In September of last year, not long after I had shared my concerns that new police cameras could be used with facial recognition software, mayor Drew Dilkens told AM800 that he was in talks with Amazon to make Windsor the first city in Canada to have their police department connect to their Neighbors App which …
Author archives: Mita Williams
Why have the floodplain maps of Essex Country not been updated since the 1970s?
Over the Winter Break, I found myself with delicious stretches of time in which I had nothing that I had to do. I played board games with my family. I read books. I also carved out a little bit of time to do some civic engagement. From the Detroit River Cleanup The Current newsletter, I …
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With new cameras, are we enabling facial recognition in the City of Windsor?
These are questions that activist Mariame Kaba regularly asks herself when she is outraged about injustice [ht]: What resources exist so I can better educate myself? Who’s already doing work around this injustice? Do I have the capacity to offer concrete support & help to them? How can I be constructive? …
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A communal response to bike theft
According to Facebook, the group Stolen Bikes of Windsor publishes approximately 6 posts a day. Bike theft is rampant in Windsor. And yet these thefts don’t make the news unless the situation is particularly damning. For this post, I’m not going to go into the factors that make bike thievery essentially a risk-free crime, but …
Addendum: What is the percentage representation of women on Windsor City Council & ABCs
For many years when I walked into a room I instantly counted the women. It told me a lot about what to expect from that room. One day, having lost my best friend over racial politics out of my control, I began to count people of color. That too was for safety, for understanding how …
What is the percentage representation of women of the City of Windsor’s Council, Advisory Groups, Agencies, Boards, and Committees?
Before I answer that question, let’s break down the numbers first. The City of Windsor has one mayor and ten councillors, each of whom represent a ward. City Council generally meets twice a month. Councillors sit on four standing committees that meets once a month. They are: 1. Corporate Services Standing Committee2. Development & Heritage Standing …
‘We must speak with one voice’ is just another way to say ‘you must be silenced.’
The politics of the City of Windsor is in a dismal state. In Windsor, it is not good enough for the status quo to keeping on winning. Those who voice criticism or exercise their legal right to challenge decisions must be silenced so that the city can speak in a united voice. Those who suggest …
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Rebuilding from a Teardown
My last post wasn’t intended to be about the public viewing of a professional basketball game. I meant for that story to be an introduction to the related matter of the freedom of speech of Windsor BIAs in the larger context of how politics is currently in play in Windsor. And in that story I …
Teardown politics at Windsor City Council
I don’t watch the basketball but I am so happy to see so many Raptor fans so happy that they are in the NBA Finals. I was born in Toronto. Raptors fans look like Toronto. I am so delighted that Young Canada is embracing basketball. (When it comes to hockey, I’m that girl in The …
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Fostering a more generous city
I have not yet told you, dear reader, why I decided to create this blog you are currently reading. There is a reason and that reason isn’t particularly obvious and so I feel it would be good for me to let you know what is the purpose of all of this effort. The name of …