9 Black Montreal police officers ask union to acknowledge systemic racism

In a letter addressed to Montreal Police Brotherhood President Yves Francoeur last week, nine Black SPVM officers urged the union to acknowledge that systemic racism exists in the force. Following the union’s reply on Friday saying there’s no consensus on the meaning of “systemic racism” (a response similar to that of Premier François Legault to questions about its existence in Quebec, blurring the lines between “systemic” and “systematic”), the Black Montreal officers have gone public about the “culture of silence” in the police force. According to the CBC, the group — who are calling themselves “the SPVM nine” — then consulted the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations’ Alain Babineau, who is acting as their spokesman.

“When you have a deficient system, this allows for bad apples not only to flourish but also to infect others and even get promoted through the system,” Babineau said.

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