Hundreds gather to protest ‘abusive’ police behaviour in Montreal

Montrealers are voicing their concerns and outrage with Montreal's police service. This comes after two officers from Station 21 were suspended for alleged acts of humiliation directed at unhoused and racialized people. According to Radio Canada sources, one of the officers suspended allegedly urinated on homeless people while on duty, while they slept. We're like outraged, we're appalled, but also we're not shocked, we're not surprised. These police violence instances happen all the time. Radio-Canada sources say the 32-year-old officer is a former member of the military with three years of experience with Montreal police. Sources say he allegedly filmed himself over the past 18 months while on duty, humiliating people experiencing homelessness. According to Radio-Canada, the officer has been suspended with pay since mid-June. The alleged actions were denounced by other police officers. An internal investigation infiltrated an online group where the officer allegedly posted his videos, which also led to the suspension of a second officer who allegedly took selfies with people of color he had arrested. If we get paid to do nothing, we call that a vacation. So the idea that this is punishment, you know, it doesn't fly with us. And the idea that it's one police officer and that suspending him or even firing him will address an issue that is happening every day, systematically in neighborhood after neighborhood, it just doesn't fly. We reached out to Montreal police for comment on the protest but didn't hear back. The force confirms the investigation and the suspensions, but wouldn't go into further details, citing privacy and professional considerations. The force says that it takes any allegations against its officers very seriously. This isn't the only time this year the police force has come under scrutiny. This summer, four officers were suspended following an internal investigation into alleged racism and misconduct at Station 39 in the Montreal North Borough. Montreal City Council recently approved a motion for the police chief to appear before City Council but not as urgently as the opposition had hoped for. Montreal's mayor stressed that the investigation should run its course before the police chief answers councillors questions. If we spent you know some of the money that we're currently spending on the police to chase unhoused people around the city and invested that in support and housing for unhoused people there'd be less work for the police there'd be a better sense of well-being for the unhoused. Protesters here say they want more accountability from police and they want police to stop being the first to respond to situations involving homeless people.