Incivilities in the Village: Will the Return of a Citizen Brigade Be Necessary?

Brigade member image

Roger-Luc Chayer (Image: AI – Gay Globe)

We hear about it every day in the media, whether local or national, and the situation in the Village gai of Montreal is not improving. Physical and sexual assaults, thefts, burglaries, car vandalism, drug trafficking, prostitution, harassment, hate crimes, and armed violence persist.

Despite the complaints and pleas from residents, business owners, and users, the City is reluctant to enforce laws and regulations, resulting in a complete lack of control that harms coexistence and the economic activities of this neighborhood, which was once very pleasant to visit.

The general sentiment among the population is that the police are not doing enough to curb the wave of criminal acts. Instead of addressing these acts through the enforcement of municipal regulations and the Criminal Code, there seems to be an attempt to temper the frustration of business owners and residents rather than confronting the root cause of the problem. So far, not only has the social situation not improved in Ville-Marie, but according to some police officers recently encountered during a small-scale police operation, the worst is yet to come in the fall.

Many are wondering if it might be time to revive the Brigade du Village, created in the 1990s through a commercial collaboration independent of the City. The Brigade was also established following the residents’ revolt on rue Champlain.

The Rue Champlain Revolt of the 1990s

For a long time, rue Champlain, between Sherbrooke and de Maisonneuve in the Village, had become the main area of prostitution in Montreal, with dozens of sex workers present along the street, 24 hours a day. Naturally, residents who had to navigate this stretch were overwhelmed not only by their presence but also by the constant solicitation. Additionally, children who needed to go to school or simply play in their street were exposed to this reality until residents, fed up with the situation, decided to take action. This situation led to abnormal traffic, the presence of lookouts and other pimps, not to mention the syringes and used condoms littering the sidewalks!

Frustrated by the City’s inaction, residents gave an ultimatum to the authorities and the sex workers: if they did not leave, they would organize in groups to clear the area, even by force if necessary. Some residents patrolled in groups, armed with baseball bats or pots and pans, not to attack anyone, but to make noise, scare off the clients driving by, and make life difficult for the sex workers. The latter could no longer rely on the calm of the area to solicit their clients, as these clients, fearing recognition or arrest, preferred to avoid the area. And it worked!

The Return of the Brigade du Village

The Brigade du Village was established shortly thereafter, with the aim of providing a reassuring presence for merchants, residents, and visitors to the Village gai, at a time when homophobic assaults were more frequent. The crime observed today was neither as present nor as intense.

The Brigade consisted of volunteers, all dressed in a recognizable and visible manner, who patrolled rue Sainte-Catherine, greeting merchants directly and providing a sense of security for everyone.

The Brigade was not under the City’s, the borough’s, or the police’s jurisdiction. It was an independent entity that, in the event of a problem, could contact the police or paramedics directly and remain on site until the relevant authorities took over.

The principle worked relatively well, with funding coming directly from merchants’ donations for the purchase of identifiable clothing, shoes, and communication equipment.

Unfortunately, due to improvised management and embezzlement of funds—the RG Magazine had published a series of reports on the misuse of funds by the Brigade’s leader—the group was forced to dissolve.

A New Brigade for 2024?

Given the current state of affairs in 2024, would the return of a Brigade du Village, made up

of volunteers with some security training, be a good initiative to support the work of police officers and cadets? This brigade could provide additional eyes on the streets, potentially allowing the authorities to act more effectively.

Would volunteers, even with minimal training, be willing to try to improve the situation in the Village? It must be acknowledged that the City is unlikely to participate in such an initiative, as it goes against its policy of coexisting with waste, condoms, syringes, and human excrement scattered throughout the streets. The question remains.

What do you think?

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