‘It has to stop somewhere’: relief after Black man wins his racial profiling case against Laval officer

Pradel Content, a Black man from Laval, north of Montreal won his case against a Laval police officer from a 2017 incident.

The police ethics committee ruled that officer Michaël Boutin racially profiled Content and provided an inaccurate report of events.

Content always said it was a case of driving while Black

BACKGROUND: Black Laval man alleges police racial profiling back in March 2020

“I’m really happy it’s been recognized, but it’s a long process,” Content said.

Video footage from a nearby gas station camera helped in the case.

“I stuck by the truth, I said my truth. He lied so many times, deleted my video, I’m just glad I had the gas station footage to prove because basically the gas station footage only tells half of the story because the rest is in my cellphone which he deleted,” Content said.

#WATCH: "Keep at it, or else nothing's going to change," said Pradel Content on reporting cases of racial profiling. The Police ethics committee ruled a Laval officer racially profiled Content in 2017. They say the officer provided an inaccurate report of events. @CityNewsMTL pic.twitter.com/5yq5vdZp9W

— Brittany Henriques (@BritHenriques) November 26, 2021

“The officers version did not reflect what the video shows again this highlights the important of having field cameras, body cameras for police officers, and for people to basically report he police intervention,” Fo Niemi, the Executive Director and co-found of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations.

Surveillance footage showed Content was holding his phone at chest level, not shoving it in the officers face as the officer testified and showed Boutin knocking the phone on the ground and pushing him into his car.

Content, who has filed multiple complaints with the police ethics commission, said the evidence is clear and it’s time for authorities to act to reverse the trend.

“It has to stop somewhere. I’m sorry to say I will never feel safe until they have cameras in their cars. Because they lie so much that of course they will believe the officers word over someone like me, but I’m the one telling the truth. Without the footage you guys won’t believe me. I’m glad it’s been recognized,” Content said.

The committee said it upheld six of the twelve violations against Boutin, who said that during the altercation he’s lucky to live in Quebec rather than the United States, “because they shoot people like you there.”

“This case now today will point to the fact that there are very serious problems with the Laval police in terms of racial profiling and the treatment of Black men in particular in that municipality,” Niemi said.

In a statement to CityNews, the Laval Police Department said:

“The SPL will fully collaborate in the application of the sanctions when they will be determined and known. Integrity, respect and diversity are at the heart of the Laval Police department values, which guide our daily actions and our continued engagement towards the Laval community.”

Hearings before the police ethics committee will be held in December to determine the sanctions against the officer Boutin.

“Patience has its rewards, but when it comes to protecting and upholding your constitutional right, you should never be afraid of delays and never be afraid of any other barriers set up by the system to diminish your constitutional rights,” Niemi added.

Content wants this to be an example for others to speak out and report it, like he did.

“Keep at it, if not nothing’s going to change. Mainly for you children, you don’t want your kids going through that you definitely don’t want them going through that. Make a change,” Content said.