Arrested on a night out, Black teen accuses Montreal police of racial profiling

Since attending a rap festival in May, 18-year-old Shayheid Douglas says he's been stopped by police on several different occasions and asked for identification.

But in the early hours of June 29, Douglas, who is Black, wasn't just asked for his ID. 

That morning, Douglas says he and some friends were walking home from a bar when SPVM officers — the same ones who stopped him the first time at the music festival — pushed him against the glass of a shop window, handcuffed him and put him in the back of a police cruiser.

"They were holding me against my will, and I felt very uncomfortable with them aggressively handling me. I told them I was about to have a panic attack, and they didn't care," said Douglas.

According to Douglas, the officers told him there was a warrant for his arrest, but about 30 minutes later, he was released without charges.

Now Douglas — who does not have a criminal record — is accusing the force of racial profiling and harassment and preparing to file a complaint with the police ethics commission.

"I'm not a criminal," said Douglas. "Everywhere I go, I have to worry about the cops. I have to take out my phone all the time, and I don't wanna take out my phone all the time. I want to be able to have fun without any problems with the police."

'Something has to change'

A friend of Douglas caught the arrest on video.

Based on a video that was provided to CBC by the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), some of the officers are from Groupe Éclipse, a police anti-gang squad.

Talea Francis, Douglas's mother, said she now fears for her son's safety.

"[The police] are here to protect and serve, and I don't feel like they're protecting our minority youth," said Francis.

Along with the impact on Douglas's ability to travel and work, Francis said she's also worried about the damage her son's reputation may suffer after he was treated like a criminal.

"Something has to change. My son works a nine-to-five [job] just like these officers. He deserves to go out on the weekend any day and enjoy the fruits of his labour."

On behalf of Douglas and his family, CRARR said it will be filing a complaint with the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission as well as the police ethics commissioner.

Fo Niemi, CRARR's executive director, told CBC he wants to know if the suspect's description matches Douglas, and above all, why the officers didn't release him and apologize as soon as they discovered they'd apprehended the wrong person.

"More importantly [there] is the question of whether these young men have the freedom to go to any kind of club and bar without being harassed … and eventually being even detained for questioning," said Niemi.

The accusation of racial profiling comes after an SPVM-commissioned report released in June found persistent systemic biases in street checks and that Black people are 3.5 times more likely to be stopped than white people.

Despite the findings, SPVM police chief Fady Dagher said he would not implement the report's main recommendation of a moratorium on random police stops, but would instead focus on changing the culture of the police force.

In a statement, the SPVM told CBC it is reviewing the allegations but will not be commenting on the arrest or the video.

The force said it does not comment on police interventions to avoid influencing judicial, ethical or disciplinary processes.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.