Financing the baton rather than social

We know it, our social safety net is under attack from all sides. Under pretexts as false as cheaps, the state takes responsibility away to the delight of employers. In health, in social services and education, it's hard. more each year we are asked to do less or as little. We see people that accompanies eating the fly to the economic and social level, if not literally; and lack of resources, it burns and is exhausted. Le burn out musical, this is the reality for the majority of people who work in the community.

On the other hand, we, workers and community workers, have "partners" often imposed not living the violence of capitalism, or even worse that apply directly violence, namely police. Moreover, their number, their equipment and resources continue to grow. This means that the state and its various levels investing heavily in repression, profiling and intimidation rather than inclusion, prevention and various social services (health, education, communal, etc.). It is a political choice.

In street work in the Village and Downtown, we often get to see in action the agents of neighborhood stations 21 and 22. A nice cocktail of intimidation, harassment and profiling against people who are homeless or marginalized. There are agents who give false quadrangles (a prohibition on being a territory) the street people, illegally giving the judge status. There are cops who routinely challenge local young people by their surname by asking them if they are mandated, whether they can stop and remind them who the boss. There are police officers who board the young and old, they confiscate their dope, take them away in the east of the city to better give up without a coat or shoes, away from their usual corner. There are policemen, speaking of red earth floor beaten in northern Émilie-Gamelin park where consumers settle, call this area the "litter".

You'd swear (sic) their role is to feel the "undesirable" that their presence in this very commercial environment is barely tolerated…Many invested money that would be more than welcome in the community sector. Must believe that the priorities of public bodies are not the same as ours.

More, we often end up in dealer with police in consultation bodies which we participate. It is rather ironic that the cops are considered important stakeholders to discuss issues such as fighting poverty and improving the welfare and safety of people living different issues. See them speak on these issues is not only painful but also very frustrating when we know very well that our recommendations, Workers Community, will not really taken into account and that the institution they work for will do exactly the opposite, that is to say, continue to repress and criminalize the poor and marginalized. Even worse, very well that when a Community event will we know, finally heard our demands, we who daily work with the most vulnerable people, they will be there to watch us, or bludgeon us if we have the misfortune to be too disturbing-e-s.

As workers and community workers, we denounce police brutality, the almost total impunity that the police has, but also our various levels of government that will not only punish those gestures but subsidize them with their hundreds of millions each year. C'est pourquoi nous nos invitons classmates and allié-and-s du communautaire in a participer the demonstration against police brutality on Friday 15 mars next. We will be there with our union colors, solidarity!

 

A worker and a worker of the Community Committee SITT-IWW Montreal.

 

Text originally published in the 2019 State newspaper of Police Collective Opposed to Police Brutality.

Photo credit: The activist.