A Cote-des-Neiges man says he is stunned his complaint about his violent arrest has been dismissed by the police ethics commissioner.
Errol Burke said he was slammed to the ground and handcuffed by police in a case of mistaken identity last February.
Burke, who is in his 50s, was dropping in to his local depanneur, but before he walked inside he was arrested by police who immediately knocked him into the wall.
Guns drawn, several officers roughly arrested Burke, slamming him face-first into the floor and cuffing him tightly. The incident was caught on security camera video.
They told him they were looking for a stabbing suspect, later admitting they were looking for another black man dressed in a similar way.
"It was presented as an excuse, not as an apology," said Burke.
He said none of the police ever expressed any concern for him, even after admitting their fault.
"The police never asked me how I was feeling, if I was okay, if I was hurt in any way," he said. "They simply undid the handcuffs and told me to go home."
Burke said that to him, it seemed as though police believe all black men look alike.
"My opinion is that generally speaking, if the police have some reason to suspect you and you're a person of colour, male in particular, you're seen as being potentially dangerous," he said. "You're viewed as being a thug or a criminal before you're seen as someone they just want to ask questions."
He was eventually released and later filed a complaint.
On Tuesday, he revealed that the complaint was rejected, with the ethics commissioner ruling that police had reasonable grounds in fact and in law to suspect Burke could have committed an offence. He and the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations say they’re shocked by the outcome and are planning an appeal.
"They don't address the fact there was physical violence against me," said Burke. "They address the fact the police pointed their guns at me. They excuse it because police were looking for a dangerous person.
CRARR founder Fo Niemi said that “police showed flagrant disregard” for Burke.
"An officer has to show concern for the health and safety of a person under his guard," said Niemi. "That was in the complaint and the commission ignored that."
Burke said the most grievous issue for him was the lack of concern for his treatment during and after the false arrest.
“Once they realized they had the wrong guy, they just took off the handcuffs and said, ‘go home.’ That’s it. They themselves knew how much physical force they used against me, and yet nobody asked me if I needed any kind of care, if I needed to go to the hospital,” he said.
Niemi said this type of incident is far too common in Montreal.
