Hundreds of family members, friends and residents attended a peaceful march on Saturday to honour Nooran Rezayi, the 15-year-old who was shot and killed by a Longueuil police (SPAL) officer six days ago.
It was the first of two events planned for the weekend in honour of Rezayi.
Peaceful march and vigil
On Saturday, the peaceful and quiet march began on the corner of Monaco and Joseph-Daigneault streets, where the boy was killed.
“We are marching to pay tribute and to denounce injustice so that this never happens again,” a poster for the event reads. “This is not for us, but for Nooran and his family.”
Rezayi’s friends walked through the neighbourhood, and family members and others, including his father, spoke in the boy’s memory.
Many held signs aloft with pictures of Rezayi, including one in the teen’s voice written before he died.
“I’m a very friendly person and athletic,” it reads. “What make me an unforgettable person is that I was always there for me friends when they had trouble and when they were in bad mood. That’s what makes me an unforgettable and kind person.”
The teen’s father described his son in a statement read on his behalf as a thoughtful and loving teen who was “full of dreams, full of life.”
“Our family is devastated,” he said. “We mourn not only the loss of our child, but also that of the future which has just been taken away from him, and from us as well.”
Sanna Mansouri, whose younger brother was a close friend of Rezayi’s, denounced the racism faced by youth in the North African community in a speech to the crowd. She told reporters after the event that her brother and his friends were struggling to process the death.
“Fifteen is very young to lose a friend,” she said.
The changes she wants to see include defunding the police and “stop the racism in society, because racism kills.”
Mansouri’s brother tearfully told the crowd that Rezayi had been like a brother to him. “Nooran was always smiling, he was always there to console or understand a person who didn’t feel good,” he said.
Before the event, organizers and family members called for calm and for those participating to be respectful and peaceful.
“If your intention is to cause damage, do not come. It will only make things worse,” the poster reads.
Anti-police brutality march
On Sunday, protesters gathered at Gérard-Filion Secondary School, “to demand justice for Nooran, a young man tragically killed by the Longueuil police.”
The demonstration was calm, but there was a heavy police presence.
In addition, protesters demanded that all police in Quebec wear body cameras.
“We refuse to remain silent in the face of the tragedy of Nooran Rezayi,” the Facebook event page reads. “His death is a painful reminder of the abuse, systemic racism and police brutality that continue to plague our communities.”
Protesters walked from the school to the Longueuil police headquarters on Curé-Poirier Boulevard West and walked around the station.
Call for calm
Longueuil police and Quebec Public Safety Minister Ian Lafrenière (who also represents the riding) called for calm during the events on Friday.
SPAL spokesperson Gino Iannone said police have received information that a “small number of individuals may attempt to provoke confrontation with police officers” during the weekend’s events.
“We would like to remind everyone that such behaviour will not be tolerated,” he said.
No gun seized
Rezayi was shot by an officer while out with his friends to reportedly film a video in the nearby woods.
The officer has since been placed on leave.
He was shot after a 911 call about a group of allegedly armed people in a public place.
Police later seized some masks and a baseball bat, as well as the officer’s weapon.
Quebec’s police watchdog (BEI) is investigating the shooting. The Montreal police (SPVM) is conducting a parallel investigation.
With files from The Canadian Press.
