Dudley Laws (May 7, 1934March 24, 2011) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

civil rights activist and executive director of the Black Action Defence Committee. Laws was born in

Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica Saint Thomas, once known as ''Saint Thomas in the East'', is a suburban parish situated at the south eastern end of Jamaica, within the county of Surrey. It is the birthplace of the Right Honourable Paul Bogle, designated in 1969 as one of Jama ...

, to parents Ezekiel and Agatha Laws, and was a brother to six other siblings. A welder and

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...

by trade, he worked at Standard Engineering Works until he emigrated to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1955 and became involved in defending the

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...

community. He influenced the development and launch of the Somerleyton and Geneva Road Association in

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

and also joined the Standing Conference of the West Indies and the St Johns Inter-Racial Club.Christian Cotroneo, "In pursuit of 'greatness'; Four local black mentors recognized for their years of grassroots effort in the community Organization honours work 'they've done in the past and continue to do,'" ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', December 19, 2005 In 1965, he relocated to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

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, Canada, where he worked as a welder and taxi driver. He joined the

Universal Negro Improvement Association The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) is a black nationalist fraternal organization founded by Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican immigrant to the United States, and Amy Ashwood Garvey. The Pan-Africa ...

, 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 levelling other allegations of racist practices against the police. He was also 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 Keith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Keith (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Keith (surname) * Keith (singer), American singer James Keefer (born 1949) * Baron Keith, a line of Scottish barons ...

and

Peter Sloly Peter John Michael Sloly (born 5 August 1966) is a Canadian former police officer who served as the chief of police for the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) from 2019 to 2022. Before joining the OPS, Sloly was a member of the Toronto Police Service ...

). Laws died in Toronto of kidney disease on March 24, 2011, and interred at Glenview Memorial Gardens. In 1991 police arrested Mr. Laws and charged him with conspiring to smuggle illegal immigrants in and out of Canada. He was convicted and fined, but the Ontario Court of Appeal ordered a new trial after learning that the trial judge had met privately with prosecutors. The Crown later stayed the charges.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laws, Dudley 1934 births 2011 deaths Black Canadian activists Canadian civil rights activists Migrants from British Jamaica to the United Kingdom British emigrants to Canada Mechanics (people) People from Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica Deaths from kidney disease