Nearly a hundred people marched on Saturday in the streets of the Anjou district where a shooting left one dead and one injured on December 2 to demand the establishment of community resources and crime prevention programs so that “Stop” the violence in this area of eastern Montreal.
“I am very worried for the students of the school, who live every day with more and more violence, who are witnesses to it […] It is absolutely necessary that it stops ”, hammered at the Duty at the end of the morning Chantal Poulin, one of the organizers of this walk, who is also a teacher at Des Roseraies primary school. It was very close to this establishment, on Place Cointerel, that a 20-year-old, Hani Ouhadi, lost his life on December 2 shortly after 7 p.m. after being shot. A little further away, a 17-year-old was injured the same evening due to a shooting on Boulevard des Galeries-d’Anjou.
“School is very safe, but as soon as you leave, you are very worried. There are teachers who will drive students home because they are too worried about the young people, ”added Ms. Poulin.
At around 11 a.m., the demonstrators gathered in the Bocage park before starting a march in a few streets in the area and ending up in another park in the district. Along the way, the demonstrators, among whom were several children in the presence of their parents, respected a minute of silence near Place Cointerel. Among the marchers were several elected officials from different levels of government. The mayor of Anjou, Luis Miranda, however, was conspicuous by his absence, which was deplored by several demonstrators in the Duty.
“He should be there, he should be with us in the street,” Ms. Poulin said.
Saturday’s event, organized by a group of citizens, aimed both to honor the memory of Mr. Ouahdi and to demand concrete actions in crime prevention, such as the establishment of an annual budget dedicated to the fight against poverty and crime and the construction of a youth center in the area. The only resource of this type in the borough is a 30-minute walk from the residential area where this shooting took place. Children must also cross Highway 25 to get there.
“There is absolutely nothing here for young people. It’s a desert of services, ”lamented the teacher.
More details will follow.