For fourth time in a year, Human Rights Commission rules Repentigny police engaged in racial profiling

MONTREAL -

The Quebec Human Rights Commission ruled that the City of Repentigny and two local police officers should pay damages to a Black man for racial profiling, again.

It is the fourth time the commission has ruled against the city off the northest tip of the Island of Montreal for racial profiling in a year.

The commission recommended that the city and officers pay former Repentigny resident Leslie Blot $38,000 for a 2017 incident.

In July of that year, Blot was arrested in front of his house during a party. Blot said two police officers pulled up and questioned him because he was sitting in the passenger seat of his friend's car blowing up an inflatable children's toy. The officers said they questioned him because the car was not from Repentigny. It was registered in Laval, 30 minutes away.

Blot was arrested, handcuffed and given four tickets totalling over $700. One of the police officers erased Blot's recording of the intervention.

The Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) filed the Human Rights Commission complaint on behalf of Blot.

Blot told CTV News he doesn't expect the city to pay without significant delays and a legal fight after seeing similar cases having to go to court resulting in lengthy delays.

"It's not about the money, it's about the moral victory," he said.

CRARR has filed nine more complaints against Repentigny from seven Black men.

The city has until July 16 to decide whether it will pay the fine. The person who is owed the money can take the decision to the Human Rights Tribunal to make the order binding.