Help Harrold, Victim of Hate Crime
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Help Harrold Acquah, a Victim of Hate Crime in Montreal, to Obtain Justice
Take a stand against racism, violence, and hate. Help support Mr. Harrold Acquah in seeking justice as a victim of anti-Black hate crime.
Mr. Acquah is a disabled, English-speaking Black man in his sixties from Montreal who is turning to the public for help after the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission declined to represent him before the Human Rights Tribunal, despite recognizing that he has been a victim of racial harassment and discrimination.
In June 2013, Mr. Acquah was delivering newspapers in Pointe-Saint-Charles when a group of white Anglophone men physically attacked him while verbally abusing him. One of the attackers shouted the N-word at Mr. Acquah repeatedly while punching and kicking him in his face and body, and continued to do so well after Mr. Acquah had fallen to the ground, completely incapacitated. His aggressor was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily harm and obstruction of justice.
The Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) filed a complaint on behalf of Mr. Acquah to the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission, citing for violations of his civil rights because of his race. Five years later, the Commission acknowledged that Mr. Acquah was a victim of race-based discrimination and civil rights violations, and recommended that his aggressor pay $30,000 in damages to Mr. Acquah.
It is expected that his aggressor will not pay him. However, the Commission is refusing to assist Mr. Acquah any further and will not be representing him free of charge at the Human Rights Tribunal in order to obtain the justice he deserves. The Commission considers that the racist attack on him does not raise a “question of public interest” and is exercising its discretionary power to allow a victim of discrimination to access the Tribunal at his own expense, without the Commission’s assistance, no matter how vulnerable he is, socially, economically, and financially.
Mr. Acquah is thus left to go to the Tribunal alone and cannot incur the financial costs, as he had to stop working due to poor health; he cannot walk easily and will require knee surgery. He presently relies on social assistance. As a unilingual Anglophone senior, he simply has no means to access justice.
For this reason, CRARR will help Mr. Acquah go to the Human Rights Tribunal and is launching this GoFundMe campaign in an effort to raise $5000 to cover legal and court costs.
Helping Mr. Acquah go to the Human Rights Tribunal is important for many reasons, namely to ensure that a victim of violent hate crimes can access justice and that vulnerable victims of racism and discrimination, who face multiple disadvantages and yet who are left behind by the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission, can indeed enjoy the equal protection and the equal benefit of the law.
On behalf of CRARR and Mr. Acquah, any help, whether in the form of donations and/or the support of and sharing of this cause is greatly appreciated.
Take a stand against racism, violence, and hate. Help support Mr. Harrold Acquah in seeking justice as a victim of anti-Black hate crime.
Mr. Acquah is a disabled, English-speaking Black man in his sixties from Montreal who is turning to the public for help after the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission declined to represent him before the Human Rights Tribunal, despite recognizing that he has been a victim of racial harassment and discrimination.
In June 2013, Mr. Acquah was delivering newspapers in Pointe-Saint-Charles when a group of white Anglophone men physically attacked him while verbally abusing him. One of the attackers shouted the N-word at Mr. Acquah repeatedly while punching and kicking him in his face and body, and continued to do so well after Mr. Acquah had fallen to the ground, completely incapacitated. His aggressor was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily harm and obstruction of justice.
The Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) filed a complaint on behalf of Mr. Acquah to the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission, citing for violations of his civil rights because of his race. Five years later, the Commission acknowledged that Mr. Acquah was a victim of race-based discrimination and civil rights violations, and recommended that his aggressor pay $30,000 in damages to Mr. Acquah.
It is expected that his aggressor will not pay him. However, the Commission is refusing to assist Mr. Acquah any further and will not be representing him free of charge at the Human Rights Tribunal in order to obtain the justice he deserves. The Commission considers that the racist attack on him does not raise a “question of public interest” and is exercising its discretionary power to allow a victim of discrimination to access the Tribunal at his own expense, without the Commission’s assistance, no matter how vulnerable he is, socially, economically, and financially.
Mr. Acquah is thus left to go to the Tribunal alone and cannot incur the financial costs, as he had to stop working due to poor health; he cannot walk easily and will require knee surgery. He presently relies on social assistance. As a unilingual Anglophone senior, he simply has no means to access justice.
For this reason, CRARR will help Mr. Acquah go to the Human Rights Tribunal and is launching this GoFundMe campaign in an effort to raise $5000 to cover legal and court costs.
Helping Mr. Acquah go to the Human Rights Tribunal is important for many reasons, namely to ensure that a victim of violent hate crimes can access justice and that vulnerable victims of racism and discrimination, who face multiple disadvantages and yet who are left behind by the Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission, can indeed enjoy the equal protection and the equal benefit of the law.
On behalf of CRARR and Mr. Acquah, any help, whether in the form of donations and/or the support of and sharing of this cause is greatly appreciated.
Organizer
Fo Niemi
Organizer
Montréal, QC
