Tracing the Roots of Racial Profiling: Gender Bias, Socio-Economic Factors, and Police Encounters With Black Youth in Toronto's Eglinton West

Abstract

This study critically investigates the intersection of race, gender, and socio-economic status in shaping the policing experiences of Black youth in Toronto’s Eglinton West, with a specific focus on the Toronto Police Service’s 13 Division. Drawing on Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality, this research explores how systemic biases, urban spatial politics, and institutional practices contribute to the over-policing and criminalization of Black youth in a historically Black neighbourhood undergoing rapid socio-economic transformation. Through a mixed-methods approach, including an in-depth conversation with a community worker and historical-spatial analysis of census data, this study provides insight into how enduring stereotypes of Black masculinity and the invisibilization of Black femininity produce distinct forms of state violence. These experiences are compounded by economic marginalization, racialized surveillance practices such as carding, and the erosion of community spaces due to gentrification.

A comparative analysis with Jane and Finch highlights how policing dynamics and community experiences differ across historically Black neighbourhoods in Toronto. While Eglinton West has experienced significant gentrification and displacement pressures, Jane and Finch’s high-rise environment shapes distinct patterns of surveillance, social isolation, and community resilience. Contrasts in local infrastructure, social spaces, and cultural hubs reveal how the urban environment interacts with systemic biases to produce varied forms of state violence and community coping mechanisms. By situating these policing practices within broader historical and policy frameworks, the research identifies how racial profiling persists despite legal reforms and public scrutiny. Ultimately, the study offers evidence-based policy recommendations centred on equity, community empowerment, and transformative justice, highlighting the need for structural change in both policing and social investment to address the compounded vulnerabilities faced by Black youth in urban Canadian contexts.