North | A round table on allegations of racism targeting the SPVM
Activists and lawyers gathered Saturday in Montreal North to discuss recent allegations of racist behavior concerning officers of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), as well as their implications for the community.
Published yesterday at
The discussion took place at the Henri-Bourassa park pavilion, near the place where Fredy Villanueva, 18, was killed by a police officer in August 2008.
The round table also took place a little more than a week after the SPVM disbanded a night patrol team in the borough, following allegations of racist and discriminatory behavior.
For speakers 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, said the community has experienced this violence for a long time.
Mr. Prosper, who was 18 when Mr. Villanueva was killed, said the protests that followed his death were fueled by years of frustration with the police in the neighborhood.
He said many residents see the latest allegations as part of a long history of strained relations between police and the community.
On June 12, SPVM management announced that 14 officers had been reassigned and two others had been suspended. The director of the SPVM, Fady Dagher, indicated that the files concerning the suspended police officers had been transmitted to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions, who will determine whether criminal proceedings are justified.
The Press and Radio-Canada reported certain information, notably that police officers allegedly cut the hair of racialized citizens in order to make “trophies” out of them. Mr. Dagher indicated at a press conference that this was “part of the allegations”.
Read “Allegations of racism: a team of police officers dismantled by the SPVM”
The shooting of Fredy Villanueva sparked riots and looting in the district. Participants in Saturday’s roundtable highlighted that questions surrounding racial profiling and police accountability continue to resonate nearly 20 years later.
“What would Fredy say to Fady today?” asked Cassandra Exumé, general coordinator of Hoodstock and moderator of the roundtable.
Dardia Joseph, a lawyer and deputy director of the Saint-Michel Legal Clinic, explained that young people who come to the organization are looking for legal advice and support following run-ins with the police, particularly in cases involving allegations of racial profiling.
Mme Joseph said some young people seek help after repeated police stops or interactions they consider marked by inappropriate attitudes, and often wonder “if the treatment they received was normal.”
Fernando Belton, attorney and executive director of the St. Michael’s Legal Clinic, said the latest allegations mark a watershed moment for the community.
“We have 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 law enforcement-resident relations are finally addressed.
“What happened in Montreal North must become a barrier, a point, where we say to ourselves: never again,” he maintained.
With information from Erika Morris
