Nova Scotia places moratorium on random street checks after community backlash

Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey announced Tuesday the province is putting a moratorium on random street checks while the department works toward regulating the practice.

The move comes after weeks of pressure from the community.

An independent report released last month found that black people were street checked at a rate six times higher than white people in Halifax.

The 180-page report by Scot Wortley, a University of Toronto criminology professor, found the practice of random street checks has a disproportionate and negative impact on the black community, contributing to the criminalization of black youth.

Many in the community have been calling for a total ban on street checks, which was one of two options presented in Wortley's report. The department has chosen Wortley's other recommendation of suspending the practice while they develop regulations.

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