“The police harass us when we don’t even talk to them. I’m here to show everyone what the reality is in Montreal North – and to denounce it,” Eduard Safi (not pictured), a Montreal North youth who attended the protest has videos of friends experiencing police brutality recorded on his cell phone.
“There’s a buildup here because there has been a lot of repression. If we are going to fix it, it’s going to be a long-term process…. We want [youths] to know their rights.” Will Prosper is the spokesperson for Montreal Nord Republik who staged the march last weekend that called for a public inquiry into the police shooting of Freddy Villanueva.
“Hate can be read on the expressions of [the cops’] faces / The neighurhood suffers. The family cries in silence/ The cops are full of authority/ The streets are full of abuse” Before the march began, nine composers performed “Villeneuf” – named after a catchphrase representing the protestors’ demands.
– Images by Dominic Popowich, text compiled by Shannon Kiely