Editor's Choice: Legault Responded To Criticism Of Policing Homeless Quebecers During Curfew
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How dare they try to silence a genuine and non-aggressive question?
Sabrina Prosser
Sabrina Prosser
Prosser told MTL Blog she wanted to know what the SPVM was doing to rectify the situation with the city's homeless population during curfew hours.
But she said that a few minutes after posting, her comment was removed.
Prosser then posted a second comment, she said, and encouraged her friends and followers to continue asking the SPVM for details regarding the $1,550 ticket.
Prosser said her follow-up comment, as well as an additional third comment, were also deleted.
Sabrina Prosser
Two more commenters, Juliana Dehm and Victoria Rodriguez-Carnevale, told MTL Blog the SPVM deleted their initial comments. Â
Unlike in Prosser's case, Dehm claimed the SPVM did not intervene in a follow-up comment she posted.Â
"I guess they realized everyone was spreading the word about what they were doing," she said.
A spokesperson for the SPVM told MTL Blog that its moderators are sometimes required to remove comments on its social media platforms — specifically, when they are off-topic or have been uploaded several times, as per its 'Netiquette' policy. Â
Sabrina Prosser
"The specialized teams of the SPVM [...] work for the well-being of vulnerable people, including those who find themselves in a situation of homelessness, at the time of enforcing curfew measures," the spokesperson said.
"Where possible, the police will also accompany people experiencing homelessness to the appropriate resources so that they can receive the help and support they need."
Prosser said the SPVM's actions contradict its "Netiquette" policy, as her first comment was just posted once and was respectful.
"They are effectively trying to sweep it under the rug, and as a taxpaying citizen, I have an absolute right to question whether or not the SPVM is doing their job properly," she said.
Other Montrealers joined the discussion, asking the SPVM to justify its actions of deleting Prosser's initial comment.Â
Sabrina Prosser
The SPVM — issuing a response in the comments section five days after Prosser began to question its social media management — referred another commenter, Tiger Tchakounté, to its 'Netiquette' policy.Â
Dehm called the SPVM's response an "excuse," saying that Prosser's initial comments were "neither rude nor vulgar."
Prosser told MTL Blog that she believes the SPVM still needs to be held accountable for its treatment of the city's homeless population.
"If [the SPVM] are going to have that budget, they better be open to criticism and guidance," she said.
"This is not a police state. This is not okay."
As of January 22, there were numerous comments in the thread for this photo questioning the SPVM's practice of ticketing homeless people, and criticizing the SPVM for allegedly deleting comments.Â
A Quebec Talk Show Host Stepped Down After An 'Inappropriate Question' For Mamadi Camara
Tout le monde en parle host Dany Turcotte announced Thursday afternoon that he's stepping down from his role on the show after posing a question he later admitted was "inappropriate" to Mamadi Camara, who was a guest on the talk show on February 14.
Camara appeared on Tout le monde en parle after his wrongful arrest, which followed an assault on a Montreal police officer.
Editor's Choice: Quebec Is Thinking About 'Limiting The Number Of Places' In English CEGEPs
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I made an error in judgment by asking Mr. Mamadi Camara an inappropriate question.
Dany Turcotte
According to a report from the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP), the attack on officer Sanjay Vig occurred while he was issuing a statement of offence for an alleged "breach of the road safety code" on January 28.
Camara and his lawyer, Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, stated on Tout le monde en parle that he witnessed the altercation but never left his car while at the scene.
Camara spent six days in detention before his release in light of new evidence that exonerated him.
"Are you going to still use your cell phone while driving?" Turcotte asked on the show on February 14.
"That's another debate," Camara responded. "But I can assure you that I was not on my phone."
Turcotte called his comments an "error in judgment" on social media.
In a Facebook post on Thursday evening, he said the "social media circus" got "carried away" and wrote him hateful comments.
The former host said his confidence had dropped after several "social media storms" regarding past comments on Tout le monde en parle.
He described himself as being "paralyzed by the fear of being wrong" and also said his position as "court jester simply no longer seems relevant."
A February 18 press release by Radio-Canada confirmed Turcotte's departure from the show.
"Dany Turcotte informed the producers of Tout le monde en parle and Radio-Canada management today of his intention to end his role as Fou du roi on the show immediately," the statement said.
"Acknowledging his decision, Radio-Canada and the producers have agreed that Guy A. Lepage will host alone by the end of this season."