Montreal cop goes viral for singing with street performer, reminds her why she joined the force
Posted December 23, 2022 8:36 am.
Last Updated December 23, 2022 6:59 pm.
Montreal police officer Catherine Feltrin was on duty this summer, patrolling the Quartier des Spectacles during the International Jazz Fest.
An officer for the last five years, Feltrin was on the job and in full uniform.
While walking along Saint-Laurent Boulevard, she came across a street performer – guitar in hand, singing a tune.
And then, for just a few minutes, Feltrin – who has been singing her entire life – turned that street corner into a Jazz Fest stage.
“It just proved that I’m a human under the uniform,” she said.
Feltrin jumped in, grabbed a mic – and put on a performance. The video posted to social media went viral.
“I didn’t think about the fact that I was in a uniform,” she said. “It was just, I’m an artist. I loved what he was doing and it was just a spontaneous action and it was open hearted. And I put myself really vulnerable because I didn’t know how it would be perceived.”
A crowd quickly formed to watch Feltrin and artist Faso Kenzow perform two songs together: Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.”
The video shared online was flooded by positive feedback. And Feltrin’s colleagues at the SPVM showered her with praise, too.
“What they told me was, you’re creating a new vision of the police, which is really good, because we tend to forget that part where it’s part of our job to create a link with the community and to be reachable,” she said.
The brief performance also had a profound impact on Feltrin herself, who says the moment reminded her why she chose to become an officer in the first place.
“Sometimes it’s really hard being a police officer,” she said. “You don’t know. It’s negative and you’re living hard stuff and so on. And you kind of tend to forget why you’re doing what you’re doing, you know? And when you have that kind of love that came to you, it just gives you back all that motivation and you’re like, ‘yeah, that’s why I’m doing this. It’s to help people.’”
Feltrin has been singing since she was a child as a way to express herself through hardships.
“I had a traumatic childhood,” she said. “And for me, the singing was really to help me a bit escape my reality. I was with the child protection and court and so on. So it was really hard and art helped me to get my safe zone. It gave me hope that it would be OK one day, you know, that one day I’m going to go through it. And music just helped me to hold on.”
Whether it’s sharing her story with people she meets patrolling, or singing a melody to a crowd, she hopes others will be encouraged to get through their hard times.
“For me, it’s important to kind of merge both of my passions. And by singing, I do believe that the art kind of unites people.”
