Terrebonne police, city slammed with $205K lawsuit for systemic discrimination | 24CA News
The City of Terrebonne and 18 law enforcement officials have been hit with a civil lawsuit for systemic discrimination, harassment and for racially profiling an area Black man.
Quebec’s Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission (CDPDJ) is in search of $205,000 in damages on behalf of Pierre-Marcel Monsanto, a Terrebonne resident of Haitian descent, after police stopped him over a dozen instances and fined him with out legitimate purpose. Included within the lawsuit is $20,000 in punitive damages towards the town.
Monsanto filed 15 complaints towards Terrebonne police for stopping him with out legitimate purpose between 2018 and 2021 and issuing him greater than $6,000 in fines. Fourteen of these stops have been made inside 11 months.
At a news convention Wednesday, Monsanto mentioned his frequent interactions with law enforcement officials have left him in worry of dwelling within the Montreal suburb, and he is considering transferring.
“Most of the time, I don’t go out,” he mentioned. “I feel like a second-class citizen. I feel anxiety … I said to my wife, ‘be prepared to raise our kids alone because I can be killed, and something can happen any time.'”
Terrebonne police refused to touch upon the case as a result of it’s earlier than the courts.
In March 2022, Quebec’s police ethics commissioner upheld eight complaints towards Terrebonne law enforcement officials for racially profiling Monsanto when he was driving a automobile belonging to his spouse, with whom he shares an tackle.
The CDPDJ choice says police cruisers would largely be driving towards Monsanto, compelling officers to make a U-turn and activate their sirens to comply with him for a ways.
“For most of the events, the evidence shows, among other things, that the officers were interested in the vehicle driven by Mr. Monsanto when he had not committed any offence,” the choice learn. “They decided to check the licence plate after finding that the driver was a Black man.”
The fee is asking on the town to supply present and future law enforcement officials with coaching on racism and formally consider their understanding. It can also be asking that Terrebonne acquire race-based information for all police stops.
Heading to courtroom
Exceptionally, the CDPDJ final month took the case to the province’s Superior Court as a substitute of submitting it on the Quebec’s Human Rights Tribunal.
The fee’s choices aren’t binding, so usually, it’ll bump a case as much as the province’s Human Rights Tribunal, which may render legally binding choices.
A spokesperson for the fee mentioned CDPDJ could select to take a case to a courtroom of legislation beneath Section 80 of Quebec’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“In this specific case, it was deemed appropriate to present the case to the Superior Court, considering the public interest and interest of the complainant,” Meissoon Azzaria, a spokesperson for the CDPDJ mentioned in an e mail.
Fo Niemi, govt director of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), who has been serving to Monsanto together with his case, says the truth that the case goes to Superior Court sends a robust message to the judiciary and to legislation enforcement companies that the case “is going to go far.”
“This case also shows that increasingly the city can be held accountable and responsible for systemic discrimination within the police service,” Niemi mentioned. “If we add the total amount of dollars claimed — $205,000 — to the lawyers’ fees … to defend the city and 18 police officers before the Superior Court, we’re talking about a lot of money.”
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