When moms in Montréal-Nord take action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcE2Tv-vF4Q&ab_channel=LACONVERSE

Samah Aggoun

Video: Ridolphe Aristil

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“People didn't know the qualities of families in Montréal-Nord,” Samah Aggoun tells us. For the mother of four children, they are the ones who make the neighborhood beautiful and dynamic. And there's no shortage of families here. “There are a lot of advantages to living in Montreal North. There is a way of life,” says Samah, describing the lively community, the spirit of support and the kindness of the neighborhood. That's why she feels at home in Montréal-Nord. “We love life, we like to give, we have to find a plan.”

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This morning, Samah is participating in a food assistance activity. She has not yet taken a moment to have lunch and drink her coffee, but her good mood and energy are contagious. Later, before her hospital appointment, she will drop off two baskets of fruits and vegetables at the homes of families along the way. Samah is a member of the Montréal-Nord moms' committee. Very active, she is also involved in other neighborhood initiatives. But this one is different: it is not a program or an organization, and its members are not activists. Neighborhood parents are calling for change.

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“Why moms? Women are often at the forefront,” believes Sama. They are at the forefront of problems, but above all, they are at the forefront of solutions.

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A petition for the future

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Neighborhood mothers gathered to write a petition and take it to the National Assembly. They are asking for more resources and support for young people and their parents who have few alternatives at their disposal. The recent incidents and the current climate, exacerbated by COVID, are particularly affecting the population of the district. Residents, as well as the organizations that help them, are out of breath. The Montréal-Nord moms' committee asks that we invest in the community by taking care of young people and families so that the neighborhood can thrive.

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At the origin of this mobilization, there was the cry of the heart launched by a mother following the tragic events of July 24, 2019, when gunshots rang out in an alley in the neighborhood, in the middle of the afternoon. On October 25, 2019, Abderrahmane Hadj-Ahmed, a 23-year-old young man, lost his life in an alley in the neighborhood after being shot. Thirty mothers answered the call and started getting together. “Families are very worried about the future of their young people,” says Samah.

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In Montreal North, the unemployment rate for young people under 30 is almost twice as high as in the rest of the province. Low-income families with children aged 0 to 5 represent more than half of the population in the northeastern part of the district.

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Samah denounces the lack of services in the neighborhood and wants to see initiatives that are accessible and adapted to the age of the participants appear. She also wants parents' voices to be heard, and for parents to be consulted and integrated into decision-making processes.

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“You have to start young, and offer something to the children... But also to their mothers — we are tired, we are exhausted.” The mother of the family, who is very involved in neighborhood life, wants to make others aware of the realities of the neighborhood.

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“We don't think what's happening in Montreal North is fair,” she said. She was shocked and surprised to learn that the borough is one of the most disadvantaged places in the country. “As long as it is like that, we need all the components — municipal, provincial, federal, citizen, police — to come together and work on this to find the solution,” she adds. She also wants words to be transformed into concrete measures. “Montréal-Nord has become a field of theories. I want real change on the ground.”

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And she actually believes that things are going to change eventually.

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For a neighborhood that reflects their image

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Sonia has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years. “I grew up there,” she says. She has lived elsewhere, but she always comes back to her first love. “If I get a medal, one day, it will be because I participate in neighborhood life,” she says with a laugh. It's the camaraderie that's holding her back. While the resident is worried about violence, she also fears stigma and stereotypes. “We have to stop putting labels on everyone,” implored the 47-year-old mother. She also wants the perception of the neighborhood to change.

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“I have the feeling that when an event occurs in Montreal North, the media depicts things as being worse than they are,” she says. Louisa, who has lived in Montréal-Nord for over 20 years, agrees. “When something happens here, the newspapers make a big deal out of it, even if it's not situations that are specific to the neighborhood,” she laments. Rather, the resident sees Montréal-Nord as a multicultural, lively and diverse neighborhood where communities live side by side. “There is a special color, a particular color, in Montreal North. It's good to live there,” she says. She would like positive things to be highlighted as much as the rest.

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“It's a neighborhood like any other. Yes, there are challenges, such as exclusion, precariousness, unemployment. Help us make things better, she says. That's what I want us to change.” Louisa defends Montreal North body and soul everywhere she goes. The image that is given of the district hurts her deeply, and she hopes that it will not always be so.

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When her children were younger, some of their friends' parents refused to let their children spend time in Montreal North. “They said it was dangerous,” she said. Delivery workers also expressed reluctance to go to the neighborhood.

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“We almost have to hide. Young people looking for work don't say they come from Montreal North.” The neighborhood is young and dynamic. “We have to reinvest here, help young people. You have to trust them, not let them believe that they have no future.” She supports the Montréal-Nord moms' committee.

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“It is mainly women who are mobilizing, because they are at the heart of daily life. They don't dare to talk often, but they have things to say.” Sylvie, a mom from Montréal-NordOutside, on the sidewalk, while the Mars sun warms the air, Sylvie has just signed the petition. On Lapierre Street, the atmosphere is festive for the distribution of free ecological menstrual products, a way to mark International Women's Rights Day.

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“Of course I give my name to projects like these, which have an impact,” says Sylvie. She has lived in Montreal North for 24 years, the age of the eldest of her children. “People often try to get me to move, but I really like my neighborhood,” says the lady. “I won't go away. There are so many resources that can help you when you are in the wrong place, you know where to turn, there are organizations that I would never have had access to elsewhere.” What does she like to see the most in her neighborhood?

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“The things that you change.”

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Citizens have until March 21 to Sign the petition of the Montréal-Nord moms' committee.