Recorded on November 12, 2026
Racial profiling is when the police pay more attention to a person based on their race or ethnic background than the person’s actions. For example, when the police stop a person on the street mainly because they’re Black, and not because they closely match a suspect’s description. Or if a Black person’s behaviour receives more attention than similar behaviour by people from another community.
Racial profiling is not always obvious. It can happen when racial stereotypes lead to suspicion without good reasons.
In this webinar you will explore police encounters through an anti-Black racism and human rights lens and learn:
- The difference between police behaviour that is:
- unpleasant or unprofessional,
- racial profiling, or
- racial discrimination under Ontario’s Human Rights Code.
- How to prove racial profiling using facts, even when the police do not use racist language or deny that race influenced their actions.
- What information, records, and evidence may help support a police complaint.
- How to document a police encounter and its impact
Speaker:
• Chuks Nwajei, Staff Lawyer, Black Legal Action Centre
Note: We have provided a handout on important resources and supports from the webinar in PDF form below, along with the recording and PowerPoint slides.