I have had my driver’s license since I was 16. I’ve never had a criminal record or been involved in any kind of illicit activity. I’m now 45. 

In the three decades since, I have been racially profiled by police at least five times a year. That’s a conservative estimate. 

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My story isn’t unusual. It’s what many Black people expect when they live in this city.

When news broke that Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) officers in Montréal-Nord had been allegedly collecting locks of hair from Black boys and men as trophies, my community wasn’t shocked. It was like hearing about another symptom of a disease we’ve known for decades.

We grieved once again — not because of the hair alone, but because of what it confirmed: that those who have never experienced the police as a repressive force so often refuse to believe us.

Last Friday’s news conference revealed that 16 SPVM officers are under........

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