“I still feel a burden because I’m the one who called 911,” she said, fighting back tears while sitting at her kitchen table. “I’m not well. Every day I cry. Every day… [For them] To have murdered my son, the way they murdered him, is truly unacceptable.” On August 1, 2021, Bence called the police, hoping they would take her son to a hospital because he was in distress. He was holding a knife and his mother said he appeared to be hallucinating. Bence and other family members claim her son eventually dropped the knife. The officers ended up killing him, firing three bullets into his stomach. Marie-Mireille Bence says she has cried every day since her son’s death, seen here in a photo taken during his teenage years. (Charles Contant/CBC) The killing of the 37-year-old man devastated his mother and angered members of the small but growing black community in the suburb northeast of Montreal. For them, the fatal shooting was the worst example of black people being abused by police in Repentigny and seen as intruders in a town that was almost exclusively white just 20 years ago. With Quebec police investigating Olivier’s death, Bence was kept in the dark about what was going on and what might come next. WATCHES | Mother explains difficult year since police killed son:

1 year after son killed by police, mother explains she’s struggling to cope

Through tears, Marie-Mireille Bench talks about the grief and pain of losing her son who was shot by Repentigny police in 2021. The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) announced at the end of May that it had completed its investigation. It is now up to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to bring criminal charges against the officers who shot and killed Olivier. In a statement last week, a spokesman for the office said it was still reviewing the case and that no decision had been made. Bence has spent the last year grieving and waiting, hoping to see someone punished for killing her son — but she’s not hopeful. “If I had been outside with my phone in my hand and filmed what happened, then maybe [I would be more confident],” said Bence.

Protest at the town hall

On Monday at 7 p.m., protesters are expected to gather in front of Repentigny city hall for a sit-in to highlight the work that needs to be done before local police can earn the trust of the black community. “[The shooting] it’s an event that really touched people in the community,” said Pierre Richard Thomas, president of the Lakay Média group, which is organizing the sit-in. “We’ve spoken to a lot of people in the community who are afraid to call the police if they have a problem.” Jean René Junior Olivier was a few months shy of his 38th birthday at the time of his death. (Submitted by Marie-Mireille Bence) In recent years, allegations of racial profiling have piled up against the Repentigny police. Since 2017, at least nine complaints have been filed with the province’s human rights commission. There are at least four known cases in which this commission has condemned the police force. Last week, the Quebec Court of Human Rights — which handles cases by commission and issues decisions that are binding — ordered the town of Repentigny to pay $8,000 in damages to a black man who was racially profiled by police. Bence said her son, Olivier, told her many times that he believed racism was rampant within the local police force. Then she disagreed with him. Now, he has no doubt that race played a role in his death. The city declined a CBC News request for an interview with Repentigny Mayor Nicolas Dufour, who was elected last year, a few months after Olivier’s death. Instead, it sent a statement outlining its efforts to tackle racism and racial profiling in its police force. Kayshawn Olivier, the son of Jean René Olivier Junior, is seen here outside his grandmother’s home as the family addressed reporters the day after last year’s shooting. (Sarah Leavitt/CBC) “Our community expects deep and thoughtful changes and a community police force that responds to its needs. That’s why we are pursuing the actions identified in the ‘Evolving with our Community’ action plan,” the statement said. Those efforts were recognized by the court’s ruling last week. He described the city’s approach as “serious” and said its action plan went far beyond what the human rights commission had previously recommended. Last month, the Repentigny Police Department announced that officers will be accompanied by social workers when dealing with mental health crises. The police chief said the plan was being drawn up before Olivier’s death. Pierre Richard Thomas, the head of the non-profit group Lakay Média, is organizing a sit-in at Repentigny town hall on Monday night. (Antoni Nerestant/CBC)

“I suffer all alone”

Bence says her son’s death made her regret moving from Montreal to Repentigny about a decade ago and consider leaving the suburb for good. Over the past year, he has appeared at several public events organized by local anti-racist groups. This means you have to constantly think and relive what happened. But she worries that if she doesn’t speak up, her son will be forgotten. Last year’s fatal shooting took place on Rue De Niagara, steps away from Marie-Mireille Bence’s home. She called the police and asked them to take her son to the hospital because he was in distress. (Charles Contant/CBC) “My son was murdered and he’s gone forever. But what I would like is for this to never happen again in our community. Because the way I’m suffering, I don’t want another parent to go through what I have,” she said. he said. “The police officers who shot my son, who killed him, I don’t know their names. Now, they’re at home. I’m sure they’re still working. Meanwhile, I’m suffering. I’m suffering all alone.” For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians – from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community – check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here. (CBC)