police violence

Montreal mayor Gérald Tremblay, and police chief, Yvan Delorme both made public statements regarding the violent riot that broke out of a peaceful protest in a northern, largely Haitian community neighborhood this weekend. Many residents, seen to be driven by their frustration over (what they see as) the belligerent police shooting and murder of fellow community member, Freddy Villanueva, 18, stormed the streets, tossing beer bottles at firefighters after setting fires and confronting the police in a display of violence.

Mayor Tremblay said he won't "tolerate what has happened on the weekend." Delorme, on the other hand, has said that he's willing to do whatever to make amends with the community, even though he believes that the tension is not necessarily as widespread as some press portray it to be.   read more »

Here's a video that neatly illustrates the public response to the verdict in the case of the shooting of Sean Bell in New York.

I'm still game for discussion on alternatives to policing, or strategies to ensure that policing is communally driven and responsive. This incident is not isolated, to New York or the US, and I find the evidence of corruption within these institutions too deep to forgive. Marginalized people everywhere are simply more likely subject to police brutality without (serious) consequence. These institutions, coupled with our judicial systems, are seriously suspect of prejiduce everywhere they exist.

 read more »