St. Thomas University (STU) will be offering a criminology course called Defunding the Police: Rhetoric vs. Reality in the fall semester, according to a press release. .The release said the course will be taught by STU Criminal Justice and Criminology Chair Sulaimon Giwa. This course will examine defunding the police, what it looks like at law enforcement and community levels, and the implications it has for racialized communities. .Giwa works as a Memorial University social worker professor. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminology and master’s in social work from Carleton University, and he obtained his doctorate in social work from York University. .The release said Giwa brings a variety of criminal justice experiences to the classroom, having worked as a community parole officer at an indigenous healing lodge and a case manager at a gang exit initiative. His research on racial profiling practices in policing have led to him consulting with Correctional Services Canada and several police forces. .STU described him as an activist and speaker on racial, gendered, and cultural diversity and has written about how these experiences are brought into his classroom. .The release said the course is being offered Thursdays from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Students must have taken Police and the Canadian Community to register for this course. .Quillette associate editor Jonathan Kay mocked the initiative. .“Hey remember in 2020 when, for like three or four months, there were all these hashtaggers talking about ‘defunding the police,’ until murders spiked, & everyone agreed it was a stupid & dangerous idea?” said Kay..“A new @STU_NB course will allow students to travel back in time.” .Minneapolis went back on defunding its police department in 2021, which was decided after resident George Floyd was killed by local law enforcement..READ MORE: Minneapolis slams brakes on police defunding.This change came after people rose up and protested soaring violent crime rates and slow response times..Minneapolis City Council voted to approve $6.4 million in additional funding police had requested.
