Montreal-based survey finds racial profiling most common in stores and banks

The Institute for Research and Education on Race Relations is warning shoppers to be aware of consumer racial profiling.

“This is a common complaint from our participants in our survey and that oftentimes it doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” said Kathryn Nicassio from The Institute for Research and Education on Race Relations.

The IRERR surveyed 160 participants in the Greater Montreal area as part of the Communities United for Racial Equality (CURE) Project. According to its findings, Black, Arab, Asian and Indigenous respondents say racial profiling is most common in the commercial services sector, followed by education, employment and policing.

“Racial profiling is happening in all these sectors every day, daily at a subtle level,” said CURE Project’s deputy co-ordinator Stéphane Thalès.

Almost half of the respondents who reported being victims of racial profiling say it happened in a store or bank. Ashley Poleon was shopping in the West Island when she was detained by police. They claimed she was an accomplice to another Black customer.

“I did suffer a lot of PTSD after the fact. So it took me around two to three years to actually go into a store, like, comfortably,” she told Global News.

Consumer racial profiling can even include being followed by a security guard or denied service based on race. The institute says despite being the most common finding, these incidents often go unreported.

“People need to be aware that this happens and not just brush it off as a normal part of their everyday life. It should not be a normal part of your everyday life,” said Nicassio.

In an email to Global News, the province writes, “There are standards of behavior for private security officers. If an individual feels aggrieved by an agent, they can file a complaint with the Bureau…. We are also considering increasing awareness among private security firms.”

The group, however, warns that its findings are just the tip of the iceberg. As awareness about consumer racial profiling increases, the reports will follow.