March for Fredy Villanueva, Bony Jean-Pierre turns violent

A marchto protest the fatal police shooting of a 46-year-old black man during a drug raidin Montreal Northdescended into bedlam Wednesday night when a small group of protesters vandalized cars, set fire to a bankand threw projectiles at a police station.

The eventbegan peacefully, but erupted in violence later whensome protesters began targeting shops and vehicles, police say.

The window of a Bank of Montreal branchwas smashed and a fire was set inside.Bricks were also lobbed at police station 39 onHenri-BourassaStreet East.

Police in riot gear dispersed the vandals. The turmoil ended around10:15 p.m.

Earlier in the evening several blocks away,about100 people held a vigilto protest against thedeath of Bony Jean-Pierreduring a drug raid on March 31.

Organizers saidthe event also coincided withwhat would have been the 26th birthday of FredyVillanueva.

Villanuevawas shotand killed by police onAug. 9, 2008,afterpolice moved in to breakup an illegal game of dice in thepark.

Protesters saidlittle has been done to improve relations with police in the period since.

The vigil was held inHenri-BourassaPark,followed by themarch, whichwoundthroughMontreal North streets and stopped atArthur-ChevrierStreet, where Jean-Pierrewas shot last week.

• Montreal North vigil to remember Bony Jean-Pierre, Fredy Villanueva
• Bony Jean-Pierre, man shot during Montreal North drug bust, has died
• 11 suspects arrested in Montreal North drug raid, 1 injured

Jean-Pierre was shot in the head by a Montreal police officer last Thursday witha rubber or plastic bullet. Hedied of his injuries earlier this week.

A total of 11 people were arrested in the drug bust on March 31. Two suspects, including Jean-Pierre, tried to flee the scene.

TheSret du Qubechavebeen in charge of the investigation since the shooting, since Quebec law stipulates that a police shooting resulting indeath or injurymust be investigated by another force.

The SQ have been tight-lipped about the circumstances of the shooting.

Don Harley Fils-Aim, aspokesperson for Regroupement d'intervenants d'origine hatienne de Montral-Nord, said Jean-Pierre's deathreminds him ofVillanueva'sshooting death at the hands of Montreal police in2008.

"If there could be a way for people to just stop dying for some things that I find petty, I would be really, really happy for that," Fils-Aim said.

"I'm exhausted with it, frankly."

'Wrong message to public'

Criticshave called for an independent investigation into Jean-Pierre's death.

"One life lost is one life too many," Kerlande Mibel, ProjetMontral'smayoral candidate for theupcoming Montreal North byelection, told reporters.

Quebec's Human Rights Commission has criticized the government for long delays in opening an independent bureau to investigate shootings, serious injuriesand deaths involving a police officer.

The provincial government voted three years ago to create the independent bureau, but it is still not operational.

Those delays send "the wrong message to the public," according to Rene Dupuis, thecommission's vice-president.

"Democratic societies no longer accept that whatever is related to... police force operations [are] dealt with by police officers," said Dupuis.

She said the commission has consulted widely on the issue.

"Everybody's waiting," shesaid.

'Operational as soon as possible'

A spokeswomanfor Quebec's public security minister would not confirm reports that the independent investigations bureau is set to open next month.

"We hope it will be operational as soon as possible," said Marie-Eve Pelletier, addingthat investigators are currently being trained.

Pelletier would not comment on what has caused the delays in setting up the office.

She also declined to comment on whether the new independent body would do its own investigations into Jean-Pierre's deathor into the recent allegations of sexual assault by provincial police officers, made by several aboriginal women.