I was attacked today by the guy in this photo on St. Denis just below Sherbrooke. Someone recommended I mention a store owned by this Kurdish guy.
When I asked the KIt's for a light'n'fluffy story I'm writing for some US newspaper about interesting places in Montreal.
urd if wanted in the article, he said he'd have to ask his boss. He recommends that I only take a photo from the outside. I ask him maybe he should call his boss to ask her what she thinks.
Soon he's yelling very loudly. So I depart and I take that outside photo although at this point I'm pretty doubtful of using it.
He's runs out at me - as you can see in the photo - screaming in a mad rage, accusing me of being in the Mafia.
He grabs me by the neck and pins me up against that railing while screaming even louder.
Some 20 something European Plateaunik passerby tells the Kurd that he's committing assault and recommends that the Kurd let go of me. He then offers to act as a witness in a police report.
The Kurd scurries inside. He calls the cops, for what I'm not sure. I hadn't raised my voice, much less a hand in self-defense.
The Kurd explains that he has videotape, including some pointed onto the street. The Kurd neglects to show them the tape and the police don't bother asking to see it.
I repeatedly ask them to charge him with assault but the duo - one being Shawn Kemp-Dunberry of Station 12 - who seems like a nice enough guy, repeatedly discourage me from making a complaint because - they speculate - nothing would come of it. At this point I'm freezing cold having stood outside for half an hour. I've still got the option of pressing charges against the guy but I'd have to visit a police station and file a report.
Montreal cops have earned a reputation of being overzealous and reckless. In fact the opposite is true. Montreal cops aren't very serious about justice in this town. I had assumed that Quebec's low rate of criminal assault - we've got about half of Alberta's rate - was due to the peacefulness of our city. Now I suspect that it's because the police discourage victims of assault from proceeding with their complaints.
So next time you assault somebody in Montreal, don't worry too much about getting arrested because you can just bullshit the police and nothing will come of it.
Shawn Kemp-Dunberry (NAS)
ReplyDeleteI don't think he intentionally didn't want you to make any complaints, it is just the laws today really are full of shit! and the Police can't really do anything about the laws and rules, they have to follow them. You should have went to the station and made a complaint anyway, regardless of what the officers said if you really felt like it should have been made. My opinion today you have to watch your back, and if you mess with the wrong people you never know what could happen. People are crazy! The officer Shawn probably just told you to leave it be to protect you from any future incounters with that loser that harrassed you on St Denis Street. I hope you are doing well since the incident, the Police are just trying to do the best they can at their jobs. It isn't easy for them either.
Keep safe, and all the best.
Nala
I know Im way late commenting on this but I have to say I agree with you intirely Kristian! I too was attacked a few years ago, I was 18. My mother's neighbor (a 40-something-yr-old man)grabbed me and threw me into a wall for having tried to break up a fight between his wife and another lady on the street. Believe it or not after waiting over two hours for the police to show up they too tried to convince me to not press charges because the man who grabbed me was my mother's neighbor. Disgusting really. Anyways I did press charges and went to court about 2 and half years later... He didnt get a record or anything, he had to sign a document preventing him to come within a certain distance from me and by that time my mother had already moved. Needless to say, I'm not impressed.
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