Convoy of Black drivers demand end to racial profiling and random police checks
Posted July 5, 2020 7:20 pm.
Last Updated July 5, 2020 7:22 pm.
MONTREAL (CITYNEWS) – Hundreds of Black Montrealers took to the streets on Sunday demanding an end to random police checks of drivers because of the colour of their skin.
The convoy of Black drivers gathered to denounce systemic racism, racial profiling and police brutality.
“It doesn’t mean that if I’m driving fancy that I stole it from someone,” said protester Isayah Guillaume. “I’m Black. I make a living. I have a family. I have the right to have a beautiful car.”
The protest comes days before the Montreal police is expected to unveil a new policy on street checks – a possible response to an independent report published last year that found there is systemic bias when it comes to street checks.
And for many, the first time they were stopped is still vivid in their minds.
“I remember my first car ever,” said protester G.I. Jane. “I was 20 years old. I worked hard. I had just finished college. I bought a brand-new car from the dealership. From the time I bought it end of June, until August, I was stopped 11 times. And it was always something like, ‘how come somebody as young as you has that type of a car.’
“That hurt my feelings and I never forgot. And I never got a new car after that because of that.”
Guillaume says his family received the same line of questioning.
“It happened to my parents,” he said. “We have a seven-seat car because we are a big family. And they stopped my parents. ‘You have a beautiful car. What do you do for a living to have such a beautiful car?’
“What kind of question is that? We’re a family and we have the right to have any car that we want.”
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The independent report into systemic bias also included five recommendations for the police department, including creating a policy around stopping individuals as well as addressing racial profiling in its plans and programs.
“That’s what we expect,” said another protester. “Because talk is good, but that’s only the first step. Talk is good because you want to recognize the problem, but then we expect some action.”
