Woodstock Anti-Racism Committee

Friday, 23 October 2020 11:21

The co-chairs of the newly created Woodstock Anti-Racism Committee is Woodstock Police Chief Daryl Longworth and one of the organizers of the BLM peaceful protest in June Jessica Hofstetter.

WOODSTOCK - The Woodstock Police Service has created an anti racism advisory committee.

The committee was inspired by the Black Lives Matter protest in June that was organized by Jessica Hofstetter. Hofstetter will be joining Woodstock Police Chief Daryl Longworth as co-chairs of this advisory committee. She is hoping this advisory committee can help with bringing positive change to our community.

"Racism comes in many different forms but it does exist whether we want to believe it or not. I hope we can all stand together, in solidarity as a community to make a change and truly make this the friendly city we all love, for each and every one of us"

Chief Longworth connected with the organizers of the rally last June and other multiracial and multicultural community representatives in hopes of developing a working relationship in the form of a Woodstock Anti-Racism Advisory Committee (WARAC). He says police officers have an obligation to serve every member of our community.

"As police officers, we have an obligation to preserve life and keep the members of our community safe and well. Every day our members do this work and do it very well. But we know we are not perfect and we know there is always room for improvement. This committee will provide us with an opportunity to open lines of communication and to actively and regularly engage with members of diverse Indigenous and racialized communities as the police service works towards continuous improvement."

WARAC promotes collaboration between the WPS and multiracial and multicultural communities to combat and eliminate racism and foster values that seek to understand the unique identities of all races and cultures in the City of Woodstock. WARAC will also provide guidance and insight for ways of improving and strengthening relationships between WPS and racialized communities in the City.

WARAC’s goals include to:

- Provide counsel and enhance, enrich and establish positive connections between the office of the Chief of Police and the multiracial/multicultural communities within the City;

- Assist and guide the development of a Diversity Plan for the WPS;

- Guide and facilitate anti-racism and bias-awareness training to be delivered to WPS members

WARAC is currently seeking representation from the indigenous community. Any member(s) of the Indigenous community interested in working collaboratively to make a positive difference in combating racism in the City of Woodstock are encouraged to reach out by completing the “Contact Us” form on the WARAC page of the WPS website here. Commitment to the committee shall be for a minimum of 1 year, meeting every 6-8 weeks or as requested by committee co-chairs.