Anger, sadness, a sense of deja-vu': Montreal borough responds to police racism allegations

Allegations that Montreal police force officers intermeshed in racialist and invidious behaviour toward citizens feature reopened old wounds in Montréal-Nord, where borough mayor Christine Black is urging victims and witnesses to come forward.

On Friday, the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) announced it dismantled a night patrol unit at Station 39 and removed 16 officers from patrol duties amid accusations of racial profiling and discrimination against Black and Arab people during police stops in the borough.

According to a Radio-Canada source, the officers have been accused of collecting pieces of locs, sometimes called dreadlocks, that had been cut from people during police interventions to keep as "trophies." Radio-Canada also reported that tickets were allegedly issued to citizens solely on the basis of their ethnic background.

Black said on Sunday that the scope of allegations came as a shock, though she acknowledged concerns about systemic racism in Montréal-Nord are not new. She said despite the efforts of the past couple decades, "we haven't done enough yet."

She became emotional when she spoke about the situation, and how it affects people in the community.

"Anger, sadness, a sense of deja-vu. For many citizens, especially within Black, Arab and racialized communities, this revelation opened wounds and experiences that go back a long way," Black said.

"I am aware that for many citizens, these revelations are not just concerning. They also raise deep questions about trust in institutions."

Montréal-Nord mayor responds to investigation of police racism at SPVM Station 39

Jim Beis, who heads the City of Montreal's executive committee on security and prevention, acknowledged that a lot of bridge-building will need to happen to repair the broken trust.

"How do you tell a youngster that has lost this confidence now with the SPVM to be able to present a case to them, and say, ‘this is my situation and I’ve lived through this crisis, I need someone to hear me,'" Beis said.

Black spoke of the need to find a way forward over the coming weeks and months.

"We need to restore that trust," the borough mayor said.

The city officials said they will be reaching out to community members, neighbourhood organizations and the SPVM in the coming weeks, in an effort to get the full scope of the situation.

Anyone who's either been a victim or witness of profiling, discrimination or any racist behaviour by police is encouraged to reach out to Mayor Black's office. 

"I’m thinking of people who already felt targeted, watched or profiled. Those who have filed a complaint and felt like they weren’t being heard. Those who felt that sometimes their concern was minimized or questioned," said Black.

"This situation will not define our community."

Hoodstock is a Black-led organization based out of Montréal-Nord that has been calling out police brutality and systemic inequalities faced by racialized Montrealers in the city's north-end for years.

It was formed after the death of Fredy Alberto Villanueva, an 18-year-old of Honduran origin, who was shot and killed by a Montreal police officer from Station 39 in 2008. Villanueva was unarmed when he was struck by two bullets in a north-end park on Aug. 9 of that year.

An independent public inquiry found in 2013 that the shooting was legally justified on self-defence grounds, but unnecessary.

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Hoodstock general coordinator Cassandra Exumé said she isn't shocked by these latest allegations.

"I’ve been with Hoodstock for the past six years. I was 18 years old when Fredy Villanueva was killed, I’m 36 years old right now," Exumé said. "The stories are not much different than 18 years ago. So we cannot say that we’re shocked. Those stories are happening every day.”

Exumé would like to see the names of the officers being investigated made public.

"It might be an officer that was part of the activities that are happening in the neighbourhood. We have to know their name, because we need to be protected," she said.

The SPVM has said that two of the 16 officers being investigated are suspended, three have been re-assigned, and the rest of the unit was "relocated" so they won't have contact with citizens for now.

16 Montreal police officers under investigation for alleged racist and hateful acts

Quebec's director of criminal and penal prosecutions, known by its French acronym DPCP, is also involved and examining whether criminal charges should be laid.

Montreal mayor urges calm, vows to uncover truth after police unit suspected of racist behaviour

Black, the borough's mayor, commended the officers who spoke out about the behaviour they witnessed, saying their action made it possible for this investigation to be launched.

"They showed humanity, integrity,  professionalism and a sense of duty exists within the neighbourhood Station 39."

The station remains fully open and operational during the investigation, according to city officials.

SPVM cracks down on Montréal-Nord unit suspected of co-ordinated racist behaviour

Meanwhile, the Front de Résistance Autochtone Populaire and other community organizations are planning a protest denouncing the officers’ actions. It will take place in Montréal-Nord on Monday.

The groups say the protest will be an opportunity for racialized people in the area to tell their stories and be heard.

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