Montreal police plan to prevent racial profiling receives a skeptical response
MONTREAL — Anastasia Marcelin, originally from Haiti, says she became an activist after witnessing how city police treated her three younger brothers in their Montreal North neighbourhood.
She was part of a group of residents at city hall Tuesday who expressed little confidence as the Montreal police force unveiled its latest plan to prevent racial profiling by its officers.
“As soon as a young, black man gets a car — the harassment begins,” Marcelin said in an interview, referring to family and friends who have had run-ins with the police.
“I lived in Montreal North for 15 years, and I’ve witnessed police destroy the lives of young people.”
Incoming police chief Sylvain Caron and other officers presented city councillors with the force’s 2018-21 plan to prevent racial profiling.
The plan is short on details, but it includes steps to hire more visible minorities and to build stronger relationships with community groups.
It also includes a long-awaited promise to begin collecting and analyzing data on complaints against officers accused of racial profiling.
Also on Tuesday, a lawyer working on behalf of the Black Coalition of Quebec announced he is seeking approval for a class action lawsuit against the city of Montreal for alleged racial profiling practices by the police.
Jacky-Eric Salvant said he is seeking $4 million in damages from the city on behalf of people who claim they were singled out by city police officers because of their race.
Salvant was joined at city hall by Gabriel Bazin, vice-president of the Black Coalition, who told reporters they were both recently racially profiled.
Bazin said they were inside Salvant’s BMW in downtown Montreal and were followed and stopped by police.
“When they stopped him, do you know what was the first question they asked? ‘What do you do for a living?’ ” Bazin said. “This is what we live.”