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A new city marches for Villanueva

Protesters denounced racial profiling and abuse by police last Saturday, two months after Montreal North teen Freddy Villanueva was shot dead by officers.

“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