Police brutality is real in Gatineau

About a week ago,  @emglion on Instagram posted a video outlining his interaction with a Gatineau police officer. The police officer questioned him about his car then proceeded to beat him up. Because he was severely injured from the altercation, he was placed into an ambulance and taken to the hospital. The video itself was jarring and extremely upsetting because we (black people) understand exactly what he is going through. Bytown blog was created to be a positive space, however it is not an ignorant one. Police brutality is very real, and it is not solely an “American” problem. Police brutality is also a Canadian problem too, especially in cities such as Gatineau in Quebec. As @emglion said in his IG caption “A Black man with a nice car gets stopped for no reason in Gatineau”, and as a Black man writing this blogpost, I can remember several BAD interactions with the Gatineau Police Department. 

Bytown Blog is not just a media brand, we are a brand that focuses on speaking out for the voiceless and condemning actions like this. Police brutality is no joke, and what @emglion experienced is  exactly what a lot of Black men (unfortunately) go through. How do we end this? It is impossible, but what we can do is speak out and hold these police departments accountable. I encourage everyone to view @emglion post on IG and send a complaint to the Gatineau Police Department (Service Policier du Ville de Gatineau) and let them know your thoughts on this travesty. Click here for the direct link. As Canadian citizens, we all have rights and we must use them to the best of our abilities. If not, we stand the risk of losing them. As the great Malcolm X once said, “stand for something or fall for anything.” We won’t fall for police brutality, we will stand against it!