Black Man Calls U.S. "Corrupt," Applies for Refugee Status in Canada

This black man thinks his life is in danger in the "corrupt" U.S.,wants to leave to Canada.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The rate of Americans turning their backs on their citizenship is at an all-time high, and black American Kyle Canty hopes to join those people soon enough after applying for refugee status in Canada, saying he fears for his life in the “corrupt” U.S.

The 30-year-old Oregon man, originally from New York, went before Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board on Oct. 23 and said, “I’m in fear of my life because I’m black. This is a well-founded fear.” He elaborated further when he spoke to the CBC outside of the IRB meeting saying, “The United States of America is corrupt; they’re consistently killing black people.” Canty added, “…And honestly, I kept on getting harassed by cops for no reason, false charges, false arrests—I’m not just the only one going through it. All black people in America are going through the same thing. It’s corruption.”

In his meeting Canty cited several encounters with police, providing video footage of some of those encounters. For Canty the final straw was in September when he was arrested for refusing to leave a bus station in Salem where he’d been using the free Wi-Fi for over two hours. While taping bus station security guards Canty is heard saying, “Go call the cops so I can get a police report… because I’m going to take that police report and I’m seriously going to sue you.” In another video Canty records a Seattle bicycle cop “falsely charging” a black man on the street and writing him a ticket. 

After arriving as a tourist in September, Canty applied for refugee protection and is reportedly living in a homeless shelter as the IRB makes a decision. Canty also mentioned in his hearing that he has outstanding warrants in different states—which the New York Daily News reports are “misdemeanor counts of intimidation, jaywalking and failure to appear in court in Tucson, Ariz.” according to records it obtained. 

Out of the 4,631 Americans who have applied for refugee protection in Canada, only 65 have been accepted between 2003 and 2014. 

[via Windsor Star/New York Daily News]

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