Black, disabled Laval man wins third decision against police

Man wins ‘hard and grueling’ racial profiling case Pradel Content was relieved to win his case against a Laval police officer who deleted his cellphone video of a 2017 traffic stop.

Pradel Content has won a third legal victory against two Laval police (SPL) officers he accused of racial profiling him in 2018.

A recent Police Ethics Commission decision suspended officer Philippe Bélisle for six days and Kévin Langlois for two days when they issued Content a ticket for insulting them.

"I welcome this decision. I will keep on being vigilant and file civil rights and police ethics complaints whenever necessary because racial profiling can have negative effects on my freedom and my health," said Content in a news release. "I just want to live, drive, go shop or relax in front of my home without surveillance and harassment."

Content is an English-speaking Black man with a disability and said he was harassed by officers in the past, so he took his phone out to film the two when they stopped him in front of his apartment building.

"Two officers, Kévin Langlois and Philippe Bélisle, asked him in French if he had a problem with his phone," reads the release from the Centre for Research Action on Race Relations executive director Fo Niemi. "Content told them that he was recording to 'protect his human rights' and the officers used a sarcastic tone to mock him."

As the officers drove off, Content responded angrily.

"I don't even know your name, but I'm going to know your name and you're going to know me bitch!" he said.

The officers returned with a $77 ticket.

Content contested the ticket and the Laval court overturned it in 2019, saying that the officers approached him without a valid reason.

Content then filed a Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission complaint, which found in 2020 that he had been racially profiled, ordering both officers to pay him $13,000.

The ethics committee decision this month found that both officers used "poor judgement in the exercise of their extraordinary powers" and that they used a "sarcastic attitude" towards Content.

A seven-year veteran of the force at the time, Belisle was training Langlois who had less than six months of experience at the time.

Belisle had formerly been suspended for 55 days for a misconduct case connected to the assault of a minor.

Niemi said it was another important legal clarification for police officers when they exercise their powers.

"The Laval Police Service should continue its efforts to prevent racial profiling and police misconduct, notably that involving abuse of power when dealing with Black people," he said.

Content filed another complaint against the SPL with the Human Rights Commission.

He is waiting for a decision on that complaint.

Content has had multiple run-ins with police in Laval. In 2017, surveillance video shows officer Michael Boutin taking Content's cell phone as he was filming him during a traffic stop. The officer then slammed Content on his car and deleted the video.

The officer was suspended for 18 days in 2020 after the ethics committee found he had racially profiled Content.