The escalation of armed violence in the east of the metropolis was one of the issues of the hour addressed on the plateau of Everybody talks about it, Last Sunday, while Christine Black, mayor of Montréal-Nord, and activist Will Prosper were among the guests of Guy A. Lepage.
In the wake of the assassination of Meriem Boundaoui, this 15-year-old girl recently shot dead in the northeast of Montreal, the question of the increased police presence in this sector of the city was raised.
“We could put a police officer on every street corner, that would not have avoided an event like the one that happened in Meriem,” said Prosper.
Favorable to police definition, Mr. Prosper spoke out against strengthening the police force in Montreal-North. Rather, this former police officer wants a fight to be carried out at the level of “fundamental issues”. Poverty, inequality and substandard housing must be addressed directly in order to tackle violence in the district, he stressed.
Christine Black, for her part, was of the opinion that a certain calm had to be restored in the borough before considering applying such measures.
“The effects of social work can take a few years. If there is less intervention with weapons in the streets, then we will talk about the definition of the police, ”she said.
Immediate investments
If the two speakers presented differences in their approach to the problem, each recognizes the need to act quickly in Montreal-North.
For Christine Black, the current security and public health crisis highlights the vulnerabilities of her district.
Previously a youth worker, Ms. Black maintains that “it takes a large chunk of investment”, particularly in the health, infrastructure and community sectors. She indicates that everyone must get involved in view of the urgency of the situation.
At the end of the interview, Will Prosper finally said he was worried about the young people of Montreal-North. “We are mortgaging our future. If we took 10% of the police budget, we could work miracles in our community, ”he concluded.
Montreal-North is afflicted by a series of violent events in recent months.
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