Local black leaders in a city north of Montreal say the local police force did not conduct proper community consultations when developing an action plan to combat racism and racial profiling.
Associations representing black residents of Repentigny, Que., Participated in a press conference today saying they feel their voices are misrepresented in the five-year plan and expressed fears that change will take too long to come.
The force gave itself five years to carry out the action plan released Sept. 16 after a report on racial profiling found that black people are nearly three times more likely to be arrested than any other resident.
The force has faced several complaints of racial discrimination over the years, with the latest one coming last month after the shooting death by police of 37-year-old black resident Jean René Junior Olivier.
Olivier’s mother, Marie-Mireille Bence, says the lack of community consultation is yet another indication of racism and a lack of transparency within the ranks.
She says she intends to file a human rights complaint against the force with the help of the Montreal-based civil rights group Center for Research-Action on Race Relations.
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This Canadian Press report was first published on September 26, 2021.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com