On January 6, 2012 Montreal police shot and killed Farshad Mohammadi, a homeless man, downtown at métro Bonaventure, the first police killing of the year. In response the Howl! arts collective is calling on people in Montreal to gather in remembrance and solidarity with Farshad Mohammadi. Howl! calls on community members, and particularly artists, to commemorate and express remembrance for Farshad Mohammadi via placard signs, song and poetic verse. As winter winds blow across Montreal, let us remember the struggle for justice and dignity of people on the streets.
As Canada’s Conservative government moves to enforce economic austerity measures that place the burden of the financial crisis on poor and working people, let us also mark this police killing within the growing calls for social and economic justice in Quebec and Canada.
Details of the killing remain unknown, however the clear facts stand as a horrific reminder of police violence in Montreal. There has still been no accountability, nor justice, for the many victims of police violence in Montreal. Fredy Villaneuva, Mohamed Anas Bennis, Quilem Registre, all the way back to Jean-Pierre Lizotte and Anthony Griffin, were all killed as a direct result of police action. Since 1987, in Montreal, more than 60 people have been killed by the Montreal police, most recently Mario Hamel and Patrick Limoges killed in June, 2011. Let us stand united in solidarity against police killings and violence.
Howl! arts collective
twitter.com/howlarts
facebook.com/howlarts
howlarts.net/
