Posts tagged Police

Donald Willard Moore (1891-1994), was a community leader and civil rights activist who fought to change Canada’s exclusionary immigration laws. Donald Moore was born at Lodge Hill, St. Michael’s Parish, Barbados on November 2, 1891. His parents were Ruth Elizabeth Moore and Charles Alexander Moore, a cabinetmaker and member of the Barbados Harbour Police Force. At age 21 years of age, he left his parents behind and emigrated to the United States, but soon left New York City for Montreal. He found employment with the Canadian Pacific Railway as a sleeping car porter, a job that took him to Toronto. …

A Barbadian-Canadian Caesar: Erla Blandeen Hewitt Sandiford, RN By Calvin G.W. Sandiford My mother, Erla Blandeen Hewitt Sandiford, came from a simple background. She was the daughter of a World War II veteran who served in Palestine and who was also a police officer in Barbados, and a seamstress. Due to her father’s work injuries, my mother helped take care of him when she was young. Her sense of commitment and giving was strong. My own father waited until she completed her nursing studies and became a registered nurse before they wed. She used to tell one of her best …

  I love “Curb”. As with Seinfeld, which Larry David co-created, the humour of the HBO TV show “Curb Your Enthusiasm” often revolves around the minutiae of everyday social life in a humorous fashion. Each episode’s plot and subplot are established in an outline written by David, and the dialogue is largely improvised by the actors. On October 22, Justice Yergeau rendered his decision in the Luamba case before the Quebec Superior Court. Judge Yergeau, a White man, came to the conclusion that for many Black men in Quebec, the mere fact of being behind the wheel of a vehicle …

In 1982, hip-hop pioneer d.j. Afrika Bambaataa and his crew Soul Sonic Force released a seminal record in hip-hop called “Planet Rock”. More of an experiment in electro-funk than anything, m.c.’s in the Soul Sonic Force weren’t too thrilled about having to rhyme over a beat based on the classic 1977 cult hit “Trans-Europe Express” by German electronic band Kraftwerk. First off, the Soul Sonic Force crew of M.C.’s consisting of Mr. Biggs, Pow Wow and The G.L.O.B.E. weren’t sure what sort of cadence to use on this up tempo European-sounding tune. At this point, rappers or m.c.’s in The …

In appealing the Superior Court ruling that banned police from making random roadside stops, the CAQ government did what was expected of it, both by proponents of the practice and those who are against it. The ruling handed down on October 24, by Justice Michael Yergeau targeted section 636 of Quebec’s Highway Safety Code, which allows officers to conduct roadside stops without cause. Both police and the provincial government say that the law as it stands allows the police to identify drunk drivers and individuals driving with without a valid license. However, as almost every person in our community has …

As this is my first opinion piece for the Community Contact, I would like to give you a taste of some of the subjects I will be engaging with. But first, I must tell you a bit more about me. Born and raised here in La belle Province, I am un “Black ben ordinaire”. Born of an African American father and Quebecoise “de Souche” mother, I was adopted and raised in 3-Pistoles QC. (look it up on the map). I was the Black community there. During my “formative years” I was called or heard the “N” word so many times, …

For advocates like Alain Babineau there’s hardly ever a quiet moment on the frontlines of the social justice struggle. He says even in the enlightenment of this post George Floyd era, incidents of racial profiling, police heavy-handedness against Blacks and other minorities continues unabated in Montreal and it calls for a different approach in confronting the scourge. “What we’re seeing is that there’s no political will to do the tough thing… that’s why there’s zero policy on racial profiling and certainly no effort to keep offenders accountable for their actions,” Babineau, who the director of racial profiling and public safety …

Weeks ago when I heard the news about police handcuffing a Black man for no reason… Well, apparently for stealing a car, his own car. I had an immediate response. No! I had to listen to the next local newscast to learn of the police misadventure of another Black who was handcuffed by police for apparently “stealing a car…” just outside a popular big brand local fast food eatery. Local television and other news sources for the rest of the night put the incident into perspective. What a relief was the other thing that came to mind, and we began …

If the province of Quebec was a high school student, it would qualify for special-ed placement along with remedial assistance from carefully selected pedagogues. According to French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose,” which sums up Quebec and its myopic instability on the enigmatic issue of racial profiling. In 2003, the Quebec Human Rights Commission began receiving complaints about racial profiling and was among the first institutions to reflect upon and raise awareness about it as a form of discrimination. In 2004, the SPVM developed a policy “Relations avec les citoyens” (citizen relations policy) …

“Today, we must recognize how institutional racism manifests itself, not just historically, but in the current reality of our education systems, including higher education.” The words of Graham Carr, president and vice-chancellor of Concordia University, on Friday, October 28, as he delivered a formal apology on behalf of the institution and its board of governors “for the decisions and actions of university leaders at the time,” which contributed to a series of events that became known as the Sir George Williams Affair. In the early morning of February 11, 1969, officers of the Montreal police force responding to a call …