Defund the police painted on College Street in Toronto in huge pink letters

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Just ahead of a march and sit-in planned for today, the words 'defund the police' have been pained in massive pink letters on College Street outside of the Toronto Police Services headquarters.

Images show people using rollers to paint the message in bright pink along the stretch of College Street between Yonge and Bay Streets.

It's a beautiful day to beautify the ugliest part of College street with dreams of liberation. #DefundThePolice #BlackLivesMatter #topoli #cdnpoli #onpoli pic.twitter.com/XEtnH4mMtN
— Black Lives Matter — Toronto (@BLM_TO) June 19, 2020

The message is part of the Abolish the Police Juneteeth Sit-In meant to double as a "celebration of freedom and liberation."

View this post on Instagram

Friday June 19th! ABOLISH THE POLICE JUNTEENTH SIT IN! From 12-6pm beginning at College & Bay ending at City Hall. We are occupying Bay st for a peaceful sit in and celebration of Freedom & Liberation, with demands to defund the Toronto police to abolishing the police! (Full demands will be posted soon) Please bring food and water, sunscreen & energy! We will be practicing social distancing so bring a mask & IF YOU’RE SICK, STAY HOME! Information is in the post above & we will be posting general call outs for volunteers to help social distancing protocol & PPE distribution! BE READY! No justice, No peace! #notanotherblacklife #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by #NOTANOTHERBLACKLIFE ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 (@notanotherblacklife) on Jun 16, 2020 at 10:25am PDT

It is one of many ongoing protests taking place this weekend around Toronto that call for police reform and an end to anti-Black racism.

DEFUND THE POLICE has been painted outside Toronto Police Headquarters - 📹 @FareenKarim #Toronto #TorontoPolice #TorontoPoliceHeadquarters #DefundThePolice pic.twitter.com/K9dyE0LiKj
— theGentries (@theGentries) June 19, 2020

Today also marks Juneteeth, a holiday primary celebrated in the United States that marks the liberation of those still held as slaves near the end of the American Civil War.

Protesters have painted the words DEFUND THE POLICE on the street surrounded by the names of victims outside Toronto Police Headquarters - 📹 @FareenKarim #Toronto #TorontoPolice #TorontoPoliceHeadquarters #DefundThePolice pic.twitter.com/Eaxn3Dmjeq
— theGentries (@theGentries) June 19, 2020

Calls to defund the Toronto Police Services have been growing with several city councillors supporting a partial defunding of the police budget.

Today TPS and the mayor are getting up in front of the media to tell us that they are responding to our calls by doing more of the same.

We say bun dat.

We demand better. We demand our lives.

Defund. Disarm. Dismantle.

Our Demands:https://t.co/Gifh3IeTpT #DefundThePolice
— Black Lives Matter — Toronto (@BLM_TO) June 19, 2020

Toronto Police Services have made recommendations for confronting anti-Black racism, but many said it's not enough.

Similar messages have been painted on city streets, such as the one across from the White House in Washington D.C. where 'Black Lives Matter' was painted in yellow.

Covering the road leading away from the White House, are the words Black Lives Matter, written in yellow, followed by the flag of what would be the 51st state if Washington D.C. ever becomes one.
pic.twitter.com/N2fduMR2nV
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) June 6, 2020

The march was slated to start at noon on Friday, June 19, beginning at TPS headquarters and travelling south to city hall.