Fatal Shooting by Police of Young Latino-Montrealer : CRARR Calls for an Independent Public Inquiry

Montreal - The Quebec Government must set up an independent public inquiry, as soon as possible, into the circumstances surrounding the police intervention in Montreal-North on Saturday, August 9, 2008, which resulted in the death of one young Latino-Montrealer, and caused serious injuries to two other youths of racial minority origins.

CRARR called for an independent public inquiry during a press conference at which its
spokespersons asked first for calm, in light of the current tensions and the potential of
further unrest, not only in Montreal-North, but also in other ethno-cultural
communities in Montreal.

“What happened in Montreal was a tragedy, yet a foreseeable one”, said Fo Niemi,
Executive Director of CRARR. “This situation immediately reminds us of the pain and
backlash following from the deaths of Anthony Griffin in 1987, Marcellus François in
1990, Martin Suazo in 1995, Rohan Wilson in 2004, and Mohamed Bennis in 2005.
Sadly, we can now add Freddy Alberto Villanueva to that list.”

According to Me René Saint-Léger, criminal defense lawyer and former Chair of
CRARR, the inquiry being led by the Sûreté du Québec does not guarantee that the
results will be swift, nor that they will be made public. “In light of the circumstances which led up to this tragedy, we believe that only a public, independent, credible inquiry, one led by a commission or an independent investigator with no ties to the police, should be set up by the provincial government. The families of the young men shot by the police deserve, at a minimum, a public inquiry”, Me Saint-Léger stated. “We therefore call upon the Justice Minister of Quebec in particular to act in the public interest and in the name of human rights, including the right to life, the right to
the safety of the person and the right to equality, for he is the Minister responsible for
the application of the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms,” he added.

According to Me Jacky Eric Salvant, CRARR's associate lawyer, only by way of a
public and independent inquiry can the loved ones of these three young men upon
whom the police opened fire, be assured that justice will be impartial, transparent, and
accessible to everyone.

“For the victims, as well as the communities concerned, there must at least seem to be
justice. Unfortunately, our clients often tell us that they have no confidence in an
investigation into police action which is led by another police agency.”
“What message does the government send if they refuse a public inquiry? It risks
being interpreted as a denial of justice,” said Me Salvant.

Franz Benjamin, a Commissioner with the Pointe-aux-Trembles School Board and
former Chair of the Montreal Intercultural Council, an advisory body to the City,
stated that the feelings of anger and injustice are live within the Black and Latino
communities in the north-eastern part of the city. “For years, we have highlighted the tensions and conflicts that exist between racialized youths and the police: on the one hand, high rates of unemployment, marginalization, racial profiling, violence and exclusion, and on the other hand, problems regarding a lack of training on dealing with diverse populations, and a lack of policies and/or techniques developed regarding intervention involving racialized youths. Taking these factors together, we have a very precarious situation here,” he said.

Mr. Niemi concluded by calling upon members of the Black and Hispanic communities
not to resort to violence as a means of responding to the violence of this past
weekend, but rather, to demand an independent public inquiry and to use the available
judicial and political recourses to have their concerns heard.

As a non-profit civil rights organization, CRARR is ready to provide assistance and
representation to the youths, their families and other families directly affected by this
tragedy. Since its inception in 1983, CRARR has been active in police race relations;
it has helped many victims of racially discriminatory conduct, including racial
profiling, win their cases before the provincial human rights commission and the
police ethics agencies.

Information: Fo Niemi, Executive Director, CRARR, (514) 939-3342

Postings are subject to the terms and conditions of Tolerance.ca®.



Your name:

Email

Heading:

Message:

~	Alberta's Provincial Election Highlights Progress in Canadian Politics

~	Identity and its Discontents. An Evening of Culture and Conversation with Rabbi Kendell Pinkney

~	Jewish Democracy or Jewish Theocracy ?

~	Montreal through letters. Post-Monumental re-imagines Tiohti:áke. Installation from December 3rd to January 13th 2023

~	GOLDEN YEARS. International Ssymposium on the Bicentenary of Egyptology

~	$80-million investment: Montreal Holocaust Museum announces the construction of a new museum on Saint-Laurent Boulevard

~	CUPE commends federal agreement to deliver for Canadians

~	Author and Tolerance.ca Editor, Victor Teboul, Ph.D., to speak at the Arab World Festival of Montreal

~	Invitation to KNOWLEDGE IS THE BEGINNING, a Film about the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

~	Racism at Bye Bye's 2008 Radio-Canada Program: Coalition Refuses to Accept Vague Excuses