With rolling protest, Black Montrealers denounce the challenge of 'driving while Black'

Convoys of luxury and other vehicles driven by Black drivers hit the streets of Montreal Sunday as part of a demonstration to denounce racial profiling, and to bring awareness to the phenomenon of "driving while Black," in which members of the Black community are frequently stopped by police. 

Kenrick McRae, whose racial profiling complaint led to a police ethics committee decision in December that found two Montreal officers acted unlawfully when they detained and arrested him, participated in the demonstration. He said he's been stopped by police so many times in Montreal, it's like a routine. 

"I ask them if they're racially profiling me," said McRae, who drives a Mercedes-Benz. "Sometimes they ask me where I got money to buy this car, or what kind of job I have."

The demonstration took place a few days before the SPVM is set to unveil its new policy on street checks, in response to an independent report published last October that found visible minorities are more likely to be stopped than white people by Montreal police officers. 

The report found there were "significant, widespread and persistent disproportions" of racialized people who are stopped by police officers, and pointed to the "presence of systemic biases" linked to race during police interventions.

It included five recommendations for the police department, including creating a policy around stopping individuals and addressing the issue of racial profiling in its plans, programs and practices.

The new policy is set to come out Wednesday. 

'It has an impact on our wellness'

Tiffany Callender, a community worker in Côte-des-Neiges, said many Black mothers she works with are scared to let their sons and husbands drive due to the dangers of being racially profiled. 

"They actually try to recommend that the young drivers in their family take public transport, and that's not normal," Callender said. 

Callender hopes the street checks policy will be effective, hold the SPVM accountable, and create a process that people can trust. 

"We need something that is going to be concrete and has real impact to change that experience that black drivers have, because it has an impact on our wellness, on our mental health," Callender said, adding that it's also a financial burden to fight these instances in court.

It's time for action, borough councillor says

The two convoys, one that left from the west and one from the east end of Montreal, gathered near Namur Metro station at 3 p.m.

Several city and borough councillors, including Marvin Rotrand, Nathalie Pierre-Antoine and Josué Corvil, also attended the demonstration. 

Pierre-Antoine, borough councillor for Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles, said it's time for action to combat systemic racism in the city's police force. 

"There have been charters, reports, many committees that have put down reports, made recommendations to stop racial profiling and discrimination and racism. But enough is enough. We are tired with words," she said. 

Pierre-Antoine said in order for change to happen, there needs to be better representation of racialized communities in city council. 

A more recent report by the city's public consultation office says major changes are needed to combat racial profiling in Montreal's police force. 

It calls for two experts on racial profiling to be added to the city's public security committee and for changes to police training.

The report says an "understanding of the phenomenon of racial and social profiling" and "the necessary skills to bring about a change in the culture of the organization" should be requirements for hiring the city's chief of police.