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#notrust#racialprofiling

Testimony 10

By July 15, 2024July 22nd, 2024No Comments

I’ve been in other situations within public spaces, school spaces, private spaces (NDG, St- Henri, Westmount, downtown) where police were called which always resulted in increased: tension, fear, hostility, aggression. Tickets, fines, further criminal injustices are the final result. Police are extremely unfriendly, not informative, rude, belittling, aggressive. I’ve argued with people not to call the police because the situation just needed some patience, care, listening, validation, simple yes/no questions, accessibility of near by resources which police, in my experience, have never provided. When prompted about why they don’t know the differences in mental health crisis, local shelters or food banks, I’m threatened with tickets and fines myself. I get stern and dirty looks from cops when I’m just existing in the world. I’m extremely fearful that I will be sexually assaulted by a cop. There are no trauma informed, Indigenous led, queer feminist approaches to de-escalation tactics in police trainings. Young dudes that have told me they want to be a cop, have not hidden their core beliefs of racism and anti-semanticist, not including homophobic and classist painfully negative and distorted words and actions. These examples come from lived situations spanning over 20 years. I’ve been a part of a group where tickets have been issued to BIPOC and women, while the white dudes get nothing. Police create discomfort, fear, and hatred in public spaces – police serve and protect their own. It is beyond a public shame.

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