What we are seeing are youngsters
Montreal riot raises questions about police tactics as anger simmers
Mon Aug 11, 6:12 PM
By Jonathan Montpetit, The Canadian Press
MONTREAL - A tough, multi-ethnic neighbourhood was under tight police surveillance Monday after erupting in violence over a fatal shooting that has stoked simmering anger toward authorities.
Montreal police gunned down an 18-year-old man during a routine operation over the weekend and by Sunday night several blocks in the city's north end were in flames.
"What we are seeing are youngsters, a community that is in revolt because they don't like the way they are being treated," said Pierreson Vaval, who heads a community youth group in the city's north end.
"They don't like how authorities interact with them.
Hundreds of residents had gathered in the borough of Montreal North on Sunday to protest the death of Freddy Alberto Villanueva.
As the march wound down, a series of cars were torched outside a fire station.
Widespread looting began shortly after as rioters hurled Molotov cocktails at any sign of authority, including firefighters and paramedics.
Three officers were slightly injured, including one who was hit in the leg by gunfire. Police made six arrests in all.
But even as Montreal police moved to reassert control of the neighbourhood Monday, they faced accusations they were to blame for Sunday's riot.
"I think the biggest problem is not the young people... it's squarely the police," said Eric Plante, 33, the supervisor of a pawn shop that was heavily damaged.
"Without their bungling, we wouldn't have had this trouble."
Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay promised to push for a speedy and public investigation into what prompted police to open fire on Villanueva on Saturday.
"I think it's important we have this sentiment of security and the only way we can have it is by being very transparent in the investigation that will be put forward by the minister of public security," he told reporters Monday.
"I was very clear with him this morning that this has to be done as soon as possible and the information will be made public."
Quebec provincial police have taken over the investigation into the shooting and will have to contend with varying versions of what happened.
Their Montreal counterparts claim two officers were trying to arrest an individual in Henri Bourassa Park when they were surrounded by a group of about 20 youths.
They opened fire and, along with Villanueva, hit an 18-and 20-year-old, both of whom were listed in stable condition on Monday.
Witnesses counter there were only five or six youths and that Villanueva only charged police when they became aggressive with his brother, Danny, who was resisting their efforts.
Danny Villanueva, 20, was later released by police.
Montreal police Chief Yvan Delorme called for an end to the violence and said he's prepared to do whatever it takes to mend the shaky relations between police and the community.
"We're there to listen, to understand what happened yesterday (Sunday) night and to avoid these kinds of situations," he said Monday.
"We have to feel safe in Montreal."
But that could to be a difficult task in a neighbourhood known for its high unemployment and active street gangs. Distrust for police already runs high in the area, and observers suggest they will have to overhaul many of their policies before they can regain the confidence of residents.
"If they don't change their tactics, they run risk of instigating a significant rupture with the community," said Martin Courcy, a security expert who acts as a consultant for Quebec's police forces.
He said Montreal police should re-examine their approach to racial profiling as well as how they patrol the streets of neighbourhoods like the city's north end.
Police beefed up their presence in the area on Monday, hoping to restore calm to the area, but Courcy indicated it could have the opposite effect.
"The youngsters of the neighbourhood will feel under surveillance, more so than they already are."
Sunday night's incidents marked the second time in four months the city has been the scene of a large-scale riot.
In April, a downtown celebration after the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Boston Bruins in an NHL playoff game turned violent when people began torching police cars and looting stores.
Police have since arrested 56 people in connection with the riot.
Tremblay stressed there was nothing inherently unruly about Montrealers and that the city wasn't unique in dealing with violence.
"I feel very upset and I'm not going to tolerate what happened on the weekend,"
"Why does it happen in Toronto? Why does it happen in every major city? I think that the police force is doing what it can do."
