Montreal’s first Defund the Police Festival teaches community about often misunderstood issue – Montreal

The first ever Defund Police Festival in Montreal was held on the Saturday afternoon of the NDG. Organizers say the growing movement is often misinterpreted and that to really get to the root causes, education and containment are needed.

“You know, the real purpose is to bring the community together, you know, to get together and have a good time, and educate the community on what it means to be badass police,” he said. Jessica Quijano, from the Coalition Against Police said.

Organizers say the Defund the Police Festival is a safe space for the community to learn about police alternatives and solutions. The day-long event features children’s face painting, book sales, ice skating jams and various workshops.

“There will be a total of ten workshops going on today to give people a chance to really learn about this, if they might not be used to talking about these things,” said Lacey Boudreau, Festival Organizer and Concordia students said .

In the City of Montreal’s 2022 budget, public security accounted for 17.7% of spending, more than any other issue. The police department’s budget was increased by $45 million, bringing the total to $724 million.

Festival organizers want to reallocate 50% of the Montreal police budget to community organizations that supporters believe will help prevent gun violence in the city. It is an issue that politicians and police say they are working to contain.

“Again, the reason why we see an increase in gun violence has a lot to do with the drug trade. Why do so many people plunge into drug trafficking? Because they need money,” said Quijano.

In a statement to Global News, the mayor’s office wrote, “Community groups are at the heart of our public safety strategy and play a central role in preventing violence, especially in those areas.” young people. Our administration is convinced of the importance of better supporting community groups, and that’s why we doubled the financial support given to community groups in the last budget. together “.

However, festival organizers argue that community organizations are still not properly funded.

The Montreal police did not respond to our request for an interview by the deadline.