Called to testify on Wednesday in a lawsuit brought on behalf of citizens who have suffered racial profiling, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said the city has done a lot of work to counter it, although it has “no Magic wand “. His testimony in court was given under the watchful eye of the prosecution lawyer, who said he had heard “fine speeches” over time, without having seen “strong acts” to eliminate this pernicious form of discrimination.
“If we are here, it is because the problem has existed for many years, and it may be time to put an end to it”, argued in a press scrum Me Papa-Mike Diomande.
“Words, compassion, are not cures for ills. The only remedies are truly actions. And we haven’t seen a lot of material achievements, ”adds the lawyer who brought this $171 million class action against the City on behalf of all those who were arrested without cause by Montreal police officers between 2017 and 2019. .
The legal action goes straight to the point: “nothing effective has been done to stop what seems to be a scourge within this police force”, is it written in the procedure.
The mayor disagrees. To support her point of view, she indicated that the City has recognized the existence of systemic racism, has accepted all 38 recommendations of the report of the Office de consultation publique de Montréal on racism and has also appointed the fight against systemic racism and discrimination to work on this front. The City and the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM) went looking for information to better document the situation, she added.
“The work is done in a timeline,” argued Ms.me Plante, who said the court testimony was a first for her. Called to the bar by the prosecution lawyer, she testified a few days after her police chief, Fady Dagher.
Asked about what has been accomplished by the Integrated Plan to Combat Racial Profiling, the Mayor admitted that she could not say precisely what has been done because the “operational” is not at her level, her mandate as mayoress being to give a “vision and a direction” to the metropolis. She was also unable to take stock of the recent policy on police arrests, referring the lawyer to the SPVM to find out more.
For her, racism is a mixture of individual behavior and institutional practices, she declared before Judge Dominique Poulin of the Superior Court who is presiding over the trial. As for racial profiling, she was direct: “There are cases, we must not deny it”, adding that “it is sad to think that there are still some. This recognition is not, however, a “disavowal” of the SPVM, she insisted, saying that she was unable to say that the Montreal police have “practices of systematic racism”.
Those who have been victims can avail themselves of their rights, take action and be compensated. But we can’t throw taxpayers’ money out the window either, quickly added the mayor.
Me Diomande was surprised that more than 30 years have passed since the Montreal Declaration against racial discrimination was signed in 1989. After all these years of seeking solutions to racial profiling, why is the City still at this stage?
We continue to innovate and research, replied the mayor. Solutions and efforts have been made, but more needs to be done, she acknowledges. “If there was a magic wand, we would. »
Me Diomande said he was satisfied Wednesday morning that the mayor acknowledged the existence of racial profiling and mentioned the right to reparation for victims. He is confident that the lawsuit he is carrying out on behalf of the League of Blacks and a man who says he is the victim of racial profiling is helping to change things.