Uprising Erupts in Montreal as Cops Murder 18-Year-Old Fredy Villanueva

by Lucho Granados Ceja (of Barrio Nuevo) Basics Issue#10 (Aug/Sep 2008)

In the middle of the night on August 10, 2008, youth from Montreal-Nord took to the streets to express their outrage with the racist actions of the Montreal Police. Protestors marched through the streets and set fires to cars and trash. A fire station was also burned.

The youth were responding to the police murder of 18-year-old Honduran youth Fredy Villanueva the night before, on the evening of August 9. According to witnesses, the police approached a group of youth who were playing dice and became aggressive with the group of youth. Fredy’s brother, Dany Villanueva, was singled out by the police to be searched without cause and ultimately arrested. After Dany was placed in the back of the police car, the situation quickly escalated and the police fired four shots without warning, killing Fredy. Police have refused to explain themselves for their actions. The Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations in Montreal has called for a public inquiry as a result.

It is clear that the actions taken by youth on the night of August 10 are merely the boiling over of anger towards a history of racism and misconduct by police in Canada, especially toward racialized youth. The murder of Fredy Villanueva is not an isolated incident. Just last year, Toronto police murdered unarmed teenager Alwy Al-Nadhir in a similar unprovoked attack, and earlier this year, 28-year-old Native man Byron Debassige.

Communities subject to racist policing need not tolerate it anymore. Although the riots on the night of August 10 certainly got the public’s attention, it cannot bring lasting solutions. Our communities must create a broad-based movement to end racist police brutality all together.

Police must not be allowed to “investigate” each other so as to cover their own backs. We must demand justice for the murder of Fredy Villanueva, but moreover, we must organize ourselves if justice is going to be realized.

Lanzamiento oficial del sitio de internet de San Lorenzo

Queridos/as todos/as

Estamos muy complacidos de informarles del lanzamiento oficial de nuestro sitio de internet. Este incluye informacion sobre nuestros propios proyectos e incluso permite a nuestra audiencia tener acceso a escuchar Voces Latinas 1610 AM en su propia pagina, simplemente presionando sobre el logo de Voces Latinas. Es una rede dinamica, lo que nos permitira renovar contenido y fotografias en el futuro.

Nuestra direccion electronica es: www.sanlorenzo.ca

Dear All

We are pleased to inform you of the launch of San Lorenzo's official website. This website includes information on our various projects and also allows the listener to access Voces Latinas from the homepage by just clicking on the Voces Latinas logo. It is a dynamic website which means that content and photos will be updated in the future.

The url is: www.sanlorenzo.ca

Interview with Jill Freidberg director of Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad

Jill Freidberg is the director of the documentary about the unprecedented media phenomenon that emerged when tens of thousands of school teachers, housewives, indigenous communities, health workers, farmers, and students took 14 radio stations and one TV station into their own hands, using them to organize, mobilize, and ultimately defend their grassroots struggle for social, cultural, and economic justice in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

You can download it here:
http://drop.io/BarrioNuevoJillFreidbergInterview
(in English)

For more information on the film:
Un Poquito De Tanta Verdad

Intrevista con Leocadio Juracán del CCDA

El CCDA es una organización que lucha por el acceso a la tierra y los derechos laborales de los campesinos Mayas en Guatemala.

Se puede conseguir aquí:
http://drop.io/BarrioNuevoCCDAInterview
(en español)

Para mas información:
Comite Campesino Del Altiplano