Canadian Space:

McCann’s article Race, Protest, and Public Space immediately made me think of Freddy Vilenneuva .This Montreal teenager was a member of a racialized group and he was killed by police as a result of being in the wrong space at the wrong time. Space is a concept which is hard to define. Lefebrve divided space into three types. Conceived space is the way in which planners intend a space to be used. While perceived space is how a space is viewed and lived spaces is what people do in a space.

The presence of Freddy and his friends on that Montreal street playing dice violated the idea of Montreal and Canada as a homogenous white space. Freddy and his friends lived or experienced the space as a place where it was appropriate to play dice and hang out. The police officers’ perceptions of the space were based on how the space had been conceived by planners. These different perceptions of space and the type of people who belong in certain spaces led to conflict. The riot which occurred as a result of Freddy’s death can be viewed as an attempt by marginalized groups to take back space or challenge the homogeneity of abstract space.

Tele journal: Enquête - Fredy Villanueva