Legal Clinic
Free service
The Black Coalition of Quebec offers free Legal Clinic Services with the following objectives:
Promote the rights and interests of victims of racial discrimination, judicial abuse, police brutality and racial profiling.
Assist victims in the preparation of their case files, and accompany them in their processes
Provide the necessary information the victims and refer them to the appropriate institutions and organizations in order to find solutions to their situation.
Know your rights
The black community has been over the years victims of police brutality, racial profiling, and discrimination. In many police interventions against members of the black community and others are charged for offenses they did not commit i.e. assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, refusing to identify themselves, obstruction of justice, etc. The sad part in most of these cases is while the victims of police excesses are not guilty yet they plead guilty to avoid a long judicial process.
Stand up and defend your rights, DO NOT PLEAD GUILTY if you are innocent because you will end up with a criminal record that will affect you throughout your life.
Not guilty
DEFEND YOUR RIGHTS BUT BE SMART. SILENCE IS GOLDEN
Follow these steps:
- It is my right to refuse to talk to the police or answer their questions.
- It is my right to ask the police if I am arrested or detained. If I am not, I can leave. ¸
- If I am arrested or detained, it is my right to speak to a lawyer before answering any questions.
- It is my right to ask a police officer to tell me his/her name or to show me their badge numbers.
- Before the police search my house, car, or my body, it is my right to demand that they show me a search warrant, or give me the reason for the search.
- It is my right to insist that a strip search be private and be seen only by officers of the same sex.
- If the police don’t honor my rights, I should not resist. I should mentally note all violations.
- When a police officer points his gun at me he seriously threatens my security and life, it is my right to ask that he be charged criminally with assault.
- It is my right to have a lawyer to defend me in a criminal case even if I cannot afford one.
If you think you have been a victim of verbal, physical, racial profiling or racism. It is your right to contact the Black Coalition of Quebec at 514 489-3830 or e-mail us at info.ligue@videotron.ca.