An article on the defunding and abolition of the police published in a diary designed by a student association provoked strong reactions at the Collège de Maisonneuve, in Montreal, where courses in police technique are given.
Entitled “Abolir the police, how does it work?”, This text, which is found in the 2022-2023 agenda of the Cégep, takes up the text of an American organization.
“The ‘job’ of law enforcement consists mostly of unnecessary traffic stops, arresting non-violent drug users, harassing black and racialized people, and superfluous handling of petty crimes. All these practices serve above all to keep the population under the yoke of the judicial system”, one can read in an extract.
“It is a text that is intended above all to open up discussion on the subject. It may be provocative, but the defunding of the police and the abolition of the police, which is a step further, are social issues that are much discussed these days. We had a lot of demonstrations on this subject, so it still affects the students, ”explained Ludovic Gourd, a student from the College.
In a press release sent on Wednesday, the Collège de Maisonneuve informed TVA Nouvelles that it was not involved in the creation of the agenda, under the law on the accreditation and financing of student associations. In other words, student associations are completely autonomous and independent.
However, the Cégep does not endorse the resumption of a text relating to the police force since it trains future police officers within the framework of the technique.