Demonstrators gathered in front of a police station in the borough of Montréal-Nord Monday evening, denouncing alleged co-ordinated racist behaviour by more than a dozen officers.
Among the protesters was Rayan Rabah, who said he’s frustrated by the lack of transparency.
“When a policeman does something, they never release the name. They never show their face. It’s really sad,” he said. Gesturing to the crowd of demonstrators, he added, “I am glad there’s a lot of people today to just talk about this and just protest.”
He said he’s never had bad encounters with police, but he knows people who have.
Last Friday, Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher held an unprecedented late-night news conference to announce the launch of the investigation into 16 officers, built on internal reports made by other officers at Station 39.
SPVM cracks down on Montréal-Nord unit suspected of co-ordinated racist behaviour
According to a Radio-Canada source, the officers allegedly collected pieces of locs, sometimes called dreadlocks, that had been cut from people during police interventions.
Tickets were also allegedly issued to citizens solely on the basis of their ethnic background, Radio-Canada reports.
The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) has already recommended criminal charges against two of the 16 officers under investigation at the station, and Dagher says he’s expecting more allegations to surface.
As racism allegations surface, Montréal-Nord community leaders ask police: What now?
As calls for an independent investigation continued to grow Monday, a large police presence gathered ahead of the demonstration.
Frantz André, a community organizer, was at the demonstration waving a Haitian flag. He said the Haitian community, which has strong roots in Montréal-Nord, faces significant discrimination.
“I had to give my car away in 2019 because I have been stopped so many times,” said André.
Montréal-Nord community groups demand meeting with police chief after racism allegations
After decades in Quebec, he said he has never felt so unwelcome.
“This is why we have actions like this,” André said, pointing to the demonstration and vowing to do his part to push for change in memory of his mother, who taught him to be an activist. “I am going to fight so hard.”
Samuel Bunche, who grew up in Montréal-Nord, said racism within policing is going to continue if authorities don’t take action.
“This is not the first time things like this happen,” said Bunche, saying that many cases are swept under the rug and that this time, fellow officers had finally reported their colleagues.
“I can’t find the words to express how I am feeling. But it’s unreal.”
Nearly six years ago, Bunche launched a lawsuit against the City of Laval, alleging he was “humiliated” and “traumatized” during an encounter with local police.
“I got dragged from the car by my locs and I got beat by the police,” he said. Bunche said the city eventually cut him a cheque in connection with the incident.
But now, with demonstrators chanting behind him, he said others share his feelings, and it was encouraging to see people united and “trying to get heard.”
Earlier Monday, Quebec’s Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière announced he is appointing an independent observer to follow the investigation by Montreal police into the group of officers accused of racial profiling and discrimination.
Calls grow for independent investigation into alleged racism at Montréal-Nord police station
Lafrenière also didn’t rule out the possibility of holding a public inquiry if necessary.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez-Ferrada said Sunday she will work with the Quebec government to accelerate the implementation of body-worn cameras.
She has called for calm and pledged that Montrealers would learn the truth about the allegations as “any form of racial profiling, discrimination or violence is unacceptable.”
