MONTREAL -- The city of Repentigny and its police force are being asked to pay $42,000 in damages over a case of racial profiling that took place five years ago.

The incident involved two 12-year old boys who were at a birthday party for an older member of the family.

Growing a little bored, the boys went outside to play hide-and-seek.

A police officer arrived at the party soon after to inform the Sophie Bellemare that her son, Shewany, had been arrested for stealing a car.

Bellemare went outside to find the boy in the back of a police cruiser, crying.

Police told her that he needed to confess and that they had proof by way of witnesses that it was a solid case. Amid repeated pressure and threats from police officers, Bellemare resisted.

Hours later, the owner of the car called the police and said it wasn’t the boys who broke the window of his BMW after all.

The police did not apologize to Bellemare or her son, nor have they admitted wrongdoing.

The human rights commission has ordered the force to pay penalties totalling $42,000.

Police, however, are refusing to pay.

“When I heard the decision from the human rights commission, I thought that it was over,” said Bellemare, who said her son would ask her for updates on the case. “When we received this decision, we were like, ‘Oh finally, it’s over. Justice is done.’”

Now 18, Shewany Tshilombo is set to study architecture. Bellemare said that though it’s been five years, they still haven’t been able to close the case.

“It’s not about the money; it’s about that they recognized that something wrong happened, but now I heard yesterday.. that they are contesting, that they don’t feel they are responsible and they don’t want to pay. So it’s not over. I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but apparently we’re going to have to go to court to fight this,” she said.

 

Watch the video above for the interview with Sophie Bellemare.