Hamilton's Ferguson protest takes place Monday

Its 1,164 kilometres from Hamilton to Ferguson, Mo., but Mondays decision is weighing heavily on Ismael Traores mind.

A PhD student at McMaster University, Traore studies anti-racism. Monday'sgrand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Michael Brown, wasnt a surprise, he said. But for himself and other members of the black community, it was painful.

It was almost like someone took a knife and stabbed it in your gut, he said.

And its not the first time. The knife keeps coming. I call it a sense of disillusionment, and a lot of pain.

We are more polite about it. But when you have to live it day to day, it doesnt take long for the old stereotypes to raise their ugly heads.- Bill DeLisser

Traore is turning that pain into action. He is co-organizer of an upcoming peaceful protest on Dec. 1 called Black, Brown and Red Lives Matter, inspired by the events in Ferguson.

The group will gather at city hall at noon and march to Ferguson Street. The eventwill end with a talk at the Volunteer Hamilton officeat267 King St. E. People of every race are invited.

The march is not intended to be confrontational, Traore said. Since the Ferguson verdict, people have needed a place of healing.

• RELATED:City council delays $130K centre to help victims of racism
• RELATED:Hamilton looks to set up hotline to support victims of racism

The black experience in Hamilton is different from Missouri, he said. But systematic racism remains.

If we speak specifically about the pathways of racism, when it comes to racial profiling, the pathways are the same."

'We are more polite about it'

Black Lives Matter protests are happening across the U.S. and Canada. The Hamilton one added brown and red to its mandate to encompass other races.

Bill DeLisser, past president of the Jamaica Foundation in Hamilton, agrees that while life is different in Ferguson, certain aspects hit home in Hamilton.

In Canada, we are more polite about it, he said. But when you have to live it day to day, it doesnt take long for the old stereotypes to raise their ugly heads.

Like Traore, DeLisser thinks that we need to retool," and such retooling needs to start from the top down.

DeLisser advocated this fall for the city to establish an anti-racism resource centre, an initiative that came from the committee for anti-racism. The 18-month pilot projectwould have cost $130,000 and included a full-time employee and a help line. Councillors approved it at the committee level, but when it came to council for a final vote, they deferred it.

Causes 'emotional scars'

At the time, committee chair Roger Cameron cited Ferguson as an example of what happens with racial tensions aren't addressed. Such incidents cause "emotional scars," he said.

These incidents can lead to psychological problems, and if these arent addressed, even a person whos been oppressed can become an oppressor."

DeLisserwas at a conference in Arizona when the decision happened. Tension settled over the room, he said, but no one knew what to say.

Even at the conference, volunteers looked away and didnt want to say anything, he said. "They knew it wouldn't be a good conversation."

In 2013, Hamilton Police Service investigated 11 hate crimes, a number that has decreased in the last few years. But the number of incidents with a hate or bias element wherepeople utter odious remarks against someones race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or physical or mental ability has been growing. Most of them are against the black community.

Black, Brown and Red Lives Matter

When: Dec. 1 from noon to 2 p.m.

Where: Starts at city hall and goes to Ferguson Street, then to a talk at Volunteer Hamilton,267 King St. E.

Who: Everyone concerned with racism

Hashtag:#BlackBrownAndRedLivesMatter