Human-rights activist Fo Niemi is applauding a Quebec Human Rights Commission ruling that determined three Repentigny police officers were guilty of racial profiling when they stopped a Black motorist in 2017.
“It’s important especially because it’s Repentigny, which has a history of these incidents ,” said Niemi, who is the founder and executive director of the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR).
In a judgment handed down last month, the commission ruled the city and the three officers pay François Ducas, a Black man of Haitian descent, a total of $35,000.
“I’m happy that it’s finally over,” Ducas said Saturday. “It’s been almost three years and I hope things will get better.”
Ducas, who teaches French at École secondaire L’Horizon, was pulled over in his BMW on his way to work in December 2017. Police officers Stéphanie Gazaille and Deborah St-Sauveur made a U-turn and followed Ducas for two kilometres before pulling him over.
Ducas, who said he had been pulled over on several previous occasions, refused to identify himself and a third officer, Jonathan Emond, was dispatched to the scene. Ducas was handcuffed, but was eventually released with two summons for obstruction and insulting a police officer.
The commission awarded Ducas $25,000 in moral damages from the city and the three officers. He was also awarded $4,000 each from Gazaille and St-Sauveur while Emond is on the hook for $2,000.
Ducas said he hasn’t received any money and Niemi said it might take years for him to collect.
“These matters may be appealed and they often end up in court,” Niemi said.
CRARR is also calling on the Repentigny police department to adopt a plan to fight racial profiling and to collect and publish race-based data on police stops. The city has a year to implement its plan, although the three officers involved were supposed to go through racial sensitivity training by Nov. 6.
The suggestions are not binding but, if the police department doesn’t comply, the commission could bring the case to the Human Rights Tribunal, which then has the power to enforce the measures and the financial penalties.
“The collection of data is very important because it will give us an idea of what’s happening,” said Niemi, who noted the Quebec government has refused to collect similar data on how COVID-19 affects different ethnic groups.
Niemi said it was important for Repentigny to address its problems because of the changing demographics.
“The population of Repentigny is 10-per-cent Black and it’s growing,” Niemi said. “There are more people of Arab origin moving into the suburbs and there’s no room for racism.”
Niemi said he expected taxpayers in Repentigny to provide some impetus for change.
“They can’t be happy to see their taxes go to settling these claims and to pay for legal fees,” he said.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2020
