A makeshift memorial outside an apartment building in Montreal’s Saint-Michel neighbourhood speaks to the anguish the Cruz family is experiencing.
“Because it’s been nearly a month since my brother died and we have no information,” Josué Cruz, brother of Abisay Cruz told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday, as their mother Marcelina Isidro fought back tears.
Abisay Cruz, was declared dead in hospital after an intervention with Montreal police on March 30th at his mother’s home. Neighbours and family members took video recordings and photos of the incident.
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“In one of the videos one of the officers involved indeed did say yes, we know that you’re in distress,” said family lawyer, René Saint-Léger.
According to the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), police were called to the apartment shortly after 8 a.m. responding to a person in crisis. Saint-Léger said the family doesn’t know who placed the call, why police arrived in such large numbers, and why officers were, in the family’s view, overly aggressive.
“One witness said one officer kicked Mr. Cruz in the belly when he was already raising his hands as if to surrender,” said Fo Niemi, head of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), who is advocating for the family.
Saint-Léger added that once Cruz was on the ground he was forcefully subdued, reminding them of what happened to George Floyd.
“One of the officers had his knee on his back, almost touching the neck of Mr. Cruz,” he pointed out.
According to Niemi, the family still has not gotten a copy of the autopsy. Cruz says the family wants a public inquiry.
A spokesperson for the BEI says their investigation is still ongoing and that their probes take an average of six months to complete.
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