Activists and lawyers gathered Saturday in Montreal North to discuss recent allegations of racist behaviour involving officers of the Montreal Police (SPVM), and their implications for the community.
The discussion took place at the Henri-Bourassa Park pavilion, near the site where 18-year-old Fredy Villanueva was killed by a police officer in August 2008.
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The roundtable also took place just over a week after the SPVM dissolved a night patrol team in the borough, following allegations of racist and discriminatory behaviour.
For those present at the event, these allegations echoed concerns raised after the death of Fredy Villanueva regarding racial profiling and police behavior.
Will Prosper, co-founder of Hoodstock, a community organization created following the death of Fredy Villanueva and which organized Saturday’s roundtable, indicated that the community has been suffering from this violence for a long time.
Prosper, who was 18 when Villanueva was killed, explained that the protests that followed his death were fueled by years of frustration with the police in the area.
He added that many residents view these latest allegations as part of a long history of strained relations between the police and the community.
On June 12, the Montreal Police (SPVM) announced that 14 officers had been reassigned and two others suspended. SPVM Director Fady Dagher indicated that the files concerning the suspended officers had been forwarded to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions, who will determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
La Presse and Radio-Canada reported certain information, including allegations that police officers had cut the hair of racialized citizens to make “trophies.” Dagher indicated at a press conference that this was “part of the allegations.”
The shooting of Fredy Villanueva sparked riots and looting in the borough. Participants in Saturday’s roundtable discussion emphasized that issues of racial profiling and police accountability continue to resonate nearly 20 years later.
“What would Fredy say to Fady today?” asked Cassandra Exumé, Hoodstock’s general coordinator and moderator of the roundtable.
Dardia Joseph, a lawyer and assistant director of the Saint-Michel Legal Clinic, explained that young people who come to the organization are seeking legal advice and support following run-ins with the police, particularly in cases involving allegations of racial profiling.
Joseph explained that some young people sought help after repeated police checks or interactions they felt were marked by inappropriate attitudes, and often wondered “if the treatment they received was normal.”
Fernando Belton, lawyer and general manager of the Saint-Michel Legal Clinic, said that these latest allegations marked a turning point for the community.
“We’ve been repeating the same things for decades,” he stressed on Saturday.
Belton added that the response to these allegations could determine whether concerns about racial profiling, police accountability, and relations between law enforcement and residents will finally be addressed.
“What happened in Montreal North must become a barrier, a point where we say to ourselves: never again,” he argued.
— With information from Erika Morris
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
