The media frenzy that has invaded Amqui since Monday leaves few people indifferent in the small community. For many, the media invaded the city to drink in its tragedy; for others, journalists rather channel solidarity by pointing pens and microphones at the wounds caused by the tragedy.
The awakening was brutal for several residents of Amqui on Wednesday. A newspaper with a large circulation displayed at dawn, on the full cover, the face of the man who had sown terror at the wheel of his van two days earlier. His implacable gaze awaited them everywhere, displayed at the entrance to convenience stores, at grocery store checkouts, at restaurant tables.
“It’s really intense, lamented Ariane Thériault, looking at the four newspapers spread out on the reception desk of her hotel. There are families here, I can’t imagine what they go through when they see this. »
Ever since Monday’s tragedy, reporters have been buzzing in downtown Amqui, a place unused to seeing the spotlight shine on him. The media roams the community in search of snippets of information that might shed new light on a crime that has shaken up well beyond the borders of Quebec and Canada.
Weariness, however, wins many. In the community, some are bluntly expressing their eagerness to see the media return to their regions. Others, on the contrary, are apprehensive about their departure: once the journalists have left, the news crusher will abandon the drama of Amqui and the community will be alone with its tragedy, they worry.
“Honestly, it’s really cheeky,” says Patrice Harvey without hesitation at the counter of a downtown convenience store. Through the window of the store, he could observe the frenzy of the media gathered around the command post of the Sûreté du Québec. This incessant buzzing annoys him: he thinks it is playing into the hands of the accused. “The worst part is that’s just what he wants,” adds the 18-year-old. He just wants to talk about him. »
The owner of the garage located on the other side of the convenience store obviously does not have the odor of sanctity journalists either. “I apologize for being stupid, but I have nothing to tell you,” says Dave St-Laurent, visibly overwhelmed by the attention paid to his business.
The accused lived in the building in bad shape located just next door. It is here, in the food annex of the garage, that the driver regularly came to buy his cigarettes. “Journalists harass me and make connections just because the guy was my neighbor. I think it’s time for them to go back home and for us to get back to normal life. »
The post-tragedy
On Wednesday, Amqui slowly resumed its course. With the crime scene gone, traffic regained its rights on Boulevard Saint-Benoit, the scene of Monday’s drama. The businesses, slowly, were busy reopening.
In front of the La Captive microbrewery, an employee was busy in the morning sawing the foot of the ramps twisted by the mad rush of the van. The tragedy took place at the doorstep: it was necessary to quickly erase its traces before welcoming customers again.
A stone’s throw from La Captive, the Renaissance beauty and hairdressing clinic is also slowly recovering from its emotions. A local employee is among the injured. Her boss, Mélanie Doucet, gently closes the door in the face of the many journalists who come to solicit her. “I’m sorry, but I have 11 employees to manage. It’s too early,” she explains politely. His colleague is slowly recovering from his injuries at the Enfant-Jésus hospital in Quebec, but the consequences suffered by his professional family, who are waiting for him 400 km away, will also take time to heal.
“We are not used to having so many politicians or cameras in our city,” explains Claudie Deschenes, director of mental health and addiction programs at the CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent. There are some who like it a lot and there are others who prefer to stay in the background. You have to respect that. »
According to this former nurse met at the Amqui hospital, the presence of so many media can create a feeling of invasion in some people. But “at the same time, people realize that it’s only for a while,” she says. “I think it’s okay in that context, and I think people still appreciate it being seen and known. »
Daniel Valcourt, for example, instead expresses gratitude to the media, which keep him informed of the state of health of the injured. From his house located at the entrance of the city, he is impatient to know the state of the three people who still rested between life and death on Wednesday afternoon. “It’s thanks to the news that we know if everyone is well,” he said apprehensively, anxious to know if this or that acquaintance will soon be back in town.
In a notebook, he noted the name of each victim. The identity of only one remains unknown to him; the others have all been part of his life at one time or another. The worried look, accompanying The duty at the door, he kindly asks us to let him know as soon as there is something new.
At the Amqui high school, the young people did not seem too upset by the media buzz. “There is only one who spoke to me about it: it was to tell me that he had gone to Hi hello “says the director, Pascal Demers.
The one who was stationed in Laval during the collapse of the Concorde overpass in 2006, believes that the departure of the journalists may, on the contrary, leave a feeling of abandonment. “When you leave, people may feel forgotten. As if their drama no longer mattered, as if it was fading behind more recent news, ”he apprehends.
“However, it’s when the adrenaline drops that sores often come out. »