Founded in 1983 - United for Diversity and Racial Equality

BLACK MAN BEATEN, CALLED THE N-WORD IN SOUTH-WEST DISTRICT OF MONTREAL



Montreal, August 21, 2013 --- Weeks after he was violently assaulted by a group of white anglophones near Charlevoix metro station and called the N-word while being punched and kicked, a Black man in his fifties still waits for the news from the police as to whether his aggressors have been charged and whether he is considered a victim of a hate crime.

In the wee hours of June 2013, Adam (not his real name), a newspaper delivery man, parked his car near Charlevoix metro station in Pointe-Saint-Charles. Upon exiting his car to deliver a newspaper, he saw a group of three males and two females, all of whom are estimated to be in their 20s. They were walking from Charlevoix metro to an unknown destination. He waited for the group to pass him by, which they did, prior to making his way toward his client’s place to deliver the newspaper.

As Adam was walking towards his client’s place, he heard a male voice say “N*****! N*****!” He ignored the racist name-calling, delivered the paper and made his way back to his car. As he was doing so, he noticed a sixth, and rather tall, large, White male walking towards him and who then blocked the driver’s side of the car.

As Adam reached his car, this tall male yelled: “N*****, didn’t you hear us calling you!?” Sensing the aggressive tone and gesture, Adam politely told him that he did not want any problems. This man asked him: “Do you have a problem with me?” Within seconds, Adam was punched on the face, and fell to the ground. While on the ground, the tall aggressor delivered more punches to Adam’s face and body, while another male continued to kick him.

The police arrived and eventually arrested the two males.

Adam sustained facial trauma and had to be tended to by ambulance workers. He later experienced headaches, fatigue, anxiousness, and flashbacks to the horrid event. He also experiences constant fear and anguish related to the possibility of running into his aggressors during his work in the area and therefore changed his paper delivery route.

Adam also experiences deep humiliation and loss of dignity for having been called the N-word and a victim of a race-based hate crime. As an older Black male, he still cannot believe that in 2013, there are still people in this city, especially young people, who think that they can still call a Black man the N-word and assault him for being Black.

With CRARR’s assistance, Adam has decided to go forward with a complaint to the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission against his aggressors for violating his civil rights. What makes him more worried, however, is that two months after the assault, he still has not heard from the Montreal Police about the case, especially regarding how they dealt with his attackers.

“If these White criminals attacked me because I’m Black, they must have done the same thing to other Black people before, and I need to know whether they have a record of racist attacks and will be facing the full force of the law”, said Adam.

“Do the police consider this act to be a hate crime? Will the prosecutor be asking for a harsher sentence? I still have no clue what is going on!”, he noted in frustration.

Any Black person who has experienced similar race-based assaults in the area is encouraged to contact the CRARR office.