racial profiling: experts maintain calls for end to police checks in montreal
moratorium on street checks would have ‘concrete, immediate effects,’ researcher says
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police officers stand by inside city hall as montreal holds a public meeting to present two studies about police checks and racial profiling on wednesday, dec. 11, 2024.
allen mcinnis/montreal gazette
university researchers repeated their calls for the montreal police department to implement a moratorium on street checks wednesday, challenging chief fady dagher’s assertion the move would be purely “symbolic.”
the calls for an end to the practice came during a public meeting at city hall, in which the researchers presented findings from studies on how random police stops fuel racial and social profiling.
“(a moratorium) would be the exact opposite of a symbolic measure,” said université de montréal criminology professor massimiliano mulone, who authored one of the studies. “it’s a measure that seeks to directly tackle a practice and would have concrete, immediate effects.”
though the study recommending an end to street checks was made public last summer, wednesday’s meeting was the researchers’ first chance to present their findings to the city’s public security committee in a public setting.
victims of racial profiling, activists and representatives from civil rights advocacy groups attended the meeting and questioned the committee, many charging the city has dragged its feet on the issue and ignored the researchers’ findings.
in the study released last year, the researchers looked at 2021 data and found that indigenous montrealers were six times more likely to be stopped by police than white people in the city, black people three-and-a-half times more likely, and arabs two-and-a-half times more likely.
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a 2019 report by the same researchers, looking at data between 2014 and 2017, identified similar inequalities, which they said pointed to the existence of “systemic biases” in the police force. the researchers were mandated by the montreal police department to look into the issue.
the department implemented a new policy on the practice in 2020 in response to the initial report, but the researchers concluded in their second report that the change made little difference, with most officers still reluctant to admit the issue exists.
the second report’s sole recommendation was for an immediate moratorium on all police stops done without reasonable suspicion of illegal activity.
“making one single recommendation wasn’t anodyne,” alicia boatswain-kyte, an assistant professor at mcgill university, said at wednesday’s meeting. “it was rather a very deliberate and thoughtful decision, based on the answers and issues we identified through our review.”
when the study was first released, dagher said that instead of a moratorium, he preferred “constant small steps” to address racial profiling and improve street checks. “i don’t want to announce a symbolic measure. i want to solve the deep problem at the roots,” he said.
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during a news conference held earlier wednesday, civil rights groups urged the city to act on the recommendation and criticized the police department’s policy on the practice.
“regulating an illegal and arbitrary practice does not make it legitimate. the only thing that needs to be done is to ban it,” said lynda khelil of the ligue des droits et libertés, adding that more than 100 organizations are now calling on the city to do so.
lawyer alexander grey, of the quebec association of defence lawyers, added that random street checks have no legal grounds or any discernible positive effect on public safety.
“at the same time, they represent a major intrusion into individuals’ rights,” grey said. “especially those from racialized or marginalized communities.”
the meeting at city hall was not without tense moments, with some residents lobbing accusations of racism toward elected officials and one of the researchers questioning if it was normal police officers stood guard outside the room.
many criticized the fact there were no members of the city’s executive committee present for the meeting, despite the reports’ damning findings, nor any official representatives from the montreal police.
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on several occasions, daphney colin, a borough councillor and chair of the public security committee, called on people to remain respectful and reminded them of the committee’s mandate.
“we don’t have the power to force the (montreal police) to change its practices,” colin answered one resident who questioned why the city hasn’t acted on the recommendation.
near the end of the public question period, anastasia marcelin, a black activist from montreal north, told the meeting her decision to become involved in activism was rooted in seeing her brother harassed by police in the 1980s.
some 40 years later, marcelin said, nothing has changed. now a mother herself, she fears her daughter will face the same discrimination growing up.
she then turned to the camera filming the meeting for the city, saying she wanted to address dagher directly.
“the experts have said it, everyone has said it,” marcelin said, her voice booming. “we’re all sitting here saying the same thing: there must be a moratorium!”
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