Two patrol officers from the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), suspected of warning the manager of a Mafia-affiliated bar of the upcoming visit by members of the Eclipse group, are the subject of a disciplinary investigation, The Press learns.

Posted at 5:00 am

The two police officers had previously been investigated by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) Department of Internal Affairs for obstruction and breach of trust, but prosecutors in the case announced Thursday that no criminal charges would be filed against them.

According to an affidavit by an SQ investigator in support of a search warrant to obtain phone logs from one of the two police officers, the events took place on the evening of August 20, 2021, when gatherings at licensed facilities were still prohibited due to anti-COVID-19 sanitation measures.

That evening, several dozen people gathered at the Gelato Café on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Little Italy to celebrate the anniversary of the eatery’s owner and manager.

The gelato cafe is controlled by the Lopez family of the Montreal Mafia, a clan that has run its businesses relatively discreetly for decades, controls several licensed establishments in north Montreal and whose leader is Serafino Oliverio, aka Sergio Lopez, according to police, as of November 2021 the target of an attempted murder at his home.

Volatile party people

Around 11:00 p.m. on the evening of August 20, 2021, a Neighborhood Station 35 sergeant notified the Eclipse unit, which specializes in policing licensed facilities and gathering intelligence on organized crime, that a group is bringing together a hundred people, with loud music playing and alcohol, was ongoing at Café Gelato, located on the premises of this Neighborhood Station (PDQ).

On the way to the site where the operation was being prepared, a PDQ 35 agent noticed the presence of a PDQ 27 squad car with two officers on board parked in front of the Gelato and suggested leaving the site. so as not to disturb a visit to the café that the Eclipse unit wanted to make.

“By the time the members of Eclipse and Morality arrived at Cafe Gelato at around 11:28 p.m., the event appeared to be over. The music was off, there were no more customers in the café or in the alley. The hundred people who had been there 28 minutes ago were now standing on the sidewalk. The furniture was put away, the staff was busy cleaning up,” we can read in the court documents written by the SQ investigator.

One sergeant claims that only the leak of information about an impending police operation could have caused an event of this magnitude to be ended so abruptly and in such a short space of time.

Excerpt from a court document written by an SQ investigator

The two officers from PDQ 27 (Ahuntsic) were out of their area that evening and another PDQ, 31 (Villeray–Parc Extension), is located between the areas of neighborhood stations 27 and 35.

In addition, the investigators found inconsistencies and contradictions in the evaluations of the business cards of the two patrol officers and the GPS of their patrol car and found no trace of an alleged theft of a vehicle in Laval, for which the two police officers were responsible and have provided their assistance.

Court documents also show that in July 2021, a police officer saw one of the two officers twice at the Gelato Cafe when he was off-duty and, according to her, “appeared to be very comfortable and very familiar with the place’s staff”.

Preliminary Statements

According to our information, the two police officers had a seniority of five and less than two years. They would have been temporarily relieved of their duties and reassigned to other duties since last fall.

As soon as the police department was informed of the incident, they asked the Sûreté du Québec to investigate. Given the seriousness of the allegations, administrative measures were taken against the police officers concerned pending their conclusion.

The SPVM, in response to questions from La Presse

“Following the Director of Law and Prosecution’s decision not to press charges, the SPVM confirms that the Department of Internal Affairs will conduct a disciplinary review of their file. The existing administrative measures will soon be evaluated to determine whether they will be maintained until the Department of Internal Affairs completes its investigation. The appropriate measures will be taken according to the conclusion of the latter,” added the SPVM in response to our questions.

However, according to the information we have, investigators have not found any connection between the two patrol officers and Gelato cafe staff on social media.

Their colleagues also accuse them of having witnessed the violation of hygiene measures in Café Gelato on the evening of August 20, 2021 and not having intervened.

To reach Daniel Renaud, dial 514.285-7000, extension 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the La Presse mailing address.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has urged black voters to help her “keep her seat” amid a terrifying rise in crime, lest she fall to white or Hispanic challengers.

As Lightfoot seeks a second term in the upcoming Feb. 28 election, some business leaders concerned about the ongoing crime wave say they believe she’s not up to the task.

At rallies Saturday, Lightfoot told South and West Side residents who don’t support her not to bother at all to vote. Chicago’s South Side is a historically black area.

“Every vote that comes out of the South Side for someone whose name isn’t Lightfoot is a vote for Chuy Garcia or Paul Vallas,” Lightfoot said. “If you want them to control your destiny, then stay home. Then don’t choose. But we have to do better.’

Lightfoot made the remarks, naming the only white and Hispanic challengers in the running, Paul Vallas, a former Chicago public schools chief and former city treasurer, and Progressive Rep. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia. She also meets six black opponents in the race.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged black voters to help her “keep your seat” in the Feb. 28 election despite a terrifying spike in crime, lest she fall to white or Hispanic challengers

Lightfoot faces real opponents in the race, including Paul Vallas (pictured), a former Chicago public school superintendent and former city treasurer, and Rep. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia

Lightfoot made history as the first black woman and first openly gay person to serve as mayor of Chicago, sailing to victory four years ago as an outsider who vowed to rid City Hall of corruption and create a safer, more just city.

However, her bid for a second term is very much in doubt amid concerns about persistently high crime rates in the country’s third-largest city and accusations that she is overly hostile and at times downright mean – criticism she has dismissed as sexist and racist smacks against a tough leader who passionately loves Chicago.

“We need the South Side to come to the election like a mighty roar,” Lightfoot said at Saturday’s rally. “We don’t have to be the Israelites wandering in the desert for 30 years. We have to get to the promised land right here, and we won’t make it unless you vote.’

Former US Representative Bobby Rush, who supported her opponent in 2019, joined Lightfoot at the rally today, leading local residents to chant “Hold up the seat” and “Down with the wannabes and up with Lori.”

Vallas, one of Lightfoot’s opponents who has been criticized for aligning himself with the Fraternal Order of Police, told his supporters that his campaign was about “taking back our town”.

Vallas, one of Lightfoot’s opponents who has been criticized for aligning himself with the Fraternal Order of Police, told supporters that his campaign is about “taking back our town”.

Lightfoot, who was campaigning this week, said in a statement she had “been a consistent and committed partner with the business community

One of Lightfoot’s opponents – Rep. Jesus ‘Chuy’ Garcia – touts his work with communities across the city and plays well with others in a way he says it doesn’t

The mayor’s other major opponent, Garcia, has criticized her on Twitter.

“This is disqualifying rhetoric for anyone hoping to lead a Chicago that is a multiracial and multiracial city,” Garcia said. “We need unity, not division.”

Lightfoot ran TV ads accusing Garcia of corruption and found his house campaign took money from Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, who is accused of massive financial fraud. Garcia said he didn’t know Bankman-Fried, and that his campaign had made direct contributions.

Garcia advertises his work with communities across the city and playing with others in a way he says Lightfoot doesn’t.

“She’s unnecessarily combative. It’s over the top,” Garcia said.

Business leaders say Chicago can’t get any more progressive.

“I can’t see our city becoming any more progressive or socialist than it already is,” Craig J. Duchossois, chief executive officer of Duchossois Group Inc., told The Wall Street Journal. “It scares the business world.”

Lightfoot’s campaign said in a statement it had “been a consistent and committed partner with the business community.

She also said her leadership has helped Chicago improve its credit rating and attract new businesses and expand others.

However, in May 2022, Boeing Co. announced it would be moving its headquarters to Arlington, Virginia, and the following month Citadel LLC and Citadel Securities were relocated to Miami, the WSJ reported. Crime wasn’t mentioned as a reason, but it was a consideration.

“While Lori Lightfoot makes many bold claims, she ignores the reality that businesses are being driven out of town,” the Vallas campaign said in a statement, according to the WSJ.

Crime has continued to rise in 2023 as dozens of businesses vacated the city’s Magnificent Mile shopping district

After a year of rising crime and persistent inflation, many Americans chose to leave the country’s three largest cities and move south

The rising crime rate in the city is worrying.

Crime in Chicago has continued to rise in 2023, as total crimes rose a staggering 58 percent in the first two months as dozens of businesses vacated the city’s Magnificent Mile shopping district.

Huge brands like Macy’s, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Gap, Uniqlo and Timberland have fled large premises since the Covid shutdowns and the riots that followed.

Many have been displaced by rising crime and violence, with the vacancy rate on the once-expensive shopping mall surging tenfold from 2016, when it was just 3.6 percent, to the current 30.1 percent.

Robberies and sexual assaults are up 23 percent and thefts are up 33 percent compared to last time. Homicides are down 22 percent while shootings are down just four percent.

Homeless camps have sprung up in the terminal of Chicago’s crime-plagued O’Hare International Airport, leaving some concerned for their safety as pictures have emerged of people sleeping in filthy makeshift shelters.

Homeless encampments have engulfed Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport with crime, and some are concerned for their safety as images continue to surface of people sleeping in exits and filthy shelters

Thousands of people sleeping outdoors have taken refuge at the popular airport hub between 2000 and 2020, according to a study, where an average of 2,520 passengers travel daily, according to a study

Thousands of people sleeping outdoors have taken refuge at the airline’s popular hub and many have set up shelters in the terminal buildings.

Shocking photos show a man who collapsed in an entryway, another who collapsed without shoes, and a group of half a dozen people who took over an indoor area next to the escalators.

O’Hare’s growing problem is just a snapshot of a citywide homelessness crisis simmering beneath the city’s surface, which is being eroded by rising crime rates.

Lightfoot’s handling of crises has sometimes been praised, such as when she ordered lockdowns early in the coronavirus pandemic and an image of the austere mayor became a popular meme. But at other times, Lightfoot’s actions have been questioned.

After the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police sparked protests and civil unrest, including window smashing and fires, Lightfoot ordered the city to build drawbridges across the Chicago River to prevent protesters from entering downtown .

Some in the city saw it as elitist, a way of protecting the upscale parts of the highly segregated city at the expense of neighborhoods with battered business districts, which were also badly damaged.

But Lightfoot has taken most of the heat for the rise in crime, with homicides hitting a 25-year high of about 800 in 2021. Lightfoot says she has a plan that’s working, noting that murders have gone down over the past year. But they’re still higher than when she took office, and concerns have grown about other violent crimes in the city, including carjacking.

“We’ve made progress year after year,” Lightfoot said. “But I recognize that people in the city don’t feel safe.”

(CNN) Anna Yezerova, a Ukrainian citizen, arrived in the United States last year with her young daughter and a few months of summer clothes. Her hope: that the war in Ukraine will soon be over.

Almost a year later, Yezerova remains in the US, putting down roots in New Jersey, where she tries to craft a life she never imagined.

“I never dreamed of moving abroad,” Yezerova told CNN. “We started everything from scratch.”

President Joe Biden’s visit to Poland this week is expected to bring renewed focus to Ukraine’s refugee crisis and the need for humanitarian assistance in addition to security assistance. Poland was among the countries that took in millions of refugees when Russia invaded Ukraine.

But as Russia’s war in their country rages on, Ukrainian refugees in the US, who were once optimistic they would return home within two years, are grappling with the fact that they are unlikely to return and with their rights must wrestle status in the US.

Last year, the Biden administration launched a program called “Uniting for Ukraine,” which provided Ukrainian refugees with a simplified process for entering the United States. The humanitarian parole program requires Ukrainians to be sponsored by a US citizen or eligible individual and to undergo rigorous security screening and screening. If accepted, individuals may live and work in the United States for up to two years.

Refugee advocates hailed the program, which paved the way for Ukrainians wanting to come to the United States. Previously, thousands of Ukrainians traveled to Mexico, where it was easier to obtain visas, and then attempted to enter the United States through land ports of entry.

Now, as the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches, many Ukrainians who came to the US are nearing the end of their parole, raising concerns about what comes next.

“It’s a big problem right now,” said Yezerova, who works for Church World Service, a resettlement organization, helping Ukrainians in the US and at home. “It’s very complicated to live here if you don’t know how many years you can live here. Can you go to university? Can you buy something like a car?”

Ukrainian refugees attend a job fair in Brooklyn, New York, on February 1, 2023.

According to a Homeland Security official, Ukrainians who entered the country on parole may be able to adjust their legal status in the US or extend their parole.

Since the start of the Uniting for Ukraine program, U.S. citizenship and immigration services have received about 213,000 requests from individuals who have agreed to provide assistance to Ukrainians or their immediate family members, according to the Department of Homeland Security. And more than 113,000 people have arrived under the program, while around 146,000 Ukrainians have been authorized to book their own travel.

“DHS remains committed to supporting Ukrainians in the United States, and we continue to explore ways to create avenues for humanitarian assistance and protection for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s unprovoked war,” a Homeland Security spokesman said in a statement.

Since last March, around 154,000 Ukrainians have been extradited to the United States outside of the Uniting for Ukraine program. DHS also expanded a form of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine known as Temporary Protected Status, which offers protection to people already in the United States. If not renewed, this designation expires in October of this year.

Mariia Mitina, like Yezerova, was among those who arrived under the United for Ukraine program. Mitina fled Mariupol with her husband and two teenage children after the city fell to Russian troops.

In an interview with CNN, Mitina described through an interpreter how she hid in a basement with her family during the invasion and went 10 days without food, electricity or water. Eventually, she was linked to a family in the US hoping to sponsor Ukrainians.

“It was a happy coincidence,” Mitina said, adding that they were connected through a long chain of friends.

With the help of family and the International Rescue Committee humanitarian group, Mitina arrived in Kansas last July and now works for the state Department of Children and Families.

“Life here is very nice,” she told CNN, adding that she hopes her family can stay in the US, but shared with other Ukrainians her concerns about the end of the probation period.

While there are options for Ukrainians who have been placed on parole to stay, refugee advocates say the insecurity can be troubling.

“Many of our customers fear what the future will bring. It is a situation that has all the hallmarks of a protracted conflict and makes safe return all but impossible,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, a refugee resettlement organization.

“It generates an immense amount of fear and insecurity. And it makes it virtually impossible to put down roots with confidence,” she added.

Congress also allowed applicants to the Uniting for Ukraine program to be eligible for certain benefits, such as medical assistance and case management, but not all benefits received by refugees coming through the US resettlement program. The expiration of probation would also mean the expiration of those benefits.

“The future for people who have fled is uncertain. Some thought this would only be temporary and there would be an opportunity to return, stay closer to home and, in the event war activities ceased, return and see loved ones,” said Erol Kekic, senior vice president at Church World Service “Some people have been here for a year and the chances that they will return are not high.”