'I deserve better:' Black man pinned by fare inspectors wants TTC to meet with him, apologize

A young black man who was tackled andpinned to the ground byTTC fare inspectors is asking the transit agency to apologizeand "right the wrong it did," so itcan meaningfully address what he says are its racial profiling problems.

Reece Maxwell-Crawford, who has filed a lawsuit in connection with the incident,saidthe TTC has made "absolutely no effort" to reach out or apologize after threefare inspectorspinned himto the ground on a Toronto streetcar platform, in whathe believes was an unjustified assault based on racial profiling and bias.

"The TTC cannot continue to ignore me."said Maxwell-Crawford in an openletter toCEO Rick Leary and chair Jaye Robinson released Thursday.

"I deserve better than this."

While the TTC says it istrying to tackle racism on a broad level, Maxwell-Crawford saidthat's meaningless unless they actually account for what happened to him.

He released the open letter Thursday after his lawyerssaid theTTC did notrespond to their request to discuss settling his lawsuit, which has not been tested in court.

Video captures black teen being pinned down by TTC fare inspectors

7 years ago

Duration 0:10

Video shot by streetcar rider Bethany McBride shows two TTC fare inspectors pinning the teen to the ground

ThreeTTC fare inspectors tackled and pinned Maxwell-Crawfordto the ground on a streetcar platform near St. Clair Avenue Westand Bathurst Street in February 2018.

Maxwell-Crawford, who was 19 at the time, was forcibly detained before eventually being released by Toronto police officers who had arrived at the scene.

He is suing the TTC and the Toronto Police Services Board, as well as the individual inspectors and police officers.

CEO says they can meetlater

Afterthe open letter was released, TTCCEO Rick Leary emailed Maxwell-Crawfordlater on Thursday saying they can meetface-to-face once the legal matter is over.

"I hope once the matter between us is concluded, you and I can sit down face-to-face and discuss ways to make the TTC even more welcoming for all customers," Leary'semail reads.

A TTC spokesperson told CBC Newsthat "anyother comment would be inappropriate as the matter is before the courts."

That's "a dodge," said Maxwell-Crawford'slawyer Cory Wanless, who called the response "woefully inadequate and frankly disrespectful."

There's noreason the TTCleadership can't have a good-faith discussionabout what the agency did wrong and how to fix it, Wanlesssaid, accusing the transit agency of usingthe legal system as an excuse.

TTC investigation not good enough: ombudsman

The city's ombudsman recently saidtheTTC investigation into the incident was inadequate, after it found the inspectors' use of forces wasn't excessive.

TheTTChas since saidit woulddevelop a system-wide anti-racism strategy, "aimed directly at preventing racial profiling."

"We will do better," Leary said,speaking on CBC's Metro Morning earlier this month. He acknowledged that young black men don't feel comfortable riding the TTC.

"We can't let young black men, and all those minorities that feel uncomfortable, continue to feel that way."

'What's the point?'

Leary has said the TTCwill hold public consultations, set up an anti-racism task forceand strengthen its anti-racism training for fare inspectors and special constables.

While Maxwell-Crawford said he's glad the TTC is takingsteps to address racism, it means nothing if theTTC doesn't also confront theincident that prompted thechange it wants to make.

"If the TTC is not going to address an actual incident of racial profiling, then what is the point?" he wrote in the letter.

"Why would anyone trust the TTC to actually fix the larger problem of racial profiling?"

Still trying to get over it

After the incident,Maxwell-Crawford had to take time off work and school, and he's still nervous about riding public transit.

"Psychologically, physically, I'm still trying to get over it," he told Metro Morning.

He tries not to ride the TTC, insteadtaking Uber, Lyftor riding his bicycle but he's still in some pain on the bike.

"It just happened so out of the blue, really," Maxwell-Crawford said. "It's quite frightening."

Maxwell-Crawfordwants the TTCto acknowledge itsresponsibilities and account for what happened.He feels somewhat vindicated by the ombudsman report sayingthe TTC investigation fell short,he said.

'Just talk'

Untilthe matter gets resolved, theTTC's efforts are "just talk," Wanless said, and the TTC does not have much credibility when it talks about addressing racial profiling.

"You can't say that you are going to address systemic racial profiling without addressing thespecific incident," said Wanless.

The fare inspectors "didn't see him as a human being, but rather it was just about the colour of his skin,"he told Metro Morning.

"From the very start they treated him differently."

The Toronto Police Service conducted a separate investigationinto the 2018 incident. Police decided not to lay criminal charges against the fare inspectors involved.

Wanless said his client would also like an apology from police for their role in the incident.