BY: PASTOR BILL SUNBERG
November 20, 2015.
You may remember that day because it was an eventful day in world news. Ten gunmen with grenades stormed a five-star Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, Mali. They took 170 hostages. 27 people were killed.
News on that day was less tragic back home in Toronto. On that day, the Toronto Christmas Market officially opened for the season in the Distillery District. For the first time, they would charge an admission fee on weekends to help reduce the size of the crowds.
The Toronto Raptors beat the Los Angeles Lakers by a score of 102-91. DeMar DeRozen scored 18 points.
The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2 goals to 1. James Reimer was in net. Nazim Kadri scored a goal. It was the first year Mike Babcock was the head coach of the Leafs.
One of the things that did not make the news that day was an incident at the Calico Public School. The police were called to the school for a “Person Gone Berserk.”
It is all recorded in the GO# in Jeremiah Ranger’s file from that day.
GO stands for General Occurrence. Every time Toronto Police Service are called to an incident, a report is written and assigned a GO number. Everything that happens in the initial encounter and everything that is done to follow up is included in the report. The event from November 20, 2015 was the twelfth report written and added to the file of Jeremiah Ranger. He was still 10 years old at the time. By the time Jeremiah died on April 26, 2020, his file had grown to include 43 GO#s, totalling 234 pages.
When I read the record from November 20, 2015, I see an incident that helps tell the story of Jeremiah Ranger.
An overall summary of the incident as documented in the report says that Jeremiah was kicking classroom doors, and making threats to other students. He also threatened a teacher. The teacher reported to the police that she was “terrified of RANGER and fears for her and her students safety when he is around. She also advised that many incidents involving RANGER are not reported to Police, because they are almost a daily occurrence.”
Police officers attempted to speak to Jeremiah in the presence of the principal. Jeremiah refused to acknowledge the police presence, refused to answer any questions, and then suddenly got up and ran out of the school. Officers then confirmed that Jeremiah made it home safely and reported this to the principal. As a result, Jeremiah was immediately suspended from school for 20 days.
When you read through the 234 pages of Jeremiah’s police file, one of the patterns that emerges is that it is often small things that triggered Jeremiah. In the very first report in his file, when Jeremiah was 8 years old, he got into a fight with another student. During recess, the other student told Jeremiah that he was stronger than him. At this point a fight occurred between the two. Some teachers broke up the fight. Jeremiah was escorted to the principal’s office and the other student lined up with the rest of the students to return to class.
On numerous occasions, Jeremiah Ranger would ask his mother, “Why am I not like other kids?” Sometimes he would ask this question while sobbing right after coming home from school. He felt like he was different. He felt like he wasn’t accepted. When it came to the police and the schools, he knew he was treated differently than others. Eight year old Jeremiah was learning that already when he was sent to the principal’s office while the other student was not.
But Jeremiah was different. The seemingly small triggers were huge offenses to him. He could not easily let them go. And once the retaliation sequence had begun, he was compelled to see it through. This was evident in what eight year old Jeremiah did next. He broke free from the teachers in the principal’s office and then went to where the other student was standing in line to return to class and smacked him in the back of the head with his palm. Then he left the school property. When re-apprehended and returned to the principal’s office the second time, he began to throw papers, attempted to break a teacher's phone, and needed to be restrained. He simply did not have the skills to manage his anger.
In the report from November 20, 2015, the trigger was also seemingly small. Earlier in the day during recess, ten year old Jeremiah, who was in Grade 5 at the time, was standing by the door assigned to Grades 2 and 3. It appears that this was part of a game of hide and seek he was playing with friends. When a teacher told him to go stand by the correct door, this enraged Jeremiah. Once again, he simply did not have the skills to manage his anger. Once again, the police showed up and tried to restrain him. Once again, he ran out of the school.
This is an important time to revisit what was read at Jeremiah’s funeral and written by his Child Youth Worker from Oakdale Park Middle School:
“Jeremiah was adorable and shy. He had eyes that showed pain and hope at the same time…He was kind, loving, fragile, protective, and family oriented…Through his anxiety was a loving boy.”
By working through the events and descriptions in the police reports, we are witnessing Jeremiah at his worst moments. And they were bad moments to be sure. But we cannot lose sight of the other side of Jeremiah. He was also adorable and shy. A loving boy. Who needed help.
There is no question it would have been difficult to cope with a student that would kick classroom doors, would utter threats to students and teachers, and was unable to manage his anger. But there is also no question that Jeremiah Ranger needed help. His actions on November 20, 2015 were a clear cry for help.
Which brings us to another key observation. Included in this report is the first time where it is noted in a police report that Jeremiah’s mother asked for help. The report reads, “Krystal RANGER suggested that she needs help and would like to set up a meeting with the school, Police and CAS to devise a plan to help her son. Principal ******** advised that he is available for such a meeting.”
It was not just the actions of Jeremiah on this occasion that were a cry for help. His mother was asking for help as well. This is important to note. In earlier reports, comments were made that Krystal blamed the school and the police for Jeremiah’s behaviour. While this seems like passing the blame, Krystal may have had a point. As noted, small things triggered Jeremiah. The crowds of people, the active environment, and the constant stimuli in the school building, paired with his learning disabilities, were full of potential triggers that he did not have to deal with at home. And clearly, whenever the police showed up, even to defuse a situation and in an effort to help, the triggers were amplified. So Krystal blamed the school and the police. The school and police blamed Krystal and Jeremiah. Everyone appeared to be pointing fingers.
But now, on November 20, 2015, it seemed possible to change all of that. Jeremiah’s actions were crying out for help. And his mother, Krystal, was also asking for help. She requested that everyone get together to figure out how to help him. This sounds like a hopeful step in the right direction. The Principal made himself available for the meeting. And the Police even made a record of this by including it in their report.
Hope faded quickly, however. The meeting that was so desperately needed did not take place until January 6, 2016. A delay of 47 days. On December 29, 2015, there was another encounter between Jeremiah and TPS. In this report it indicates again that Krystal was open to and wanting help. This is no surprise. It has been over a month since she had made the initial request and no meeting had yet taken place.
I cannot imagine what it would have been like for Krystal to set aside her concerns and frustrations that the police and the school were causing Jeremiah’s outbursts, to admit she needed help, and to request a meeting of those same stakeholders with the purpose of devising a plan to help Jeremiah, only to have been left waiting for 47 days. November 20, 2015 was a Friday. I would have expected a meeting early the next week. Not 47 days later. Krystal and Jeremiah deserved better than this.
Unfortunately, we are not finished with November 20, 2015 yet. There is one more revealing statement in the report. The report included this quote in the Background section: “RANGER has not formally been diagnosed with any mental or behavioural issues.” The important question is, “Why not?”
As mentioned above, this is the twelfth report in Jeremiah’s file. In the prior eleven reports there are repeated references to concerns for his mental and behavioural issues. Some reports indicate that Toronto Children’s Aid Society (CAS) were notified. At one point the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT) was consulted and they advised the Humber River Regional Hospital—Church Site of the situation. He had even been briefly apprehended under the Mental Health Act and admitted to the hospital for a short stay. He had been suspended from school on numerous occasions.
To say that he has not been diagnosed is to ignore the contents of the previous eleven reports. To say that he has not been diagnosed is to say that he is not getting any help. To say that he has not been diagnosed is to ignore the cry for help from his mother. To say he has not been diagnosed when CAS, MCIT, and Humber River Regional Hospital had been previously consulted implies that people were just going through the motions and not really intending to help. Or worse, perhaps all of those people were trying to help but the reason for making that statement in the file is to justify choosing the route of punishment and not the option of helping a 10 year old boy so clearly in need of assistance.
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Desmond Cole, in his book “The Skin We’re In” says, “White supremacy is never personal, never individual, never isolated…White supremacy keeps stepping on your toes while insisting it was an accident.” I suggest that not only are his statements true, but they equally apply to all systemic injustices. Systemic injustice is never personal, never individual, never isolated. But it is always painful.
In general, there are two kinds of racism. The intentionally harmful act of a single individual against a person of another race. And the prejudicial application of a broken system. They are two very different things. More often than not, people hide behind the first in order to avoid talking about the second. They say, “I am a good person. I cannot be guilty of perpetuating systemic racism.” But nonetheless, the systemic system continues oppressing people every day. Two kinds of racism. Both are important to talk about.
To be clear, I believe that a strong and vibrant Toronto Police Service is vital to the safety and security of our city. And to be clear, I am convinced that the vast majority of police officers faithfully and dutifully perform their duties to the best of their abilities. They show up every day and give their best. We should applaud that. The City of Toronto needs more people to do that.
But the definition of systemic issues is that even when individual people faithfully do their jobs, the system itself inflicts significant pain on minority individuals. This means that while individuals are not necessarily thinking racist thoughts, the system is racially oppressive none the less.
There were clearly systemic issues involved in how Jeremiah and Krystal were treated. The delay of 47 days for scheduling the meeting she requested in response to a call for help is a singular example of this. I can think of two reasons for the delay. First, it was caused by a police officer not following up quickly enough. It could have been motivated by race. It could have been out of frustration for Jeremiah’s track record. It could have been any number of things. If this was the case, it was caused by bad police work. Or a bad police officer.
But I don’t think that was the cause of the delay. The more likely possibility is that the delay was not caused by the action or inaction of an individual. It was, instead, the fault of the system. This is an example of how there can be systemic racism not necessarily caused by the racist acts of an individual. It could have been that the system is so overloaded that this was the earliest the officers could get to it. If this is the case, it means we have not properly allocated resources to meet these needs in our community. Or, it could have been that the system has not evenly allocated resources to all communities, that there are less resources available to 31 Division than Divisions in other parts of the city. It is hard to imagine this same kind of delay happening in a more wealthy community in the GTA. If this is indeed the case, it is a different kind of systemic racism that needs to be addressed. Either way, there are systemic problems that need to be looked at and challenged.
When individuals cross the line, we should remind them of where the line is and call them back from the other side. Likewise, when the system is the problem and we discover the line itself is in the wrong place, we call attention to it and do the hard work of moving the line. Moving the line simply means the definition of faithfully doing your job has been redefined. This concept is simple to understand but difficult to apply. There are systemic problems in Toronto Police Service. The problems need to be identified. The lines need to move.
Over the past year, we have begun to hear the slogan repeated, “Defund the Police.” This slogan is easy to remember and has quickly entered our conscience and vocabulary. But it is also its own worst enemy. It conjures up mental pictures of TPS unable to put gas in their police cars or pay the salary of their officers or keep the lights on in their police stations. It seems to imply that when we call 911, no one would be there.
However, if “Defund the Police” is actually calling society to redraw the lines of responsibility and craft new and more effective ways to “serve and protect,” we should be all for it. For instance, police officers should not be and cannot be tasked with addressing mental health issues. Mental health is simply not their thing. And it shouldn’t be. Jeremiah Ranger had mental health needs that Toronto Police Service were unable to meet. He simply needed more help than TPS could give.
I believe the time has come to imagine and implement a new system, a new service designed to respond to the mental health issues of the residents of our city. We would no further expect one service to look after policing and fire rescue and medical emergencies. We have separated them out into focused and effective systems. I believe we should do the same with mental health. Perhaps we should reposition the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT) as first responders. Perhaps we should create a whole new service called Toronto Mental Health Services (TMHS). Or perhaps there is another way to effectively meet the mental health needs of the people in our communities. If we are brave, if we are creative, I am sure we can imagine and implement this new system. Whatever the case, the assumption should be that every call involves a mental health issue unless and until the professionally trained staff at MCIT or TMHS determine otherwise. And then, this new service would stay with those that need them after the legal case has been closed. This would provide a consistency of care and go a long way to prevention of future crisis. This would also remove Toronto Police Service entirely from the mental health equation. TPS could focus on what they are specifically trained to do. As a result, the needs of our community would be much better served.
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In this column, I have let the GO# from November 20, 2015 speak for itself. I purposely did not seek out the comment or input from Toronto Police Service as an organization or from any of the approximately 107 individual officers named on the 234 pages of Jeremiah’s police file. This is not because I think their story is not important. On the contrary, I think their story is vitally important. Not the party line. Not a list of approved policies. But the human story. What is it like to be a police officer and wake up every day to interact with youth like Jeremiah Ranger? Do you wish you could do more? Do you warn other officers, “This kid is a problem”? Do you request a transfer to a different Division at first opportunity? I would love to tell that story.
Instead, I felt it is important to centre Jeremiah’s story. And Krystal’s story. The stories that rarely get heard. This is their day. They are somebody. They need to be seen. They need to be heard. If we are ever going to address the systemic issues in our city, the systemic issues in the Toronto Police Service, we need to hear their stories. And the stories of many others like them.
But that is for another day. For now, the story of Jeremiah and Krystal Ranger is not yet complete. Next time we will turn our attention to the Toronto District School Board. It could be argued that the systemic issues at TDSB were even more fundamental in robbing Jeremiah of his somebodiness than even the Toronto Police Service. The truth is that it is hard to tell where the systemic impact of TPS stops and the systemic impact of TDSB starts. They are intertwined in that the school system often used the Police as a means of discipline. For that reason, we must first look at TDSB before we can close the book on Jeremiah’s story.
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Personal / Pastoral Notes:
To those who run toward the dangers the rest of us run away from, to those that stand in the gap to keep Toronto safe, to those who have sworn to “serve and protect,” I say thank you. To the Police Officers of Toronto, keep showing up. Keep doing your job. Attempting to point to ways that the system can be improved is not intended to be disrespectful or unappreciative of all you do. Quite the opposite. I hope to make our city better. I hope to make TPS better. I would love to hear from any police officers willing to tell your story at pb.to@rogers.com.
To Desmond Cole, who is quoted in this column, thank you for what you do. We need voices like yours. Keep standing at podiums, keep pointing out the systemic problems of Toronto, keep reminding us all that we have work to do.
To DeMar DeRozen, we still love you in Toronto. You played your heart out here. We will never forget that.
This article and the rest of the four part series “Block Boy: The Story of Jeremiah Ranger” can be viewed on my website pastorbill.ca