Two countries, one problem

Almost everyday, we can see, in the newspaper, people complaining about police interrogation procedures in many countries. It can become a social problem, but governments usually ignore it. In Brazil and in Canada, it's not different. Of course, both countries have different police cultures, but when we talk about police interrogation procedures in relation to black people, these countries have the same problem.

Canada has a policy called "carding". In this situation, the cop pulls over someone and asks their to answer some questions. Normally, it happens in public places. What cops don't say for anyone is that they aren't obligated to answer anything. Another problem is the major part of Canadian population is made up of white people, but cops usually carding more black people than white people.

Car of Toronto Police


Recently, Desmond Cole, who lives in a poor neighborhood mostly comprised of black people, published an article* telling he was carded more than 50 times, because he is a black person. He said people who live in the same neighborhood than him don't feel protect by the police, but intimidated. Cole told that the police treats them disrespectfully and when someone asks why they were pulled over, the cops answer that the person looks like a criminal suspect. 

Desmond Cole



Brazilian police has the same type of interrogation procedure, but without a name, and the problem with black people also, in spite of nothing justifies to consider them more suspect than white people. Differently of Canada, in Brazil nobody feels safe near cops because most of them are corrupt or aggressive.



Police of São Paulo - Brazil

To conclude, the governments of both countries ignore the problem that black people have with the police and continue acting in the same way, even though people feel disrespected. In other words, Brazil and Canada are in the same boat when the question is police interrogation procedure. And the worst problem is that we don't know if these procedures will change in the future. 

* Source:  http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2015/04/21/skin-im-ive-interrogated-police-50-times-im-black/2/