Collective social groups demand end to racial profiling in Quebec (2023)

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Three years after the death of black man George Floyd at the knee of a Minnesota police officer, racial profiling continues to wreak havoc, including in Quebec, according to the Ligue des droits et libertés (LDL). The group leads a group of organizations demanding profound changes to policing practices in the province.

It will soon be 15 years since 18-year-old Freddy Villanueva was killed in a police operation north of Montreal. Cassandra Exumé is the same age as Villanueva. Now a 33-year-old young woman who works with youth and community organization Hoodstock, she hopes to change that once and for all.

"We can no longer be satisfied with the response to these events," he told a news conference on Thursday. "We need to be proactive and not wait for another black person or racist to die."

Exumé receives frequent reports of racist people being targeted because of the color of their skin or clothing, which she believes is all too common.

"For these individuals, the mere presence raises the suspicion of the police," he said. "Everything has become a so-called important reason for doubt."

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The group, which includes Hoodstock, Collectif 1629, le Collectif de lutte et d'action contre le racism and Coalition Rouge, is demanding that the Quebec government finally recognize systemic racism in the police force and ban police from parking in public spaces.

Statistics show that between 2014 and 2017, black or racially discriminatory people were four to five times more likely than white people to be stopped by police. In Repentigny, they were three times more likely to stop from 2016 to 2019, said Maxime Fortin, LDL Quebec chapter coordinator. He added that, to this day, Quebec City and its police have refused to participate in the statistical effort.

"Some of us refuse to go to certain neighbourhoods, they develop a way of dealing with the police and develop a certain resistance to discrimination because they are often discriminated against," he explained.

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"It's good to say there will be training and this situation will be taken seriously," Exumer said. "The fact is that racists continue to be discriminated against."

Although the Minister of Public SecurityFrançois Bonnardel Promises Rule 14 to Solve Problems, LDL spokeswoman Lynda Khelil said his words showed he had "no intention of fighting racial profiling."

"The minister said the project was a big step forward in the fight against racism, but that's not true, it's totally untrue. Law 14 is the status quo, it's an empty shell, and the minister is trying to deceive the people."

Fortin argues that increasing the representation of the police force by hiring officers from diverse backgrounds is not going to solve the problem.

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"The desire for a police force that is more representative of the population is legitimate, but simply including racial officers in the agency is not enough," he said. "There have been cases of racial profiling involving black, Hispanic or racial police officers. This is a system that needs to change."

The group calls for the abolition of the governmentShe is appealing Luamba's decision, which prohibits accidental or arbitrary police detentionEnforce decisions on the street. Luamba's October 2022 ruling overturns a 1990 Supreme Court ruling in R. v. Ladouceur, which Fortin said allowed the practice "to serve as a gateway to racial profiling."

To mark the anniversary of George Floyd's death and to underscore their demands, the LDL and several partner organizations will organize a protest on Saturday, May 27 at 1 p.m. On Place Émilie-Gamelin.

Saturday also marks the third anniversary of the death of Régis Korchinski-Paquet, an African-Ukrainian woman who died in Toronto following police intervention.

This article was written with financial assistance from Meta Exchange and Canadian Press.