Press Release

The Black Coalition has always appealed to the Minister of Public Security, the Minister of Justice and the Mayor of Montreal to guarantee ordinary citizens access to justice. We are taking this opportunity again during the Week Against Racial Discrimination to renew our demand. We refer you to the remarks of Dr Martin Luther King Jr who stated “An injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere”.
 
 
We do not approve acts of brutality committed by the police, but equally we condemn those who would disturbed the peace and vandalize public property during demonstrations. Nevertheless, we are not surprised that the police arrested and brutalized citizens during a demonstration in Montreal on Sunday March 15, 2009 even the journalist of La presse Michelle Ouimet. In the future, we expect journalist will have a clear identification to protect themselves from arbitrary arrest. But what will become of ordinary citizens?
 
The government’s first responsibility is to protect citizens from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment. Often citizen fall victim to this madness, their right to liberty violated without any cause or justification. We witnessed a police officer arrested a citizen (young black man) to ask him: “Where did you find the money to buy this B.B.Q chicken?”, which he had in his hands. He was searched soon after he left. This type of intervention is the visible presence of a culture of harassment and provocation against the Black community by the police.
 
We recall the media publicity in August 2006, 11 young black men, associated to members of a street gang, confined a white woman during 48 hours and rapped her. Without any additional explanation the police arrested 4 young black men and imprisoned them without bail. After inquiries, the Black Coalition denounced this arrest and imprisonment without cause. After a few months, because of the lack of evidence the Crown prosecutor stopped the proceedings. This was done without any media revelation to vindicate the Black Community. We must put into question the administrative practices of the police when the fundamental rights of citizens are violated, it is for this reason we asked for the dismissal of Mr Yvan Delorme, the chief of police.
 
Juge Malouf presented many recommendations for new practices by the police following an objective investigation. Unfortunately, these recommendations remain on the shavers. In a democratic and free society like ours we should not permit the culture of abuse by the police to dictate the direction of society. Just recently the police Brotherhood went to Court to prevent the coroner from inquiring into the case of Mohammed Bennis killed by the police on December 1st, 2005. We should not submit ourselves to police justice.
 
In this present state, it is only through an independent inquiry the case of police brutality can be addressed as is the case in Ontario. Quebec has an interest to follow what is done in other provinces to advance the cause of rights and justice. Simple citizens are reduced to nothing when there is not a true recourse against the police who accuse them of assault, obstruction of justice etc. when in fact it is ordinary citizens who are being brutalized by the police.
 
We are asking to address with urgency an independent inquiry into the administration and practice of the police. Faced with cases of police brutality, we are demanding a forum of justice for citizens with the participation of the police.
 
Info: 514-489-3830