The Harassment Continues: Harlow Gets A 1875$ Fine For Having Patrons On Their Terrace
The harassment of Montreal’s restaurants and nightclubs continues.
During Grand Prix Weekend, Time Supper Club was raided 3 nights in a row by more than 50 officers and apparently they aren’t stopping there.
This past Thursday evening, a few police officers stopped by Harlow Restaurant around 1:30am. Their reason for checking in? A bogus noise complaint.
Harlow is a brand new Restaurant located in the heart of the Old Port of Montreal. Their terrace overlooks Montreal’s famous Place Jacque Cartier, a communal square built by the city during the first half of the 19th century.
Place Jacque Cartier is renowned by Montrealers and tourists alike for it’s cultural vibrance. At any time of year, one can find restaurants on both sides of the street and many more on the surrounding streets of Le Vieux Port, notably on Rue Saint-Paul.
The officers pulled up front and asked to speak with the restaurant manager. They requested that the 30 people who were chit chatting on the terrace while having a cigarette be brought inside because they were making to much noise.
According to Thierry Havitov, a very close friend of the owners, there wasn’t even any music playing outside. The restaurant’s manager complied with the officers demands and started moving people back inside.
“No more then 5 minutes went by and they decided to issue a fine for $1875 because they felt that we didn’t move fast enough. This is none stop harassment. They are bending the law as it pleases them . They have raided Harlow at least 15 times since it has opened. It’s a fucking restaurant not a club” says Thierry Havitov.
It is important to understand that just about every other establishment on the square have terraces also. Yet they were not affected. Harlow has a permit specifically for their terrace which allows patrons to drink and eat outside which makes the whole situation that much more questionable.
This behaviour leaves us wondering… Why are they doing this?
We spoke with Thierry about his personal experience with the raids that have been occurring around Montreal. This is what he had to say.
If you have been experiencing the same kind of harassment with Montreal’s police send us an email with your story. We would love to hear about it: canada@canadanightlife.ca
Without a search warrant I would refuse they enter the establishment
As they are part of the Regie de L'alcool they cant refuse entry.