An Ontario Superior Court judge will render his verdict Friday in the case of a young Black man who was blinded in one eye during a severe beating in 2016. An off-duty Toronto police officer and his brother are charged with aggravated assault and obstruction of justice.
Sharon Fletcher will pull on her “Here for Dafonte” T-shirt Friday and head to the Oshawa, Ont., courthouse for the verdict in the trial of two men accused of beating Dafonte Miller — a case that has made headlines in the Toronto area and across the country.
Even though the courthouse will be empty due to the novel coronavirus, she’ll stand with others outside to show her support for Miller — a young Black man left blinded in one eye during a confrontation with a police officer and his brother three-and-a-half years ago.
You can watch the judge’s ruling live here:
Fletcher, a Black woman with adult children, says she can’t imagine the possibility of the brothers being found not guilty.
But if they’re convicted, “I think that for the first time in a long time, it’ll feel like Black lives really do matter. That we are counted and seen as human beings,” she told CBC News.
Michael Theriault, a Toronto police officer who was off duty that night in December 2016, and his younger brother, Christian, both face charges of aggravated assault and obstruction of justice. The brothers have pleaded not guilty, telling the court Miller attacked them that night and they were defending themselves.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Joseph Di Luca will read his judgment live on a YouTube link that’s being widely shared by community members.
The evidence in the trial was heard months before people took to the streets in the United States, Canada and around the world to protest the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other similar cases. But Miller’s case has also drawn attention to the same issues: anti-Black racism and police brutality.
