Racial profiling in the white suburbs
Black residents of Montreal suburbs have stories of chronic racial profiling by police. Can François Legault read a story like this and still insist profiling is not deeply embedded in Quebec’s law enforcement?
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Kate
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jeather 19:05 on 2020-08-10 Permalink
I would bet that he can and that he will.
Michael Black 19:50 on 2020-08-10 Permalink
I thought it was semantics. I thought he was picturing cops beating up Black people because they were Black. And there probably are “just a few bad eggs” in that regard.
It is more subtle. As I said, the cops see “criminal” and then set out to prove it. So they can swear at us and threaten to beat us up (and do so for some) and illegally search us, because they have for some reason thought we were criminal. We don’t count, so there’s no reason to treat us nice, or apologize afterwards.
That’s why this isn’t going to be easy, why the new “rules” haven’t change anything. This is their job, but instead they see as “suspicious” someone who’s Black or native or has long hair rather than actual suspicious behaviour like sneaking down alleys late at night.
This is why there have been so many empty statements. Nobody like racism (racists don’t see their actions as racism), but the announcements can be made because the real issue is down lots of layers.
It’s easy to be against racism, but harder to be welcoming of different people. We can all make mistakes until something makes us see otherwise, and then we can look back in embarrassment.
Just when does someone finally “belong”?
Ian 00:21 on 2020-08-11 Permalink
You never do, Michael. That’s the entire point of ethnonationalism. Loi 21 is a mere dogwhistle compared to the full intent of the concept of what it means to be “from here”.
Hamza 00:52 on 2020-08-11 Permalink
We need to stop acting like simply being aware of racism is an accomplishment.
Every few years((months)? there’s a rush of reports of racism and bigotry from state employees ,cops, politicians , STM workers , the province has a moment and it’s all swept back under the rug .
The people demand action . So far, I only see Quebec Solidaire with the courage to stand against Quebec’s ingrained structural racism .
Kate 10:57 on 2020-08-11 Permalink
We need to stop acting like simply being aware of racism is an accomplishment.
That’s a vital point, Hamza. People of good will tend to feel that calling out racism is enough – we’d be ashamed or embarrassed to be caught expressing or acting from racist feelings, and we’d be inclined to clean up our act. But it’s clear it doesn’t work that way for everyone.
Ian 19:16 on 2020-08-11 Permalink
Even Quebec Solidaire are still very firmly ethnonationalist, Hamza – they are separatists and French first, this position is very clear.
«Ça fait des années qu’on sait que la protection de la langue française pose problème à Montréal. Le gouvernement Legault attend quoi pour mettre en œuvre des mesures spécifiques?», s’est questionné le député solidaire Sol Zanetti.
https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/08/11/embauche-exiger-langlais-est-plus-que-courant-a-montreal
Even on Zanetti’s WIkipedia page they find it necessary to specifically say “He is of Italian and Québécois descent.” That’s a dogwhistle if I ever heard one.