Friday, July 29, 2016
By Shaun Michaud
People gather in Montreal, Thursday, July 28, 2016, to denounce the death of Abdirahman Abdi in Ottawa. GRAHAM HUGHES / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Two hundred people attended a vigil to honour the memory of Abdirahman Abdi, the Canadian-Somali man who died in police custody in Ottawa, and shed light on police racial violence north of the border.
“Just here in Montréal-Nord and in St-Michel, you have extremely high rates of police stopping young black persons. You have the police killing of Alain Magloire, another man who was in a mental health crisis who was shot by Montreal police,” social activist Robyn Maynard said.
Maynard is a member of Montréal-Noir — a non-profit collective that aims to end police racial profiling and systemic racism — which, along with the members of Justice for the Victims of Police Killings Coalition, helped organize the vigil that turned into a march.
The event was held at Norman Bethune Square right outside Concordia Univeristy’s downtown campus and started at 6:30 p.m.
Several speakers, including members of the local Somali community, expressed their grief and hopes for a better understanding with officers of the law.
Montréal-Nord Républik social activist Will Prosper said it’s high time police forces across Canada recognized that racial bias exists within their ranks to prevent other situations like the one that happened to Abdi.
“The RCMP admitted that there is racism within their ranks. The Commissioner admitted it and now they’re taking measures to try and eradicate it,” Prosper said.
The recent six-year conviction of Toronto police officer for attempted murder in the death of Sammy Yatim did not seem to appease the protesters.
“I think it shows you that when police take a life that there are no consequences,” Maynard said. “And if you’re mentally ill, if you’re black, if you’re indigenous, you’re far more likely to experience violence or even death at the hands of police.”
After the vigil, protesters walked down Guy St. toward Ste-Catherine St. and chanted “Black lives matter” in front of Police Station 20 before taking a minute of silence in honour of the victims of police homicides.
Marlihan Lopez said she lived for 10 years in the United States and that racism in Canada manifests itself “in a different way.”
“It doesn’t mean it’s not as bad. It’s like abuse in a relationship. It can be physical abuse, it can be psychological abuse. I think racism is the same thing,” Lopez said.
No one was arrested during the protest that ended around 9 p.m. according to police.