“It reinforces the already unfavorable perceptions of the police amongst Black Montrealers that they don’t seem to be there to guard and serve us however fairly to profile and stigmatize us.”
Article content material
Neighborhood teams are demanding solutions after about 15 law enforcement officials descended on a peaceable, family-oriented barbecue within the parking zone of a Grenadian restaurant in Lachine, leaving the largely Black attendees feeling “intimidated, stigmatized and racially profiled,” neighborhood teams say.
Commercial 2
Article content material
The incident occurred at a fundraiser for a Grenadian pageant on June 24, outdoors Greenz Restaurant on St-Jacques St.
The police intervention, which included officers from Montreal’s pressure in addition to the Sûreté du Québec and the RCMP, was “extreme and insensitive” to the Black households current, together with many youngsters and seniors, Gemma Raeburn-Baynes, vice-president of the Spice Island Cultural Day Affiliation in Quebec (SICDAQ), informed a press convention Wednesday.
She mentioned about 60 individuals have been on the occasion, the place no alcohol was served.
“It reinforces the already unfavorable perceptions of the police amongst Black Montrealers that they don’t seem to be there to guard and serve us however fairly to profile and stigmatize us,” she mentioned.
Commercial 3
Article content material
Police arrived en masse at about 8:30 p.m., surrounding the restaurant, with one of many officers saying that they had obtained two noise complaints, Raeburn-Baynes mentioned. She mentioned the music wasn’t loud however the DJ was requested to show down the music.
All of the officers left after about half-hour, Raeburn-Baynes mentioned. No arrests have been made and no tickets issued.
She mentioned her group misplaced hundreds of {dollars} in fundraising {dollars} as a result of, spooked by the police intervention, everybody left the barbecue after the incident.
A letter despatched to Mayor Valérie Plante on July 6 looking for an evidence and an apology has gone unanswered, Raeburn-Baynes mentioned.
The letter was signed by SICDAQ and 14 different organizations serving racialized and spiritual minorities, in addition to associations representing ladies and seniors.
Commercial 4
Article content material
Raeburn-Baynes mentioned Plante and interim police chief Sophie Roy ought to meet with the neighborhood instantly to debate the incident.
Leon Charles mentioned there have been no incidents within the 5 years he has owned Greenz Restaurant. “Now our picture has been tarnished,” he mentioned. “Black companies and hard-working businesspeople like me deserve higher.”
Fo Niemi, director-general of the Heart for Analysis-Motion on Race Relations, mentioned he has by no means seen an incident the place two noise complaints led to fifteen law enforcement officials being dispatched, together with RCMP officers and members of Montreal’s anti-gang squad.
-
Racial profiling professional quits Montreal job with police, joins anti-racism group
-
Two Montreal law enforcement officials suspended 30 days with out pay for racial profiling
This story will likely be up to date.
