Montreal police union slams Mayor Valrie Plante over support for Fredy Villanueva memorial

The Montreal Police Brotherhood saysMayorValrie Plante should read or re-read the 134-page coroner's report into Fredy Villanueva's2008 shooting death after voicing her support for a memorialfor the Montreal North teen.

At her first council meeting Monday,Plantereplied to a question from Solo Fugre, who launched a petition calling for the memorial last year, along with a fellow cast member from the Montreal play Fredy.

Fugreasked if thePlanteadministration would highlight the memory of "this victim of police brutality"in 2018, which will be the10thanniversary ofVillanueva'sshooting by police Const. Jean-LoupLapointe.

"Despite the good will of all involved, including police, it remains that there were errors committed in the past that caused the death of a young man who did not deserve to die," Plante said.

• Petition calls for Fredy Villanueva memorial in Montreal North

Villanuevawas 18 when he wasshotbyLapointeon Aug. 9, 2008, after police moved in to break up an illegal game of dice in the parking lot of Henri-Bourassa Arena.

Plantesaid Monday that many people in the community have been calling for a memorial to Villanueva for a long time.

She offered to meet Montreal North borough Mayor Christine Black "to find a solution quickly that will satisfy everyone."

Police Brotherhood reject comments

Both the Montreal Police Brotherhood and Montreal North's borough mayor expressed shock at Plante's comments.

Plante sent a "strange and ambiguous message" by saying she was interested in honouring the memory of Villanueva, the police union said in a statement.

It also took issue withher calling the events which unfolded "errors committed in the past."

"It could be useful for the mayor to read or re-read the coroner's report. This is not a subject we can deal with in generalities," said the brotherhood's president, Yves Francoeur.

The union also pointed out thatthere is no public memorial tothe 71 police officers who have been killed in the line of duty in the city's history.

Ricardo Lamour, a friend of the Villanuevafamily who launched the petition along with Fugre,said the police union's comments are an attempt to derail the attention Plante'sstance on Villanueva is getting.

Lamour said now is the perfect time for the city to reflect on racial profiling.

"We're entering the10thyear since the assassination ofFredyVillanueva," he toldCBCMontreal'sHomerun.

Decision to be made in Montreal North

Blacksaid she and her borough administration were also surprised by Plante's position.

Black called it "a very polarizing issue for the citizens of Montreal North which has a huge level of nuance and requires enormous sensitivity."

Plante, for her part, has turned the matter back to Black and the Montreal North borough.

Asked how a memorial might take shape, Plante'sspokesperson, Marc-Andr Viaureplied, "It's up to borough Mayor Black."

• Coroner's inquest into Villanueva police shooting

• VIDEO:Villanueva coroner's report released