A 54-year-old blind man is accusing Montreal police of conducting a violent arrest.

Vacqueth Stevenson said he was playing music with friends in Nelson Mandela Park in Cote-des-Neiges on May 23.

He said two police officers approached the group around 9 p.m. and asked them to turn down their music.

When Stevenson stood up to search for his music equipment he said one of the officers grabbed both his arms, pulled them behind his back and slammed him onto the ground, face down.

He also felt someone stepping on his back and then his head.

During this time he said his friends were yelling, "He's blind!"

Stevenson said he ended up with a bruises on his head and a split lip.

“ I am a servant to this community, and my family we run a business here," he said. "I don’t see why I can’t go in the park and play a little music, you know? I don’t see why they are doing this to me.”

The Centre for Research Action on Race Relations (CRARR) is calling for a full and broad inquiry into his arrest and the reasons why he was fined for playing music in the park and charged with a criminal offense.