ADVISORY - BACK TO SCHOOL: YOUNG BLACK STUDENTS GOING TO DOWNTOWN CLUBS SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR RACIAL PROFILING
Montreal, September 5, 2010 --- As a new school year is about to begin, CRARR urges all university and college students, who are Black or Brown and male and who frequent downtown Montreal clubs and bars, to be very vigilant when approached by Montreal Police officers, especially those who are part of the department’s Eclipse squad.
Set up in 2008 with provincial funding as part of the police department’s strategy to combat street gangs, the Eclipse unit is known for specifically targeting young Black and Brown men for ID checks in downtown bars, clubs and other commercial establishments. The word “Eclipse†is often written on the police vehicle.
Based on reported incidents and cases brought to the Quebec human rights commission, CRARR has identified a pattern of racial profling in several Eclipse interception techniques of the Montreal Police Service. This pattern includes disproportionately stopping young Black men for ID checks in bars and clubs without providing a valid motive. This personal information is then recorded without their awareness, much less consent. Black young men are also often searched without being informed of the grounds or reason. Failure to show ID after several police requests may result in an arrest and being charged with obstruction of justice.
In some instances, young Black men may be fined for violations of by-laws such as not walking on the sidewalks, talking loudly in the street, obstruction of pedestrian circulation, etc. These fines are used by the police to identify and tag these young men, as their names, addresses and whereabouts are recorded in the fines and entered into an internal police database. In some cases, police officers explicitly told Black customers that the reason why they singled out Black men was because this group composed the majority of street gang members in Montreal.
Recent studies have shown that the Montreal Police disproportionately stop Black men, especially in city districts considered to have a high crime rate. According to anecdotal evidence, in the downtown areas, on streets such as Crescent, Saint-Laurent, Saint-Denis, and Ontario, Black and Brown men are particularly vulnerable to abusive police stops.
Two weeks ago, an internal Montreal police report leaked to the press revealed that in Montreal North, for instance, the stop (maybe use “detentionâ€) rate of Blacks in 2006-2007 was 38% compared to 6% for Whites. Despite increasing evidence of racial profiling officially, the Mayor of Montreal and the Montreal Police deny that racial profiling exists.
“For many Black and Brown students from out-of-town who come here to study, and for college students who have turned 18 and go to clubs and bars for the first time, it is often a rude awakening of how their freedoms and civil rights are systemically curtailed by the police in this city,†said CRARR Counsel Aymar Missakila.
“Back to school celebrations can be painful and costly for many young Black and Brown male students in Montreal because of racial profiling,†he added. “Black visitors should also take heed.â€
GENERAL ADVICE
WHEN STOPPED FOR ID IN A CLUB
WHEN STOPPED IN A CAR
IF YOU WANT TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION
For more information and assistance, contact your university’s legal information clinic or CRARR at crarr@primus.ca
This Advisory is part of CRARR’s Student Civil Rights Information Project (SCRIP), an initiative set up in 2010 in partnership with Concordia and McGill university student associations to inform students of their civil rights and to ensure a safe urban learning environment.