Policing the Uptown: A Historical Narrative Analyzing Black-Led Coalitions in Response to Police Brutality in Halifax in 1991

This article delves into the historical context of Black resistance to racial oppression in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It focuses on a critical juncture in the ongoing struggle against anti-Black racism in the city—the “Uptown Riots” of 1991. Through archival research and interviews with community members, the article explores how Black activists organized and responded to the municipality, province, and federal government’s complicity in racial oppression during and after the Uptown Riots. The concept of racial institutional orders is employed to analyze the complex relationships between Black communities advocating for self-determination and the governing institutions perpetuating racial concepts of Black inferiority and victimhood. By examining the continuity of resistance and the reconstitution of the dominant racial institutional order, this article sheds light on the enduring impacts of this incident on the affected communities.