Dudley Laws
Encyclopedia
Dudley Laws was a Canadian civil rights activist and executive director of the Black Action Defence Committee
.
Laws was born in Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica
to parents Ezekiel and Agatha Laws, and was a brother to three other siblings.
A welder
and mechanic
by trade, he worked at Standard Engineering Works until he emigrated to the United Kingdom
in 1955 and became involved in defending the West Indian
community. He formed the Brixton
Neighbourhood Association and also joined the Standing Conference of the West Indies. In 1965, he relocated to Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
, where he worked as a welder and taxi driver. He joined the Universal African Improvement Association, a Garveyite
organization.
Laws became prominent in the 1970s and 1980s as a critic of the then Metropolitan Toronto Police Force
, due to a number of young black men being shot by police constables, as well as leveling other allegations of racist practices against the police. He has also been prominent as an advocate for immigrants and refugees and worked as an immigration consultant in the 1990s.
In 1988, he founded the Black Action Defence Committee
following the police shooting of Lester Donaldson.
In later years, Laws maintained a better relationship with Toronto Police and was friends with two former Deputy Chiefs (Keith D. Forde and Peter Sloly
).
Laws died in Toronto of kidney disease on March 24, 2011 and interred at Glenview Memorial Gardens.
Black Action Defence Committee
The Black Action Defence Committee is a Canadian activist group founded by Dudley Laws, Charles Roach, Sherona Hall and Lennox Farrell with Laws as the group's chair. It was founded in 1988 in response to the killing of Lester Donaldson, which was the latest in a series of police shootings of Black...
.
Laws was born in Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica
Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica
Saint Thomas is a suburban parish that is situated at the south eastern end of Jamaica, in the county of Surrey. It is the birth place of The right Honorable Paul Bogle, one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes...
to parents Ezekiel and Agatha Laws, and was a brother to three other siblings.
A welder
Welder
A welder is a tradesman who specializes in welding materials together. The materials to be joined can be metals or varieties of plastic or polymer...
and mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
by trade, he worked at Standard Engineering Works until he emigrated to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1955 and became involved in defending the West Indian
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
community. He formed the Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
Neighbourhood Association and also joined the Standing Conference of the West Indies. In 1965, he relocated to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he worked as a welder and taxi driver. He joined the Universal African Improvement Association, a Garveyite
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
organization.
Laws became prominent in the 1970s and 1980s as a critic of the then Metropolitan Toronto Police Force
Toronto Police Service
The Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...
, due to a number of young black men being shot by police constables, as well as leveling other allegations of racist practices against the police. He has also been prominent as an advocate for immigrants and refugees and worked as an immigration consultant in the 1990s.
In 1988, he founded the Black Action Defence Committee
Black Action Defence Committee
The Black Action Defence Committee is a Canadian activist group founded by Dudley Laws, Charles Roach, Sherona Hall and Lennox Farrell with Laws as the group's chair. It was founded in 1988 in response to the killing of Lester Donaldson, which was the latest in a series of police shootings of Black...
following the police shooting of Lester Donaldson.
In later years, Laws maintained a better relationship with Toronto Police and was friends with two former Deputy Chiefs (Keith D. Forde and Peter Sloly
Peter Sloly
Peter Sloly is a retired Canadian association football player who earned 1 cap for the Canadian national side in 1985. He attended McMaster University, and after retiring as a player became a police officer with the Toronto Police Service, where he is Deputy Chief of the service's Executive Command...
).
Laws died in Toronto of kidney disease on March 24, 2011 and interred at Glenview Memorial Gardens.