contrary, for the most part, like the rest of Canada, Halifax is very tolerant. but beneath the beauty there is always a little filth.

Halifax Fixie Freestyle?

found this while browsing a local bike forum. weird.

"The first ever fixie freestyle event has been announced for Halifax. Hardcore fixie riders are joyously celebrating the triumph of being recognized as real sportsmen and women. The event has gained some steam complete with sponsors and documentary film offers. American Apparel, Gus’s Pub and Frenchies have all pledged their support of the event.

In an effort to keep the level of sportsmanship sporty, the organizers have stated that experienced BMX riders will not be allowed to participate in the freestyle part of the event, however they are welcome to compete in the longest track stand and skid competition. The BMX community could not be contacted for comment –err actually when contacted they yawned and went on about their business, uninterested in continuing any further with the conversation.

Unbeknownst to the BMX and skateboard community the fixers are lobbying city officials for their own bike park, claiming that the streets will be overrun with fixies by next summer if immediate action is not taken. City officials refused to comment about fund allocations for the park. However, one official was overheard remarking that he’d never seen such an undernourished community group and wondered if perhaps the city should instead provide free meals to the fixers.

The organizers of the Fixie Freestyle event are also planning to start a bike polo league this coming summer. At the moment they are in talks with the NYC bike polo association to establish some grounds rules for the league, especially relating to appropriate handlebar width and whether team members are allowed to use different colour Oury grips. The excitement continues to build and riders can be seen all over the city practicing six inch wallies and long skids down Citadel Hill during snow flurries."

Hector Bustin Fixie Tricks @ Freestyle Toozdays from Dunamis Media on Vimeo.

Halifax police love cyclists

I hate cops. yes it's true. just about every single interaction I've ever had with police has been negative -and no, I've never been arrested. as a teenager in Florida my friends and I were constantlyharassed by the police for skateboarding. it's one thing to tell a kid to stop skating at a spot, it's another to put them in the back of the police cruiser without reading them their rights only to drive them around for a scare. there was another incident where my friend Beau and I were picked up blocks away from my house for allegedly trespassing onto the church roof directly across the street from my house. my Dad was pissed. we hadn't been anywhere near that damned roof.

I gotta say that cops in Canada are whole lot nicer than in the US. at least here I don't feel like I'm the prey and the pigs are the hunters. but generally I think, people who choose to be cops (and those who get the jobs) are generally dumb (a necessary quality for the job) and like to bully.

yesterday I was slogging against a way-below-freezing head wind on my way home from work. the street is a one way and that part of town is known for hookers, drug dealers and several unsolved violent crimes and murders over the past couple of years. so I'm going the right way up the one way, blinking tail light on, and parka hood over my helmet to cut the wind. this cop cruiser pulls up next to me. there's three cops in the car -one in the back. driver cop rolls down his window and asks me to stop.

"are you knew around here?" he asks

"nope"

"you know we have a helmet law?"

"yup" I say and pull off the parka hood so he can see that I am dutifully wearing a helmet. before I have a chance to finish pulling off the parka hood he says,

"that helmet is not approved."

I can tell he's feeling a little dumb for his initial approach.

"whadaya mean" I say knowing good and well that my ProTec skate helmet fits the CPSC regulations just fine.

"that helmet is not approved. it' supposed to have a stamp or sticker on it" he says to me again as I start taking the helmet off to prove him wrong.

"I'm just letting you know" he says as he and his two silent partners pull away leaving me there standing in the middle of a one way, just a block away from the site of the most recent unsolved murder of a First Nations girl, steps from the home of a guy who's always slingin some kinda dope, and they drive off having performed their all important civic duty.

so you see, I hate cops. they have strange priorities.

more love for Halifax cycling and cops here

"Are you stupid?"

Just had a weird bike-in to work this morning -feeling a little shook up. I took my regular route to work. There’s a wacky intersection that splits in threes and people rush the light like linebackers. I always follow traffic through the light and fade right down a one-way street. Now I’ve got to admit that it’s a one way going the wrong way but it’s actually safer than the other one way because the other one heads into city centre and the drivers are going crazy trying to get to work and there’s too much hustle for me.

So as I turned down the one way a car was coming fast to make the light and he slammed on his brakes when he saw me. There was no skidding and he let off the brakes when he saw there was room and kept going. I slid on past him and went on my way, but the car behind this guy, coming towards me, swerved into my path forcing me to stop. As the car was stopping the door swung open and a guy in uniform and gun strapped to his side jumped out in a fit of rage and screamed, “are you stupid?’

What the hell had I got myself into? Suddenly I was faced with a road raged, off duty cop wearing his Halifax Police uniform and gun but no badge. He continued to scream in my face asking over and over again if I was “fucking stupid.” I didn’t answer. I mean, would you answer some asshole screaming in your face asking about your level of common sense? Sure I was in the wrong for going the wrong way down a one way street, but this guy was a bit over the top off duty cop.

Finally, I said flatly “I am not answering your question because you’re asking me if I’m stupid.” This pissed him off a bit more and he started ranting about how I would be at fault and liable if I’d caused an accident. Had I not read the laws about helmets and bike safety (I was dutifully wearing my helmet)? Where did I work? The university! “Are you stupid?”

“Give me your license!” he demanded. Seeing no other options I handed over my license. I knew he was off duty and just taking out his stress on a cyclist who decided to spit in the face of the law and society as a whole. Finally, he calmed down enough and handed me back my license. He told me not to be stupid anymore. I said thanks and turned my bike around and headed down the appropriate one way.

Did I learn a lesson today? I’m not really sure. Perhaps I should follow the law for the laws’ sake and take the route that’s more dangerous to me. I do feel confident about one thing. Never, ever be a smart ass to a guy in uniform carrying a gun when he’s in an obvious fit of irrational rage.