This feels like an odd piece to write. Nevertheless….
But as protests over police brutality and racism erupt across the United States and beyond, sparked by the case of George Floyd — an unarmed black man whose final moments were spent with an officer’s knee pressed into his neck — one refrain is growing louder and louder: “Defund the police.”
Exactly what that means can differ somewhat depending on who you ask. While some have called for an outright abolition of police forces, many others favour reducing police budgets so that their work focuses more squarely on violent crime. But the sentiments behind it stem from a singular question when it comes to dealing with people in mental distress:
“Is that armed, highly-paid officer the right resource for that function?” asked Alok Mukherjee, who spent a decade as the chair of the Toronto Police Services Board.
In Toronto, the police service is the single-biggest line item in the city’s $13.5-billion operating budget. Out of an average property tax bill of $3,020, the largest share — about $700 — is allocated to police. That’s followed by about $520 for transit. Shelters and housing take up about $150, while about $60 goes to paramedic services.
“We’ve seen a proliferation of gang-intervention and prevention programs that include funding for the police … rather than simply providing after-school services, education services, extracurricular activities and sports activities for young people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods,” he said.
In true CBC fashion, the article doesn’t actually pose a concrete solution. Instead, it meanders, not really focusing on a coherent argument.
However, the more interesting questions are: Who is this author? What is her agenda in writing it? Why is she pushing this topic? What is her background?
1. Looking At Shanifa Nasser’s Twitter Feed
Tasser’s Twitter feed is filled with race-bait and race-hustling content. It’s clearly a large part of the content that she covers, and she seems to buy into the narrative of systemic racism in Canada. But what else is known about her?
Her biography has her taking religious studies — Islam specifically — from 2004 to 2011. Presumably her work with Focus Humanitarian Assistance was part time. While she thinks that white supremacy and racism in the West are big problems, she sees nothing wrong with fundraising from those same people in order to fund projects in the 3rd World.
2. Focus Humanitarian Assistance
Since our inception in 1995, Focus Humanitarian Assistance USA (FOCUS USA) has been serving vulnerable communities throughout Central and South Asia in the aftermath of devastating natural disasters. We are also committed to fostering and building disaster-resilient communities in susceptible areas—including areas in the United States—by developing disaster risk mitigation programs to minimize impact and better prepare families and individuals before environmental disasters such as winter storms, hurricanes or earthquakes strike.
Our mission is: to save lives, reduce suffering and create resilience in communities prone to man-made or natural disasters.
As an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), FOCUS collaborates closely with several of its branches. FOCUS also works with a number of other like-minded agencies and donor partners. These include partner government and government agencies, NGOs, as well as corporations that share an interest in the effort to provide relief and support services during and following natural and man-made disasters.
Shanifa Nasser’s LinkedIn page states that she held 2 different roles in Focus Humanitarian Assistance form 2010 to 2013. According to its biography, FHA was founded in 1994 by Aga Khan, and operates globally for disaster relief.
fostrian.children.1.patent.letters.
fostrian.children.2.organization.bylaws
A point of clarification though: according to records with Revenue Canada, Focus Humanitarian Assistance (at least the charity itself), was founded in 1981. It was originally named the Fostrian Children Universal Society. Three members, Zainel Mohamed, Nurjehan Bharmal, and Haider Merchant were the first directors of the group. It was taken over by Aga Khan and renamed in 1994.
focus.humanitarian.1.articles.of.continuance
focus.humanitarian.2.change.of.address
focus.humanitarian.3.director.changes
2015 Canada Revenue Agency Financial Information
Receipted donations $5,489,963.00 (69.42%)
Non-receipted donations $52,949.00 (0.67%)
Gifts from other registered charities $56,927.00 (0.72%)
Government funding $0.00 (0.00%)
All other revenue $2,308,926.00 (29.19%)
Total revenue: $7,908,765.00
Charitable programs $7,468,065.00 (92.36%)
Management and administration $423,607.00 (5.24%)
Fundraising $193,950.00 (2.40%)
Political activities $0.00 (0.00%)
Gifts to other registered charities and qualified donees $0.00 (0.00%)
Other $0.00 (0.00%)
Total expenses: $8,085,622.00
Compensation
Total compensation for all positions
$1,165,091.00
Full-time employees (14)
Part-time employees (3)
Professional and consulting fees
$144,480.00
Compensated full-time positions:
$1 to $39,999 (2)
$40,000 to $79,999 (9)
$80,000 to $119,999 (1)
$120,000 to $159,999 (1)
$160,000 to $199,999 (0)
$250,000 to $299,999 (1)
2016 Canada Revenue Agency Financial Information
Receipted donations $5,319,296.00 (83.26%)
Non-receipted donations $0.00 (0.00%)
Gifts from other registered charities $712,825.00 (11.16%)
Government funding $255,735.00 (4.00%)
All other revenue $100,925.00 (1.58%)
Total revenue: $6,388,781.00
Charitable programs $9,468,278.00 (93.78%)
Management and administration $416,922.00 (4.13%)
Fundraising $211,116.00 (2.09%)
Political activities $0.00 (0.00%)
Gifts to other registered charities and qualified donees $0.00 (0.00%)
Other $1.00 (0.00%)
Total expenses: $10,096,317.00
Compensation
Total compensation for all positions
$1,173,256.00
Full-time employees (11)
Part-time employees (1)
Professional and consulting fees
$342,875.00
Compensated full-time positions:
$40,000 to $79,999 (7)
$80,000 to $119,999 (1)
$120,000 to $159,999 (1)
$250,000 to $299,999 (1)
2017 Canada Revenue Agency Financial Information
Receipted donations $5,536,400.00 (74.59%)
Non-receipted donations $294,348.00 (3.97%)
Gifts from other registered charities $57,048.00 (0.77%)
Government funding $0.00 (0.00%)
All other revenue $1,534,522.00 (20.67%)
Total revenue: $7,422,318.00
Charitable programs $7,474,628.00 (92.30%)
Management and administration $494,142.00 (6.10%)
Fundraising $129,694.00 (1.60%)
Political activities $0.00 (0.00%)
Gifts to other registered charities and qualified donees $0.00 (0.00%)
Other $0.00 (0.00%)
Total expenses: $8,098,464.00
Compensation
Total compensation for all positions
$1,390,227.00
Full-time employees (14)
Part-time employees (4)
Professional and consulting fees
$105,665.00
Compensated full-time positions:
$1 to $39,999 (1)
$40,000 to $79,999 (8)
$80,000 to $119,999 (2)
$120,000 to $159,999 (1)
$200,000 to $249,999 (1)
Focus Humanitarian Assistance (which is part of the Aga Khan Development Network), takes in several million dollars per year and states that it is used for humanitarian purposes.
Nasser left the organization in 2013, after working as a project lead, and in donor relations. While the older tax information isn’t posted, recent years show it doing well at making money. That being said, it seems strange that it routinely seems to be spending more than it takes in.
It’s also odd that Nasser repeatedly touts the “systemic racism” narrative in Canada, but she has no issues with fundraising from those same people. In fact, there are so many people willing to donate that FHA is able to have many full time staff in its organization.
3. Munk School, Fellow Global Journalism
Designed to produce subject-specific journalists who craft beats around their areas of expertise or professional experience, this eight-month program allowed me to leverage my background in Islamic Studies to pitch and report on topics of relevance in Canadian media.
Nasser has also spent 5 years working for the CBC. With experience and credentials like this, what’s not to love? Why not embrace such a voice?
The problem is that this serious journalist has done nothing in the way of actual research. Let’s go through some of the ways that this article is not presenting the complete picture.
7. Gladue Rights Tilt Incarceration Rates
Gladue Rights not only apply to Aboriginals, but to blacks as well. Not many people know that.
Think of how bizarre this is. One or two groups of people commit crime at a much, MUCH higher rate than others, and are subsequently locked up in higher numbers. This is considered “systemic discrimination”, and the solution is to alter the laws to let them out of prison earlier.
Apparently, the prison population is supposed to reflect a random sample of society. It’s not supposed to reflect the group that commits serious crimes.
4. Black Crime Rate Is Much Higher
Just to use the 2018 data available from the FBI crime statistics, Table 43, let’s look at some numbers. This is information where the race of the criminal(s) was known. Keep in mind, that blacks make up 13% of the U.S. population. However, they commit:
- 27% of all crime
- 53% of murder, non-negligent manslaughter
- 29% of rape
- 54% of robbery
- 34% of aggravated assault
- 29% of all burglary
- 32% of motor vehicle theft
- 25% of arson
- 29% of vandalism
- 43% of weapons carrying
- 39% prostitution, commercialised vice
Social justice types frequently complain about there being a much higher police presence in black communities, and there being more frequent interactions with police. While true, there is a valid reason for it: crime rates. Yet Nasser and those like her ignore the hard facts.
Interestingly, while there is hard data in crime rates and race in the U.S. and the U.K., very little information is available in Canada. This is likely to avoid having to publish the hard truths. Apologists point to the higher incarceration rates of certain groups, calling it “injustice”. Yet they tap dance around crime rates. Or when it is reluctantly admitted, rates are spun as a consequence of poverty of systemic racism.
5. FBI Data On Hate Crime Stats
According to the data on this page, 60% of single instance hate crimes were based on race/ethnicity. 54% of the offenders (where race was known) were white, and 26% were black.
Or take this data from 2015. The FBI reports that 500 whites were killed by blacks, while 229 blacks were killed by whites. This is more than a 2 to 1 ratio, just looking at the totals.
However, consider that blacks make up around 13% of the population, and whites 65%. Per capita, this works out to more than a 10 to 1 ration of interracial murder black/white that is done by blacks.
Of course these are just a small sample of the information that is available from official crime statistics. The author of the CBC article mentions none of this when talking about disbanding the police in Toronto. The narrative she helps perpetuate has nothing to do with hard numbers.
6. Floyd’s Arrest Record Was Public
This was reported over a week ago by the Daily Mail, but George Floyd had a lengthy arrest record for many serious charges. Of course, it doesn’t make it justified to kill him (I know), but puts things in a bit of a different light.
7. George Floyd Knew His Killer?
George Floyd and the police officer involved with his death, Derek Chauvin, both worked security at the same Minneapolis club, according to the club owner.
“Chauvin was our off-duty police for almost the entirety of the 17 years that we were open,” Maya Santamaria, the former owner of El Nuevo Rodeo club in Minneapolis, which was sold months prior to the incident, told KSTP in an interview Thursday.
Floyd worked at the club for about a year, but Santamaria said he was one of 20 or 30 employees hired for security on the busiest nights in addition to off-duty police, and is not sure if the pair ever actually spoke to one another.
Newsweek reported that George Floyd and Derek Chauvin has worked at the same club in Minneapolis. Chauvin had been there (as a side job) for 17 years, while Floyd had been there for a year.
To be fair, the article does add the disclaimer that they may not have worked together directly. Still, knowing they were colleagues does make one rethink the entire situation. This death may have absolutely nothing to do with race. It could have just been an intentional murder for any number of reasons. Yet another detail not focused on by the CBC.
8. These Riots Are Being Coordinated
As riots continue to wreak havoc on cities across the country, officials have continued to point to “outside influencers,” along with anarchists and opportunists, who have hijacked the otherwise peaceful demonstrations against police brutality following the death of an African-American man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis last weekend.
According to multiple U.S. intelligence sources, law-enforcement officials in various departments nationwide and analysts monitoring the activity, the playbook in every city is almost the same: the peaceful protests are organized, and a point place is designated for people to gather in the daylight hours.
But, as the night falls and thousands go home, the looting and discord are ignited by a fresh round of people camouflaged with dark clothing and masks, armed with spray paint for graffiti and sometimes homemade weapons, and their nefarious behavior continues well into the early hours.
Although this article is too short to do the topic justice, it’s becoming evident that there is some real organization within the protests for George Floyd. Fox also has covered it, concluding as well that these riots are being carefully planned. There is nothing spontaneous or organic about this.
Bricks are (allegedly) being dropped off to locations so that they can be used to make a riot more destructive. Riots have been quickly assembled and coordinated globally. This is not simply restricted to the United States, as any quick search engine check can verify.
Some obvious questions: Who is coordinating the riots? Why are they doing it? What is the end-goal? How are they managing to put it all together?
But instead of asking the tough questions, mainstream media personalities are deflecting. Instead, they shift to topics like Should we abolish the police?
One also has to wonder what is going on when the official narrative on the coronavirus “pandemic” suddenly flips like this. In early 2020, we were told by the Government that the situation in China is no big deal and to get on with our lives. Starting in March, it was an emergency and severe measures had to be taken. Now, gathering in large groups to protest is no big deal, just don’t yell.
12. Systemic Racism Narrative Pushed
Any online search will uncover a host of material saying that in the wake up George Floyd’s death, racism must be stamped out. In particular, the narrative that white supremacy caused it is being thrown in our faces.
The fact that all four police officers were of difference ethnicities (quite the diverse squad), seems irrelevant in this narrative. The media keeps pushing the claim that white racism is responsible for the death.
Obvious question where: WHY is this narrative being pushed? Why aren’t questions such as the Floyd/Chauvin relationship being explored in greater detail? How did George Floyd really die? Why isn’t there more in depth research going on into the planning and coordination of these global riots? Who is financing these riots, and what is their interest? Why aren’t people in the media asking about the anti-white push (unless they are the ones pushing it)?
These are just some of the hard questions that need to be asked. But “journalists” like Shanifa Nasser are not doing that. Instead, they try to divert to other issues, like abolishing or at least downsizing the police.
CLICK HERE, for Shanifa Nasser’s article on defunding police.
http://archive.is/wip/S7wCa
CLICK HERE, for Shanifa Nasser’s LinkedIn profile.
http://archive.is/lb5vB
CLICK HERE, for Focus Humanitarian Assistance info.
http://archive.is/sEXRb
CLICK HERE, for Daily Mail on Floyd arrest record.
http://archive.is/7gmPo
CLICK HERE, for Table 43, FBI 2018 crime stats.
http://archive.is/8NuV1
CLICK HERE, for Floyd & Chauvin knew each other.
http://archive.is/GAYBB
CLICK HERE, for Floyd riots being coordinated.
http://archive.is/nGukb
CLICK HERE, for Tam supports groups for protesting.
https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/
EIN: 52-1937154