Man allegedly beaten by 10 Longueuil police officers and racially profiled has tickets withdrawn

The Red Coalition says that Turell Daye had his three tickets withdrawn by Longueuil Police (SPAL) in October, after the 27-year-old spoke out in September, alleging he was beaten by 10 SPAL officers and racially profiled.  

Daye received one ticket for walking on the roadway $49 and two for spitting on the sidewalk $659 and swearing at a police officer $39. Daye was fined a total of $747.

Daye says that on Sept. 14, at around 5:15 a.m., he was stopped and immediately assaulted by 10 Longueuil police officers while walking on his way to work.

“At no time was Mr. Daye informed of the reason why he was accosted by the officers; nor was he placed under arrest for an offence or given his rights to counsel,” says Red Coalition in a press release.

“I was thrown on the ground face on the pavement. They put their knees on my back and shoulder blade. They searched my duffle bag without my consent. All I had in there were my tools. I’m a furniture installer,” explains Daye. “I was then placed in handcuffs and taken to the police station. I tried explaining to the officers that I was on way way to work, but they refused to listen to me.” 

The following week, the Red Coalition was given the mandate to assist Daye in filing a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights Commission and the Police Ethics Commission. 

“Although the tickets were withdrawn by the SPAL and the City of Longueuil, it doesn’t take away the fact that Mr. Daye was treated as sub-human, for absolutely no reason at all, except for the fact that he has Black skin? How many times does this recurring behaviour have to happen before someone is seriously injured or even killed? Racial profiling is not a joke, and it has serious repercussions for the victim(s) and the community as a whole,” says Joel DeBellefeuille, Executive Director of the Red Coalition.

The Red Coalition provided the letters of withdrawal to the CDPDJ and the Police Ethics commissioner.

“They will be following up to ensure the case is handled appropriately, to provide further vindication for Mr. Daye and his family,” said Alain Babineau, Director, Racial Profiling and Public Safety, at Red Coalition.

On Sept. 21, when CityNews reported on Daye’s case, the Longueuil police force said in an email statement: “The SPAL has taken note of the elements mentioned at the press conference organized by the Red Coalition Inc. We are very sensitive to their concerns. However, the file concerning the events is still under investigation. Several verifications and validations are still underway. For this reason, we will not be in a position to comment.”

We have reached out to them for a comment on the latest development, and are waiting to hear back.