When Black Lives Matter demonstrators packed up their tent city outside Toronto police headquarters earlier this month, they set a 300-hour deadline to come back if their demands were not met.

On Sunday, after staying away for close to the same length of time they had encamped there, drawing attention to systemic racism and demand an inquest into the police shooting death of Andrew Loku, two of the co-founders were back in front of the College St. headquarters under bright sunshine to declare a partial success.

Pascale Diverlus told reporters that BLM organizers had met with Michael Coteau, Ontario’s minister responsible for anti-racism, on Friday, and that the province has committed to four public consultations across the city on the state of policing.

Co-founder Sandy Hudson said the meeting and last week’s decision to hold a coroner’s inquest into Loku’s death after the Special Investigations Unit declined to lay charges “does signify a strong commitment to addressing those demands that we had laid out.” The group still wants to see the name of the officers who shot Loku, and 21-year-old Alex Wettlaufer in March, being kept secret by the SIU, made public before an inquest that could be many months away.

As a weekend Star investigation highlighted, if the SIU decides not to charge an officer, the director’s report is forwarded only to the office of Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur and remains secret. Only a brief account of the decision is made public. Details such as the name of the officer involved, witness testimony, and photo and video evidence are not revealed.

Hudson said this speaks to the need for “an overhaul and complete review” of the SIU.

“There’s no reason why such a report shouldn’t be available to the public. This is an agency that’s supposed to be working in the interests of the public,” she said.

“The reason for getting the officer’s names is also to track what their history of interaction with the public has been and whether or not they are still working on the streets of Toronto,” she said.

“It is in the public interest to have that information right away, and we’re going to continue to push for that,” she said.

Loku, 45, was a father of five and former child soldier. He was shot by a Toronto police officer while holding a hammer, in the hallway of an apartment building for people with mental health issues in July 2015. The SIU announced in March that the officer would not face charges.

SIU spokesperson Jason Gennaro said in an email to the Star that it would be “inappropriate” to discuss the Loku case now that it is the subject of an inquest. He said the SIU investigation into Wettlaufer’s death is ongoing.

The coroner’s inquest will not assign blame, but will bring details of Loku’s last hours into the public realm, including the officer’s name. A jury will then be asked to provide recommendations to prevent future deaths.

Diverlus said the meetings promised in the meeting with Coteau “will not look like other public consultations they have had before,” adding that they’ll be a forum where “black folks can come and share their stories and say what they need done differently in the city.”

A representative from Coteau's office confirmed the meeting with members of Black Lives Matter and said, in an emailed statement, that its members are "part of the dialogue we must have."

"We are fortunate to live in one of the most progressive, inclusive societies in the world. But there is no question that systemic racism continues to create unfair outcomes for racialized and indigenous persons in Ontario," the statement says.

"The Anti Racism Directorate will work closely with the wider community to ensure we tackle these issues and implement meaningful change.”

Hudson added that Black Lives Matter Toronto also condemns the province’s new regulation on carding.

“We need to get rid of the data that has been collected on people in the city who have been targeted in a racist way, in an anti-black way,” she said.

“They need to actually end carding, because what the province has come out with as a policy to end carding isn’t a policy to end carding at all; it’s a policy that is really a how-to manual of how to card, and that is unacceptable to us.”

Toronto police spokesperson Allyson Douglas-Cook said there would be no comment on the Black Lives Matter press conference. Representatives from the ministry of community safety and correctional services could not be immediately reached for comment.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Black Lives Matter Toronto has also demanded a public meeting with Mayor John Tory, which has yet to happen.

Hudson said Tory “looks very foolish” for not meeting with them, “given what the province has shown — that you don’t need to be afraid to speak to your constituents.”

Mayor’s office spokesperson Amanda Galbraith told the Star in an email that Tory “remains committed to meeting with representatives from Black Lives Matter Toronto,” and his office “continues to work with the premier's office and Minister Coteau's office, as well as representatives of Black Lives Matter with respect to any potential meeting.”