Family speaks out as Montreal recovers from riot

As a Montreal family tries to cope with the death of brother and son, the city of Montreal is recovering from the riots that took place in protest of the police shooting that killed the young man.

CTV Newsnet: Egbert Gaye, Managing Editor, Community Contact

A magazine editor discusses the factors that led to a riot by hundreds of youths, that broke out in Montreal, after a fatal shooting of another youth by police.

CTV Newsnet: Denis Coderre, Liberal MP for Montreal-North riding of Bourassa

The Liberal MP for Montreal-North riding of Bourassa, where a violent riot broke out late Sunday, discusses how safety and public-police relations can be improved in the riding.

CTV Newsnet: Fo Niemi, Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations

The north Montreal neighbourhood where violent riots broke out has a high population of visible minorities and is considered a less economically-advantaged area in the city.

Canada AM: Gregory Gomez Del Prado, from Surete du Quebec, with details from Montreal

A sergeant from the Surete du Quebec shares a first-hand account of the chaos that erupted in Montreal during several hours of violence overnight linked to the police shooting of a young man.

CTV News: Paul Karwatsky on the weekend violence and how it all started

Violent riots followed what began as peaceful protests over the weekend shooting of a young man.

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CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Mon. Aug. 11 2008 6:39 PM ET

The family of an 18-year-old shot dead by Montreal police say they are devastated by his loss, while residents recover from a neighbourhood protest that turned into a violent riot.

Freddy Villanueva was the youngest of five children. His family had moved to the Quebec city from Honduras.

"He was our little brother. He was the baby of the family," his sister Patricia told CTV Montreal on Monday.

Villanueva's brother was with him the night he died, following an apparent altercation with police. Dany Villanueva said officers had called him over and then held him to the ground, and his brother had told them to let him go.

Then he heard gunshots and his brother fell to the ground.

"I saw blood on his stomach and on his side and I couldn't do anything," he told CTV Montreal in French. "I kept saying, 'Take care of my brother, take care of my brother.'"

Villanueva was reportedly shooting dice with friends in Henri Bourassa Park in the ethnically-diverse borough when police attempted to make a routine arrest.

Montreal police say about 20 youths then surrounded them -- several of them reportedly rushing at police.

The Quebec provincial police have taken over the investigation.

Mayor Gerald Tremblay offered his condolences to the family and said it is vital that investigators get to the bottom of what took place Saturday evening in Montreal North.

"I share their pain and suffering in this very difficult time," Tremblay said during a news conference Monday.

"That is why it is essential to shed the light on every detail of this tragic event. I have personally asked the minister of public security Jacques Dupuis to identify the most effective way to ensure a transparent investigation can take place as quickly as possible. And I would like that investigation to be known and very well understood by the community."

Protest becomes violent

Villanueva's death triggered an angry and violent response Sunday night. Vehicles were set on fire and there was widespread looting and violence targeting police and emergency service workers.

One police officer was shot in the leg, while another officer and an ambulance technician received minor injuries. The technician was struck in the head with a bottle, said CTV Montreal's Maya Johnson.

"This morning Montreal's police chief Yvan Delormes appealed for calm in this city after such a tense night," Johnson told CTV's Canada AM.

"(There have been) six arrests so far and several counts of mischief -- up to 39 we're told, 20 break and enters and a lot of looting and vandalism happening last night," Johnson told CTV's Canada AM.

In addition, fire fighters who tried to extinguish burning cars were pelted with stones, three fire trucks were damaged and a fire station had to be evacuated after gasoline was apparently thrown into the station, Johnson said.

Bus shelters were also destroyed by the groups of angry youths.

"This is a group of people that are trying to say something to us and I am willing to listen," Delormes said at a Monday news conference.

Liberal MP Denis Coderre, who represents the riding that includes the ethnically diverse Montreal North, said the situation is tense, but key stakeholders are working towards a resolution.

"It is a very serious situation," Coderre said. "Of course there was some major vandalism but at the same time ... I spoke with many of the citizens and many of the authorities. Right now everybody is talking to each other, so I have a good feeling that we're on the right track."

With files from CTV Montreal

Add New Comment ( )

WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!
said
0 0

Are we going to crucify a police officer for doing his/her job? Remember we pay them to protect us.

We like to think that our world is just peachy but in reality it is not, if you have the intestinal fortitude to go out and see what a police officers deals with on a daily basis. I would think that you would be very impressed in the number of persons that lethal force could have been legally used but the officer was able to convince the aggressor to stop. As you know some people will never listen to reason�.. I never had a police officer point a gun at me and I am 48 years old�..maybe it�s because I respect them and follow the law.

At the end of the day the police officer who took the right decision in using lethal force, will live with that decision for ever. Let�s give them a break,

Scott
said
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The public really needs stop blaming the Police for deaths that occur as a result of the stupidity of other people. They have to protect themselves. They are the front line workers of law enforcement and have to deal with more 'crap' than virtually any of us. How many people were starting to swarm them? They had every right to shoot.

mike
said
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If police where to question me I would not agitate or try to be aggressive like the group of 20 young punks that tried to intimidate did. therefore they brought this upon the young man themselves. In my mind all street thugs are to be considered with caution. Finally the actions that this group of protesters had taken after the fact(devastating their neighborhood)is also criminal and should be dealt with severely

Roger T
said
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0 weapons for civilian, 1 gun for the police officer.

1 innocent civilian dead, 0 Police down

To serve and protect NOT to kill innocents.

You do the math!

Joel
said
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I find that cops in the Montr�al area are being recruited in the force too young, inexperienced and on a power trip. How does a cop not wound, but kill an 18 year old and others think that there must be a logical explanation to her actions. That is what happens when an officer goes in the force nervous and pre judging people assuming that they are dangerous just because of how they look or the area that they live in. That is sad and disgusting that things like that happen. I�m 23 and when I get kids I hope that they are never subjected to such behaviour from people that are supposed to serve and protect.

JLD
said
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I think we all have to sit back and see what really happened.

But judging from the aftermath that included shootings and molotov cocktails some of these people surely weren't unarmed. And if the neaighbourhood is as bad as they say I'm sure the police police must have had some justification of peril with such a large group. But time will tell.

Bebe
said
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Someone they consider innocent got shot because cops automatically assumed they were young and a group and opened fire...as for the rioting...be it the right way or not to speak out against what happened...they want to express their anger towards the cops i guess they want to do something wrong to justify someone innocent being shot...
right or wrong people express their grief in different ways

Devil's advocate
said
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I read through most of the posts and I am completely disconcerted by those individuals who feel that it is ok that an innocent boy lost his life. I am so fed up of hearing about cases of racial profiling. Police officers are trained to shoot in certain situations but NOT shoot to kill in every given situation. This is a serious mistake because a young life has been lost. I know the Montreal-North area very well and although there is indeed a gangsterism problem that by no means implies that those young adolescents were in any way involved. They may have been rowdy and perhaps they deserved to be thrown in the slammer for a few days but two serious injuries and one fatality is unjustifiable. I do not condone the riots that took place but I can understand their frustration. If racial profiling persists and our government and law enforcement agencies do not take action, this will not be the last riot we will witness. My prayers go out to the family of the deceased. It is my hope that they consider legal action because it appears that may be the way to sensitize the public. This is one incident which pertains to a much bigger issue that needs immediate addressing. Lastly, I would like to remind the readersu that the media communicates the sensational. I would recommend we all wait patiently for the entire story to unravel.

Edward in Vancouver
said
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Here is an idea, don't try to intimidate the police! This is just another incident where a lack of respect for law enforcement results in someone getting killed. And how do people react? They riot; absolutley pathetic.

RJT
said
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For those of you saying there is no justification for the police to have used lethal force, you should honestly put yourself in the officers place, I am quite certain very few people take shooting a person lightly, regardless of what you people like to think about cops. The people at fault here are the ones in the crowd that attempted to surround the officers, they are the reason this young man is dead, people blaming the police for this fail to realize the victim was part of that crowd. The parents, and family portray him as quiet and shy, mind you from what I have read, his actions speak quite differently. Ultimately when a crowd attempts to deliberately intimidate police officers, bad things are going to happen.

Furthermore I live in Montreal, this neighborhood is notoriously known for violence, drug related crime, and all kinds of horrible things. It is a ghetto, and the reason we have so many gang issues in this city. I have 2 friends who are police officers, who have told me there are apartment blocks in that neighborhood they will not go into without backup. Here is the reality of the situation, regardless of what the media wants to portray the police were arresting someone, even if they had no business arresting this individual, there is legal recourse for false arrest etc, we have a legal system for a reason. Apparently the group of individuals who decided to attempt to surround the officers don't have much respect for our legal system, and feel they can take the law into their own hands.

Whether or not the general public likes to accept it, police officers risk their lives daily, and they are already pretty high strung. Logic would constitute that surrounding, or intimidating the police in anyway shape or form is not a good idea. Its unfortunate a young man had to lose his life. But the reality of the situation is he was part of that crowd who felt they could take the law into their own hands, the officers felt threatened and addressed the situation accordingly. The other individuals who were in that group surrounding the officers, should get arrested and a minimum sentence of 10 years each just for trying to intimidate the officers.

Li
said
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To the people who complain that these kids were "minding their own business and police just walks in arresting ppl at random". I must add this article is very incomplete in regards to Saturdays events. I read other aritcles which explained the reason police were there to make an arrest and why there were shots fired in the first place. Please turn to other aritcles (french if you can) for more details and if something seems vague, there probably is more to the story.

People are awfully fast to point the finger when a cop has to use force to ensure that law is maintained. Pretty soon, the police wont be allowed to defend itself and the agressors will have all the power. The behavior on Sunday is shameful. It solved nothing and put 6 ppl in jail, injured many, cost poor merchants a lot of money. At least before protesting let the authorities try to assest the issues. Geez.

David
said
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Sounds to me like the police had no good reason to arrest the person and as a result of the perceived injustice and distrust of police, they only tried to defend themselves.

I am not saying either side responded correctly, I just think mistakes were made on both sides and everyone needs to be better prepared for these kinds of situations so they don't go from a 'routine intervention' to a '18 year old man shot dead'.

What a sad situation.

I do not think it is fair to blame the police or the youth in this situation. I think the problem is mistrust between the two groups ( police and youth of the area ) has created an environment that could cause this kind of situation. BOTH groups need to work really hard in order to build a better relationship/understanding between them.

Canuck in WA State
said
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Three comments:

1 - In canada I have far less fear of the police than I do of criminals. I fully support giving up some of my "rights" to protect societal rights.

2 - The use of a Taser should result in administrative leave and official review the same as the discharge of a firearm.

3 - People who have more than one arrest and court date outstanding should have to post cash or bond guaranteeing there appearance and behaviour for any further arrests. Each future arrest should requires another bond, and if the indivdual is found guilty on any of those arrests, than each and every bond should be forfeit, with a judge not able to override it.

Judges in Canada are too bloody lenient. We must balance individual rights with societal rights, and right now the individual has the edge.

Ian from N.B.
said
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TheAlchemist echo's most of my thoughts completely.

We don't know all the facts, if the police reports are correct and the men did surround them, then it would seem the police are well within they're right to act as they did. However should other reports say otherwise there will need to be serious questions here. A man is dead and it was from an officer, a man dedicated to maintaining law and order, so if new information states otherwise, there will need to be serious review.

As for everyone here stating that "kids these days have no respect", well excuse me, but I'm 19, well mannered and thoughtful of all people. To lump me in that crowd is just downright insulting. I've not lifted a hand against another person in anger, ever. I've never been insulting or mean to anyone for the purposes of pleasure. I'm always respectful of authority. People like PG, don't judge us all at once until you've actually taken the time to know us.

PeterL from Montreal
said
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Phil G,

Do you think this 18-year old has the marking "UNARMED" engraved on his forehead? Gee....may be the police should take their time to read....or even better...get shot...then they know for sure the 18 year old is armed.

KH
said
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Unfortunate for the victim and his family. However, if you don't want trouble/injury/death, just don't pull a weapon on a police officer. What do people expect a police officer to do if he's threatened, ask the guy to "please stop what you're doing" and think that that will end the incident? Yeah, right, sure. Sometimes force is needs and too bad if that force ends in disaster. The police protect us and themselves, they put their lives on the line. I commend them for what they do for us. I would not want to walk in their shoes and have to be criticized whenever something like this happens. Things are getting pretty scary here in Calgary as well, Heaven help us all.

Mike
said
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MichelleO stated: "... I applaud those who rioted and stood up to the police..."

Does no one else see the inherent wrong in this? "good for you, for destroying the neighbourhood, because you don't like the cops." Might you explain this to those whose cars were burned, or whose houses or shops were vandalized and looted?

Ian
said
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After reading a number of the comments so far I am absolutely aghast of ones being made. There is nothing short of racial profiling being done here, yet others quickly stand up and show that other big cities such as Toronto and Vancouver have problems such as this just as bad if not worse at times. Just look at the annual murder rate in Toronto and you can easily see it is gang related and absolutely no regard for human beings or justice. Yes Montreal has gotten worse over time and it does have a lot to do with youth recklessness, yet the justice system has to stop pussy footing around with them and "WHEN YOU DO THE CRIME, YOU DO THE TIME".

Let's cut the police some slack here as they probably have one of the most pressure filled jobs anywhere despite our thoughts about them hanging around at Tim Horton's.

GLENN C
said
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If you are prepared to act aggressively towards a peace officer (HELLO!) what do you expect? parents where were you? Teach these kids the meaning of the word discipline, The members were just doing their jobs!

S
said
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This isn't right! I was there last night, I know these people, no innocents got hurt last night and the rioters made a point of that. This country and our friends to the south give police the right to abuse the people who they work for and who in the end pays their homes, cars and puts their kids through school. Police should be blamed for this not the people living in a forgoten district, often abused by police for no reason. Put that policeman in Jail if not for death then for negligence, someone needs to teach the goverment who they work for..

Mark
said
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I'd like to ask a question which I feel is very important. This story reports the number of youths surrounding the officers in question to number "about 20". Another story on this very same website reports it as 6-10. So which is it? Who is saying it's 20? Who is saying it's only 6? Who is saying 10? Why is there nearly a three-fold discrepancy between two stories from the same news agency?

The public has the right to know who is quoting the large numbers and who is quoting the small, and then form their own opinions of what that information means.

BW
said
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To Roger,

"Police brutality is spreading across the country on the way they handle youth way of life"

What kind of an idiot comment was that?

How can you condemn the officer so quickly? Do the police not deserve due process?

As for your statement that it "seems to be happening more often now a days" have you ever considered that the reason may be that there more criminals out in society.

Probably not. In your mind its the police that are the problem not the criminals!!

Montreal Firefighter
said
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Actually one of the "kids playing dice" was an 18 year old drug dealer known to police and was wanted...

But thats no big deal right? Police should have just turned a blind eye.

IT Manager from Edmonton
said
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The last time I was in Montreal I was able to witness their latest hockey riot. I tell ya any moron could have known that was going to happen as the people intent on causing harm were massing and waiting for the game to end so they could start. The next day I was also able to witness a lady lipping off a cop on the corner of St. Catherines and Peel and I was amazed at how the cop just took it like a baby.

Respect for authority is not a cultrial thing, so when I hear squrmy wimpy Liberals say things like "stakeholders" or "willing to talk" I know the criminals are running the show. People who break laws need to stop breaking laws and society needs to be protected from them so the police have to do their jobs, end of story. People who don;t respect that need to learn to, as simple as that. I don't care how "disenfranchised" you feel.

Time for the police and politicians in Montreal to grow a spine and do their jobs take back the streets so people like me who do obey the law (and don't claim to be victims of something) don't have to hide indoors when this crap happens like I did during the hockey riots.

Bring on the Liberal wimps who will tell me I am a neo con hate monger (probably racist also) only becuase I think this is a simple equation for the police to do their jobs and the politicians to allow them to. Clearly I'm too stupid to understand the nuiances of the cultural situation on the ground right? Give me a break!

Kevin
said
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Put yourself in the officers shoes. How would you react if 20 people surrounded and advanced on you. Ask yourself what is the purpose of surrounding pressing in on a cop.

Amm
said
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Mickey,

Do you know every household and their parenting skill in that neighbourhood? I'll money on this, the officers involed were new to the force and unexperienced...like most cases we have been seeing this past year.

Chris
said
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Those that are making statements criticizing the actions of the police are doing so from the safety and security of their homes. Think about it!

Donald
said
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For all of you arm chair quarter backs, every department in Canada is recruiting like crazy and I am quite sure the rest of us who respect and support our police would love to see you in action. Although, I am guessing there would not be much action as you would be hiding in a corner somewhere.

Point being, 20 youth rush a police officer. Did some of you miss that? What kind of youths or kids rush and swarm a police officer? What were they going to do to that officer? Hence the use of lethal force.

Thank you to all police who go to work all day everyday, listen to the feedback of wallflowers and still come to our aid!

montrealer
said
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People should not generalize and blame the entire Montreal city for these behaviours and assume montrealers 'dont know how to behave'. What happened to the 18 year old was tragic but police had the right to act that way, especially if their lives are in danger. Even then, we do not know for sure what exactly happened...it might or might not have been the police's mistake...let the investigation proceed and everything will be taken care of. If it was the police's mistake, there will be justice, that's it.

FreakAlert
said
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The illusion of control and authority is easily unveiled when riots occur. The irony is that the very establishment that controls us are the ones that are the most fearful. Fearful of the people uniting.

The egos of a couple officers placed the whole social, pecking order at risk. Some will be fired forsure.

~David #1~
said
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As a Montrealer I can tell you a lot of these "so-called" "youths" are punk thugs roving around like gangs and doing a lot of bad stuff. They run around trying to intimidate everyone with their total disrespect for the public and the police.

I'm siding with the police on this issue because I know exactly what they're dealing with. As far as I'm concerned the police should also arrest their parents who can't seem to control the little punks they've let loose on our society. Make "no" mistake..those brats are no angels.

John
said
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Yes, what a waste of a young life. BUT, while growing up, I was taught to RESPECT people--particularily THE POLICE! I have the SELF CONTROL to NOT become involved in MASS HYSTERIA. What are you kids doing?! The looting had NOTHING to do with protest. It had everything to do with exploiting a situation for personal profit. How does smashing and the burning of cars of fellow residents protest police actions? It makes no sense to me. As for the "young man", what would have made even less sense would have been "Why didn't that police officer use his gun when that kid was trying to get it from him? That 18 year old kid killed a man, and took him away from HIS family. He was just doing his job. Although it's cold, personally, I'd rather see the offender gone then the protector. I don't know any people killed by the cops for being respectful, do you?

Catherine
said
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my heart goes out to the family of Freddy villaneuva and I feel so sad that such a young life has been lost, However, the youth have no respect for the law, and hopefully they will be made to do allot of community work. They must be made to pay and learn that violence is not the way to the future. The police are not to be blamed. They were surrounded by about 20 youths looking for a problem.

Stephanie
said
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What the police mean by a "routine arrest" is that dicing is considered gambling, and that is illegal. Period. These kids were not in the park for any good purpose, and they were doing something illegal. Yes, it is considered a misdemeanour, but it is still a crime, and the police had every right to arrest whom they wished in that situation. Though that poor young man paid a terrible price, and his family is and will continue to suffer, it was his mistake. There was no reason to create such an extreme response to the original situation, by rushing the police, they placed themselves in the situation in which they found themselves. Eventhough the police are supposed to protect us, they are also madated to protect themselves first. These "kids" should have had respect for the police, and not tried to take the situation into their own hands. I mourn for the family of poor young Villanueva, but I stand with the police on this one. The only criticisim I have of them, is that someone got trigger happy and that kind of person should never, ever, have been made into a policeperson. God Bless you all Villanueva family.

Andy
said
0 0

One reader hit the nail on the head. I work in a bar on weekend (in Montreal) and whenever we have to call the police, they send over a 5 foot nothing cop or women cop. Most of the time if an arrest has to be made, our bouncers have to put the people in the police cars. Get a ticket in the USA and you will quickly find out the State Troopers are very tall and large men.

Let's start bringing back standards for height and weight for the police. People under a certain height and weight should find something else to for a living instead of law enforcement.

Kurt Peats
said
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This is a sad commentary on our society. I have 20+ years as a police officer in western Canada and the one thing I do know is that a "Pliceman's lot is no a happy one."

Armchair policeman/lawyers/Clairvoyants appear the following day with all of the supposedly correct answers. Of course all of their postualtions are void of any facts and are based upon their feelings.

The one thing I do know is that if you want the police to back away from anythng that might seem confrontational, then you have just trained all bad guys to be very aggressive and then the police will simply turn tail and run. This is not a society that I want to live in.
I am thankful that we have men and women willing to answer the cll of duty and patrol in the middle on the night. Otherwise our society would deterioate into chaos.

May God bless the men and women in uniform. I vote for them.

Kurt

mario
said
0 0

to everyone:

i myself have been in a park around midnight and questioned by police (they close at 11 by city bylaws). a buddy and me were having a cigarette, the cops showed up 10 minutes later we got there. we didn't realize that the park was next to a synogue (this was a week after the jewish elementary school was fire bombed in montreal many years ago) they came with a moderetly aggresive tone and questioned us. we were confused with the confrontational tone, but once they explained the situation, checked our ID and asked us to leave nothing happened!! WE ARE BOTH FROM AN ETHIC MINORITY, BOTH VISABLE!!! there was no police brutality, no abuse, nothing. they were on edge and suspicious, BUT THAT IS THERE JOB!!! To protect the community. We left and respected the law and nothing happened, no arrests, no abuse. RESPECT IS A TWO WAY STREET!!!!

If police are aggressive in that area it is because they aren't given any respect. I am fed up with minority groups coming out and taking advantage of these situations and blaming the police. They constantly argue that police should reach out to the community, how about the community makes them feel at home, like they have a sense of authority.

Laws are what seperate civilized societies from the wild, once we lose respect for laws we are no better than wild animals. I am not saying it is perfect, but it's much better than living in a jungle.

Tammy
said
0 0

I am very sad to hear what happened to this young boy,but to be honest if there was no weapon seen then I do not see why there was a shot fired so fast and now the boy is dead. I work in an inner city school and deal with many situations where children are not guided, in foster homes...group homes and none the less with parents that do not know how to be parents and are not role models for these children...but these children are left with these families because there is not ever enough evidence to prove that these families are unfit to care for these youths. The only proof is when they are dead or fighting for their lives in the hospital. These children are left to the street to deal with life the best way they know how and they end up doing what they should not because what better to they know????Now this boy who had a dream is now not possible and for what reason God only knows. If there was a better system out there to help these youths from young there would be a better place for them and this world would be a better place.My respect goes out to the family.

Jeff
said
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I am appalled by the number of people who seem to accept the authorities' version of events before any kind of inquiry. We don't know what the young people did to provoke the police; we have no idea whether other options were available. All we get is the blind acceptance of how the police would like us to frame this event, coupled with a self righteous moralizing about the need for "discipline and morals" among the youth of today. Next we'll be told to bring back flogging.
The same kind of thing has been happening in the States in black inner city communities for decades, and the cause is not "lack of morals", but the consequence of oppression and poverty. In fact, blaming people for their own victimization is an indication of ethical immaturity, and betrays a deep lack of compassion. Would any of our conservative posters here care to blame First Nations people for their misery? How about black inner city Americans? I didn't think so.
Maybe we should be asking why we have enclaves of poor youth in our inner cities, and whether this violence isn't a sign of more pressing problems in our social fabric. That might be more rational- and humane- than automatically blaming a dead child.

PATTI
said
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It may appear that the shooting and the riots are "connected" incidents when in fact, the hooligans who rioted just wait for an excuse to raid, steal and destroy.
On the subject of the shooting, my reality is quite different from the kids in the park. I have sympathy for the loss of a young person and the devastating effect it has on his parents and friends.
I think it will finally be ruled as an accident, which I have to believe at this stage, it was.

Lee
said
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I truly believe that the police acted accordingly, and I am glad that they are. Montreal�s �youth� are becoming a huge problem, and I honestly think the police are not doing enough. This was an extreme case, but I hope it sends a message to these wonderful �youths�.

bob
said
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I agree with Joe on this one.
Today there is no disipline from anyone.

Even the law now says that you cannot disipline your kids.

Until something is done to address this shortcoming nothing will get better, only worse.

Phil G
said
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The 18 year old was out to protect his 22 year old brother who was getting roughed up by the cops without probable cause.

People should take time to read the article before reaction only on the riot.

Allot of young cops act like school yard bullies and they decided to dispurse a group of friends with police brutality.

The use of firearms should never be used against an unarmed individual, especially one without a record who just wanted to protect his older brother who was innocent.

He was unarmed, you never use lethal force on unarmed assailants.

I do not condone the riots. Violence is wrong, but my heart goes out to his mother and family who lost a son because some young jacked bully decided to pick trouble against innocent youngsters.

Todd
said
0 0

And we wonder why police forces across Canada are having a hard time recruiting people. If a cop questions me when I'm not doing anything I'd still be respectful and cooperative...and then it would be over. Big deal, I'd have to be polite for 5 minutes. Most cops I know are cool, once you talk to them like humans. I worry what our country will look like in 20 years when there are no police, or they refuse do their job because they're fair game to every punk and petty criminal. It's already bad, but based on other's comments I think the p.c. crowd will make it far worse.

When we lose respect for authority society cannot exist anymore. It's the same problems in our schools...too many entitled youths who believe they shouldn't have to do things that they don't want to do. It all starts at home!

TheAlchemist
said
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This is very unfortunate. But admittedly, it appears entirely the fault of the group of young people. If this neighborhood is as troubled as some here have said then that alone gives the police reasonable and probable cause to approach a group of people who were throwing dice. If money was involved, then technically thats gambling in a public place which is illegal as it is and relates back to the reasonable and probable cause. This kid Dany may be known to the police, his family said his brother wasn't, but nothing about him. Also remember that a weapon is not needed to kill someone so the fact that they were unarmed is moot...there were 20 of them. A taser wouldn't have worked since only 1 person could be subdued at a time, you can't use pepper spray when you're surrounded cause you're going to get some of the spray too which is highly counterproductive. So their only choice was to draw their side arms in an attempt to subdue. If the group continued to act aggressively then shots will be fired. Police do not fire warning shots and they certainly are not trained to do so, and nor should they be. This appears to be a case where common sense was over ruled by mob mentality or just plain old stupidity. There is no reason why the authority of the police should have been questioned let alone ignored.

Leigh
said
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The people in Sunday's riot are trying to get a message across in the only way they know how to: through violence. These events should cause all of us to step back and ask ourselves where things went wrong--clearly things were wrong before last night if they've believed all their lives that the only way to make people listen to them was by being violent. While I am in no way condoning what was done to the police and ambulance technicians, I do understand that the culprits didn't know how else to get their message of protest across to the police force. These are people that society has failed and I feel for them

Brian
said
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This is sickening. Many of the comments here confirm that we live in a �me� generation where �MY� rights and �MY� freedom are much more important than the rights and freedom of society as a whole. (I don�t think that�s what our forefathers had in mind when they gave their lives fighting for our freedom.) What about our right to live in peace, and our right to not have our stores looted and our property burned.

A young man has died and that is tragically sad, and although we don�t know all of the facts, it appears that he died as a consequence of his actions. Unfortunately things won�t get better until individuals learn that they are accountable for their behavior and that there will be consequences.

People... teach your children about accountability, then teach them that we ALL have rights.

PG
said
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This is the results of removing corporal punishment from schools. No respect from young person these days.

Michelle O
said
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Another fine example of the Montreal police over stepping their boundaries with youth and abusing their power. Use force and violence against law abiding citizens, treat the like animals, and in return they will retaliate back with animal force. I applaud those who rioted and stood up to the police. It's about time attention is brought to the abuse of power the montreal police demonstrates on a regular basis. This is not them doing their job to protect members of the public, but rather officers on power trips.

Laura
said
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I absolutely agree we need to remember these are not 'kids' or 'children'. As unfortunate as it is people need to have some respect for authority and if 20 or 10 or even 5 people decide to surround and threaten police officers they need to be prepared for an unfortunate outcome. Ten years ago when I was that age my friends and I would never dreamed of acting like that, and I agree with those on here who say it has to do with parenting. Come on people - have some accountability. Police officers are definitley in the wrong some time, but a smart person would know not to threaten someone with a gun. Respect authority.

Naji
said
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The police should have come down harder on all those kids and looters. It is always sad to see youth killed by authority, but people should also understand the circumstances involved. Most of the looters are probably very ignorant fools that needed any reason to do what they do.

cat
said
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This news story is making the international round. It appeared on US news as well. IS this all they do in Montreal is riot?

Darren
said
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Introduce military conscription!

jay kay
said
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I, too, believe many parents today are grossly neglecting their responsibilities in raising their children, and that includes failing to teach them right from wrong, failing to impress upon them the need to respect all others, and failing to guide their children toward a productive, decent and honourable life.

I also believe that there are individuals in the police force who are only too ready and willing to exert a disproportionate amount of force whenever the opportunity avails itself to them (Vancouver tasing incident, for example), and they, too, should be held to account for their wrongdoing. However, when an officer of the law genuinely feels that he/she is being seriously threatened, then I fully support whatever amount of force they deem necessary to protect themselves. Don't forget, anyone willing to exhibit a menacing attitude toward the police, will have no problems doing likewise to an average citizen, so I would rather the potential threat to others was nipped in the bud before an innocent person gets hurt.

And as for those hooligans who think the appropriate response to a perceived wrong is to terrorize a neighbourhood, trash private and public property and place innocent bystanders at serious risk of harm or even death, I say the police should swarm in and pummel these malevolent cretins with whatever amount of force is necessary. This kind of mindless destruction to a community is a bane to society and a message needs to be sent that it will not be tolerated for any reason.

Earl Robert
said
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The report clearly stated "Eighteen-year-old Freddy Villanueva was killed by police during a confrontation with officers on Saturday evening in Montreal North". Please note that it was a "confrontation" and that he was "Eighteen years old". He could have joined the mititary at 17 years of age and would have been an adult. If we go after the parents and start charging them we would help solve this problem. The Police deserve our support. My sympathies go out to the Police Officer that was forced to carry out the duties required to maintain peace and public safety.

Peter
said
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riots....in Montreal....what's new??

ryan j veli
said
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Wow, lots of people trying to excuse both sides before they know the facts. Why don't we wait to hear the facts of the case before deciding what side we're on. You're all obviously clinging to your default emotional judgements. Lets all agree on a few things.

1- We all believe in Truth and Justice right?
2- We believe that a police officer would be justified in shooting morons that surround and threaten them if there was in fact a real or even percieved threat right?
3- Citizens have a right to due process and not to be shot at unjustly right?

Now that all being said not one of us knows what really happened. Lets allow the investigations to continue and the powers that be to do thier job. As a footnote I am an ex military police officer but I also have concerns about the lack of training and proffesionalism in the MUC Police. The SQ however in my experience is very well trained and proffesional. Lets hope somewhere inbetween both Truth and Justice prevail.

Understand before you judge
said
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Sorry for the family of this young man. And to all that think the police do no wrong, try living in a more diverse area of a bigger city, in an area of higher crime and poverty and you will have a new understanding of how the police can treat people.
How you can be treated as a criminal for just sitting in a park with a few friends minding your own. The police in these areas sometimes act as they have the right to bother and harass you. When friends and family are arrested for just being in the wrong place having done nothing wrong. Only to be released a day later without a simple apology. Live a day in different shoes, and wait till the facts are heard before judging these young people. It can give you a feeling of helplessness when the police don't even show you respect as a person due to living in a high crime area.

Michael
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The police were upholding the law. They were attacked. They have a right to defend themselves. I have no sympathy for the criminal who was shot and killed. Only for the police officer who has to live with the outcome, I am sure he did not want to take a life.

Evan in Athabasca
said
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when you play dice in a public place, that is breaking the law. What is dice...it is gambling... The reason the police do not go after poker players is due to the fact it is out of sight, and out of mind in someone's house.

Sad that the youths think they have rights to break the law and bring violence into the play, this goes to show the youth have no disregard for life, the police officers have a right to protect themselves if they are threatened. People feel this is a police state or feel threatened by the police should look at their own actions....

Chris
said
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To jules:

If police are telling you to stand down/stay where you are/whatever, and you keep advancing, what do you think is going to happen? Police are going to ask nicely?

To Ian:

I have travelled across Canada, and I don't remember the last time Toronto or Vancouver rioted. MOntreal riots at the drop of a hat. The Habs win a playoff series, they riot. They lost a playoff series, they riot. It rains when it's supposed to be sunny, they riot.

I stand by my claim that Montreal is a disgrace based on the rioting fact, and no other city riots as easily as they do.

Fil
said
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This comment goes out to the person from Cambridge who made a comment that in montreal we don't know how to act. You shouldn't assume that everyone one in Montreal acts the same. I can say that there is many Montrealers who were brought-up to be respectable, and responsible people and are continuing to do so by teaching their children to become good respectable people also.

Will
said
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Hmmm, Kids playing dice or what ever. Now one is dead, two wounded and a riot on top of it all. Maybe if our countries "finest" stopped power tripping....maybe if they were held accountable....maybe if they treated ALL citizens with respect...there wouldn't be a need to write this.

Montrealer in Calgary
said
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This was NOT a CHILD!!! It's an 18 year old making a choice, read it - a few comments talk about youth and children - this was an ADULT. Second - to Andy in Cambridge: You're suggesting EVERYONE in Mtl is poorly behaved? Have you been there? People will help you no matter who you are, careful when you generalize, because it seems all people from Cambridge need to be taken down a notch. (Tongue in cheek folks). Lets note another cop was shot in the leg, we're not talking innocent people here... firefighters assaulted, a medic injured? C'mon, it's street gangs and that's it. I hung out there when I was younger, it's a tough hood, and the cops have to defend themselves.

Sherry
said
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I know the neighbourhood well and it is NOT SAFE -and it doesn't matter whether you're a cop or not - these kids don't care. The police most likely thought they were selling dope. Some of them come from backgrounds where they actually believe they are untouchable. The people looting are criminals - you can be mad at the cops for things but looting is just theft and there is no justification for that - nor is damaging other peoples' property. And finally - the person shot was how old? Not a child - stop calling those 15 and up "child" they are old enough to know better and are no longer "children"!"Makinga routine arrest" for whatever the reason does not give a bunch of hooligans the right to threaten the cops so don't blame the cops for bad choices made by foolish people - if it's a wrongful arrest then the person can have a lawyer do something about it.

M. Cameron
said
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Person of colour killed by police. People from that person's community riot. It seems like a typical response, whether or not the person killed was at fault.

Tony
said
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I admit this is early in the investigation but I can't help thinking that if it was a male officer it might have happened differently. There are too many small officers on the force, mostly women and some men too. Policing is an ENFORCEMENT job. If you are of small stature people will not respect you and things like this happen.

Brad
said
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When some punk kids want to surround and mob the police, then they get what they deserve. Who are they to subvert the law and attack the police. I'm surprised only one was shot. These people who acting as terrorist should be hunted down and taught a harsh lesson. Who do they think they are!

Luna
said
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Akira M.: You're absolutely correct.

Reading the maniacal, non-sensical language and insane conclusions being voiced by Mike Webster, Chris and the highly evolved Mickey, I am no longer shocked that our world is spiraling towards global religious warfar and gossip/inuendo passing as real journalism. We have only slightly more than a few shreds of information about this disturbing incident but, the conservative elements have all the evidence they need & have made up their minds long before the full disclosure of facts and they've decided that killing a child, a young Canadian who in a couple of years could've whipped his life into shape and become the next prime minister but, now is dead. Killed by a police officer, which is very disturbing to me and I expect the incident to be fully investigated.

Believe it or not folks, young people are very angry and it's starting to show up in our schools, institutions and streets. Do we want to become a nation that kills people for nothing?

Lets wait and see for collection of information before we make vile snap judgements like 'we reap what we sow'.

Paula
said
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Once again, our city is disgraced by these selfish acts of violence and hatred! People take no responsibility for their actions and have little respect for those who put their lives at risk every day, for others. Their lack of education and hatred for authority will only bring on more misery. Wake up, people! Don't mess with cops! Otherwise you'll get what you deserve...

jr
said
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I really find it sick it seems alot care more for the suspect then the vics.We don't know waht went down in this case.

Edb
said
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So, Roger T,
When a group of wanna-be gangstas come after you or kick-in your front door, you better be sure not to insult or injure them, the human rights groups are watching!
ps. to all the legal firearms owners, hang on to 'em, seems the police are no longer allowed to defend themselves....let alone the rest of us.

joey
said
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To the press...

Call this what it is, quit white washing issues like this to make the police look like the bad guys every time an officer does his duty.

These are CRIMINAL GANGS.Not innocent kids. Drive through that neigborhood and see for yourself.

Wake up people

ann
said
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It used to be, young people were taught to respect the law and be responsible for their own actions. Now - it seems they are taught that they have a RIGHT to do anything they want, and that the police are their enemy. I sympathize with the police - they are trying to protect the innocent and do their job and it's a thankless job in some places.

Nicholas
said
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I am truly sorry for the unfortunate incident and wish to send my deepest sympathies to the family involved.

I do not want to comment on if the police were right or wrong. However, the police where there to do a job and the response was about 20 ppl coming out and threatening them. This shows a huge amount of disrespect to law and authority. This seems to be very indicative of the youth NOT only in Montreal but across North America. I will admit that it gets plastered across the news in Canada about the lawlessness in Montreal - it maybe justified however, its not just a Montreal thing.

Youth are being brought up without guidance and respect for others. This has been happening for quite awhile now. Just look at all the shootings and killings in Toronto. Something needs to be done in order to get our future generations a better foundation to stand on.

There is definitely a swing in youths attitude to the value or life, law and respect for others. I don't really know where it originates but I feel that it must start at the family level. Where people who have to work hard sacrifice their time with their childern in order to make ends meet are leaving their childern unsupervised and at large. Their for leaving childern and teens unsupervised and the law to deal with them.

I have have seen the unfortunate results of this as I have been a friend to someone whos own child was shot and killed while out at night at a time he should not have ever been allowed to be out at for his age.

Society will reap what it spawns for good or for worse. We need to wake up to the fact that our societies in Canada need fixing and care. We should be spending our money on Youth and not for things such as bidding for the Olympics for example.

Ian
said
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So tell me this, all of you with NO police training. You're surrounded by about 20 youths, who don't seem to care that you're the police, and they start closing in on you. You have to think, what are they going to do? Most people wouldn't dream of doing this to police officers?! Then one of them reaches in their pockety-- what is he going to do? What's in his hand? Is this it? Is this where a gun will be pulled out and I'm getting shot?
All the brilliant police training in the world would not have change a thing. You're surrounded by thugs that disrespect authority and you get a gut feeling that something's going wrong and your life is on the line.
I don't know and don't care if the arrest was justified-- that's why we have courts. If he was arrested for a good reason, he will go to jail and justice will prevail. If he was arrested for no good reason, he will be free, and justice will prevail. If police used poor judgement in making the arrest, they will get punished and the city or province will pay $10,000,000 to apologize. There was no reason for "kids" (18 and over aren't kids), to corner the police. Be reasonable people-- you'd do the same thing as those police officers on that night.

trueman
said
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This is a bad situation. Lets not knock the kids in Montreal. It seems there has been looting going on in Toronto since the evacuation of those poor citizens living near the propane explosion. There was also looting when the hydro vault exploded at the apartment complex a few weeks ago.

It seems the only group of people trying to take a stand for what is right these days are the police. They are the only ones fighting for order. We have decided, as a country, that our children have sooo many rights and that you are not to touch them. The schools have their hands tied. The teachers are the ones getting hit and assaulted by the children. Then, the next day, that child is back in class like nothing ever happened. As a parent, if you were to touch them, tisk tisk tisk. This is ridiculous. I got the hammer fist from my father maybe 10 times growing up. I never got arrested, I never fought the police, I never assault fire fighters or paramedics.

I am not trying to label the kids of Montreal but I have never heard of Fire Fighters getting assaulted at a scene except for in Montreal.

Steve formerly of Mtl
said
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It's true, this type of trashing / burning / throwing bottles at firefighters, is not uncommon in Montreal.

St. Jean Baptiste, hockey events, etc., any reason to create havoc. People throw up their arms and put up with it, no-one getting injured.

But add modern group hooliganism to the mix, and you have real trouble.

If a group of people charged the cops, well, that is a line you cannot cross.

Zak
said
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Another debauchery by the police. Aren't they suppose to be professionals handling tough situations. C'mon folks..this was an 18 yr old kid...apparently unarmed !!

Adam in Ottawa
said
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If groups of people swarm police officers they can expect a reaction involving force. The police were assigned the task of maintaning law and order in a very dangerous situation. When an officer feels threatened they will use their training and equipment to ensure their personal safety. Whether the perpetrators were black, white, polka-dotted or plaid; these factors are irrelevant. To suggest that racism was a motive is the lst resort of the guilty. What an insult to the fine institutions, such as the Montreal Police, that help make this country so great.

Ian
said
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Wow. Montreal is a disgrace? Chris, I hope you've travelled the country and the world before saying Montreal is a disgrace. I find Toronto and Vancouver much worse. They have much less to offer.
I guess Andy's comment about Montrealers not knowing how to behave is deserved-- quite a few riots in Montreal. So what's the deal? What do we do about that? Maybe a crackdown on people who defy authority? Like those 20 youths. I'm not happy that someone died, but maybe that'll send a signal that when you play with fire, you may get burned. A lesson today's generation hasn't learned yet.

Roger T. Your comment is offbase. Yes police serve and protect, but guess what, they aren't asked to lay their lives on the line to save that of a hoodlum. When it comes down to them or the other guy, they will revert to self-defence. Exactly what happened here. I pity the poor police officer who will no doubt be led to believe she was in error.

Tom
said
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Time to toss out the YCJA and bring back the YO Act. Despite its criticisms, it at least YOA had some teeth.
The YCJA emphasizes a reduction in the use of the formal court system and custody, and focuses on community-based responses to youth crime. This has resulted in a decline of youths in custody and the closures of youth facilities across the country. These stats serve the government well, despite that fact that youth crime is not only on the increase and but increasing violent.

Offenses that would have typically resulted in incarceration under the much harsher YOA, now results in curfews.

During its time, the YOA was hotly criticized for being too soft on youth crime. Yet, in 2003, it was replaced with the much softer YCJA, but for some strange reason, the debate went away.

YCJA has produced a generation of young criminals that have never experienced real consequences for their actions, and now lack respect for the law.

Matty
said
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Do Montreal police not train to handle crowds? Do they not carry stun guns? Something just seems wrong in Montreal both by the people and the police force.

Georges
said
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Another citizen shot in cold blood. If it isn't death by taser, it's the traditional 'he reached in his pocket, so I unloaded my clip into him.
The riots are entirely justified. The police in Canada are a disgrace

jules
said
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Chris; don't insult the police force -they don't shoot people every time they feel threatened - they assess the situation and escalate their security level in response to threats. The cop who shot the kid who had no weapon, you will find had no grounds to shoot. Wait for the entire story before you stupidly rush to judgement. Montreal is a great city -again you speak out of ignorance looking at your judgement. Biased 'persons' like yourself are the biggest problem in social harmony in this kind of event -you and others merely 'choosing sides' at this point need to calm down and get the whole accurate story FIRST.
To Joe; the kid was playing 'marbles' with his friends when the cops arrested him! He was not a troublemaker and his dad was a professional electrician - the boy was smart and shy and wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps as a professional. Get the full story before you judge who these kids are; these kids were not the rioters- one hopes the media keeps the riots seperate from why this kid was gunned down by one cop who was reckless in in the shooting - I mean no weapons were drawn on the police nor were there sudden life threatening movements by the group... where was a warning shot fired at least in this non 'critically-dangerous' situation?

Big M
said
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I do also feel bad for the family. No one would ever want to see a youth killed. however, I do believe the police were acting in defence, and we all must admit, Montreal is now known for their looting, and rioting...this is a disgrace!

Jackie
said
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This is unbelievable, a child is shot by the police, and afterward a protest once over has sparks of looting and the "people responsible for setting the fires" were not found

does this not sound familiar, this exact same senario happened in the US, child dead neighborhood develops a mistrust for authority and far away people instantly assume the childeren have "no respect for authority" this is a trap, an old trap used to create a chasm in a culture, dont fall for it- the officers involved in the original incident who SHOT an unarmed child need to be fired- if this was your child and your neighborhood and you saw how the yes-men immediately blamed you, how would you feel- conflict creation /sigh

mario
said
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To Roger T,

Have you ever been in this neighborhood???

I have friends who used to live there, but moved in the last 10 years because these streets are controlled by gangs!! What about the human rights of the citizens who can't walk their dogs at night or go for a walk without seeing an armed 16 year old selling drugs in a parks.

If the 18 year old was an innocent bystander, there wouldn't of been riots and tension. He belonged to a group, that is fact and they are upset that police defended themselves. The only reason that kid was in the park so late, was for drugs, selling buying or doing them, whatever.

Don't judge from a distance, go to the neighborhood live there for a week and then talk to me about human rights. IF ANYTHING THE COPS ARE TOO SOFT IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD and the riots last night show the lack of control they have.

If the authorities are going to try to reclaim complete control, get ready for more violence. These people will shoot at police without thinking twice, it's a jungle there. Crack and pot growing houses are common in this neighborhood. What about the rights of the citizens to live in peace????

I watched it all on the french news that carried live feeds. At one point the police were shot at, people were walking around cars driving, they have no control over this area. Only the military would of been able to set up a perimeter, they still have no control and won't get it back. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next days or weeks.

Lee
said
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Sadly the Quebec immigration system, which targets French speaking immmigrents draws many from North Africa and Haiti to Montreal. As we've seen in Paris over the past few summers when an incident happens within these communites the response regardless of the reason is to destroy and react violently as they do in their native countries. This is not about police brutality or about reaching out to the community leaders this is about violent civil behaviour and there should only be one response which must send the message this will not be tolerated. We have peaceful protest in this country but you will not be heard or talked too until the violence is stopped and those who attacked businesses and emergency responders are turned over to the police. I expect the police to continue to target criminals in every neighbourhood and of every ethnic background so this will continue.

jules
said
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Sean don't be hasty to judge who deserves to be shot. Police deal with these situations of being cornered all over Canada on a daily basis and they DO NOT SHOOT. The story is that the young people were rowdy but had no weapons and although admit to advancing on the cops with the arrest of their friend -note IT WAS THE ARRESTED FRIEND WHO GOT SHOT- Cops do not fire in these situations.
What you need to realise is this is a situation where you don't simply take sides because you like cops in general or dislike them. Look at the facts. One cop screwed up very badly and is the cause of this entire mess and tragedy. Giving that cop a free pass is an insult to the rest of well-behaved cops in the city and also to the youngster's parents who want proper justice now and not a police cover-up nor the media sidetracking to focus on 'gang-violence/riots' instead of devoting themselves to why a cop fired in a situation police never fire their guns.

Chris
said
0 0

I am sick and tired of people & news outlets coming down on the police. People it's simple to stay alive in confrontation with the police.

1. Respect them, Chances are the individual police officer has done nothing to wrong you personally. So don't take it out on them.

2. Don't be aggressive. Especially if they have their sidearm out!

Police don't just walk up to a situation and start shooting. Or deploy a taser. If you don't give a police officer a reason to hurt you then they won't. Police Brutality comes when they hurt you without a reason. Rushing a police officer, reaching into your pocket, when you outnumber them, refusing to drop a knife when told to do so are all reasons to get hurt. It's common sense people not police brutality.

My father has a heart condition. Getting hit with a taser would probably kill him. He knows this, therefore if a police officer gets ready to deploy his taser my dad will comply. Confrontations aren't the place to challenge the police. If you must their is a legal and complaints system to do this. Chances are if you challenge them directly 10/10 times you will loose.

kellie
said
0 0

while we have a legal system, municipal ,provincial, federal systems,and a voice, we can protest peacefully, write letters, and attempt in alternative methods to be heard and table our needs, and seek justice. Its been about stopping the violence, and reestablishing mutual respect. The crimes remain senseless examples and memories of this need, and lack of communication;effort, understanding and negotiation.

Mike Webster
said
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Clearly the men who was shot (they were not kids - they were 18 and over) was acting aggressively towards the police and acting in a manner that inevitably led to the unfortunate outcome. Police don't shoot people for no reason and I see no reason to believe these officers did anything of the sort. The rioting and looting that took place following the shooting speaks very poorly as to the character of the youths in that neighbourhood and would seem to further reinforce the idea that the police acted within the bounds of the law.

Akira M.
said
0 0

It takes an entire society to raise a child... we, the children of today, should charge society with neglect! If parents as well as society cared less about being our friends and more about teaching us sound morals and values, this type of tragedy could have been avoided. Alas poor Montreal, it is all of our faults... yet, I�m sure no one wants to admit any responsibility. We, as a society, have become far too ignorant and arrogant (and lazy) to admit to our faults and instill real social change. (Notably, such an occurrence could have happened anywhere in North America. If you don't believe me, try reading the news more often.)

WMN
said
0 0

Hey Roger, I take it you don't call the police when you really need them...

John in Montreal
said
0 0

I agree with Chris, you don't surround police officers. I feel bad for the victim here and their family but it was a scary situation for everyone involved. It's a crazy world we live in... It's not just Montreal

Mtler
said
0 0

This business of hating our police force and destroying property is out of hand. The problem, as others have pointed out, comes from poor parenting. It takes a community to raise our children well. Stop blaming police and destroying our city. Take accountabilty for the bigger picture and talk with your neighbors more. Are we afraid of each other? We are building walls with our descriminations.

Shoe
said
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Roger T:
Obviously those youths have no respect for the officers involved. Chances are, the one who got killed, was a big culprit in this. (Sad for his family however).
The youth these days have no respect for anything, and believe that they are entitled to everything. If the youtbh surrounded the police, then they have to understand the end result, as police have to protect themselves! If killing someone is the result, then so be it. As for the looters, etc... Slammer time for a long time!

FreakAlert2008
said
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If these kids were just minding their own business, not breaking any laws, by-laws, or statues, and, maybe, not offering his identity, then the police officers overstepped their jurisdiction and violated this kids' God given rights.

Curious, though, what exactly does, "routine intervention", actually mean? Makes me ask the question, what authority does a police officer have over another man when no law has is broken? Being born as equal men and women..I would say, none. Though, servitude is voluntary, however, ignorant we all are of it and the laws many of us are so ignorant of.

Gary Menten
said
0 0

Even if the police were justified in making the arrest, I think it's necessary to question their judgement and methodology in making it. Too many tradgedies and avoidable shootings have occurred because of sloppy procedures.

As far as I can tell from what little details have been reported, the original incident that prompted the riot is a situation that quickly spiralled out of control. There are several questions that need be answered here that and the press would do well to start asking them.

1. What is implied by a routine arrest? What was the reason for the police making the arrest that provoked the incident? Was a crive actually committed, or was this a case of "round up the usual suspects?"

2. How many officers were involved in the original incident? If they were badly outnumbered, why did they not call for backup before proceeding with the arrest?

Please follow up on this.

j
said
0 0

I like to no why she stopped and question the kids. From what i hear they werent doing anything. would you be pissed off if the police stopped you for no reason why you were sitting at a park bench or walking the dog. Come on this is not a police state.
FREEDOM!!!!!!! no more

Andy in Cambridge
said
0 0

they just don't know how to behave in Montreal

Chris
said
0 0

If you're threatening police, then it's not going to end good. They're trained to protect themselves with lethal force if they feel their lives are in danger.

And as for the looting and crap...it IS Montreal, so is anyone really surprised? As far as big cities go in Canada, Montreal is a disgrace.

Roger T
said
0 0

Human Rights groups are watching on how the Police and Gov't officals are handling the situation. Police brutality is spreading across the country on the way they handle youth way of life. To serve and protect NOT to kill!

Seems to be happening more often now a days!

joe
said
0 0

we are seeing the benefits of children raised with no discipline at home or school the future is scary

Mickey
said
0 0

This reaction makes it very easy to believe that the youths who were shot were acting aggressively towards the cops. Obviously this is not a neighbourhood where youths are taught respect for the law, and to care about the safety and well being of others. You reap what you sow.

Sean
said
0 0

My heart does go out to the family for sure, such a young fellow, however a fatal mistake to corner police. They have a job to do, put yourself in their shoes, cornered by 20, then someone going near your pocket, would you feel they may be trying to get your gun. As far as the punks doing all the destruction and looting, throw them in the slammer for a good 10 years, perhaps when the get out they will have matured enough not to do it again.

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Police play a cat-and-mouse game with youth after riots break out.

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If there weren't so many people who hide their faces when committing violent acts then we wouldn't need a law forbidding masks. Unfortunately this is our society now. No one can hide their faces... we aren't special over here, violence has arrived and it is here to stay. Let's not kid ourselves. Violence just escalates to new levels. We've let this "hiding the faces" scenario go on far too long.

KC

Montreal bylaw could offer preview of federal mask ban

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