Debbie Baptiste says she wouldn’t let how her son’s death was dealt with be swept under the rug. A news conference held this morning (Mon) at Whitecap Dakota First Nation was in response to the Civilian Review Complaints Commission’s report, released on the weekend, on how the RCMP investigated Colten Boushie’s death.
Debbie Baptiste said the 4-1/2 year wait for the report from the CRCC felt like they were never going to get justice, “Felt like I was forever fighting a battle that could never be won. This is a time that we step up now and we tell you the injustice and racism in the court room, the discrimination needs to stop. Things need to change. We need to change for the future generation, I refuse for my grandchildren to be in fear, live in fear of the RCMP.”
The 22 year old man from Red Pheasant First Nation died in 2016 when he and friends drove onto Gerald Stanley’s farm near Biggar and was shot. Stanley was acquitted in the case.
The FSIN’s Fourth Vice Chief was also speaking on behalf of the Saskatchewan First Nation’s Women’s Commission at the news conference. Heather Bear says no mother, First Nation’s or otherwise, should ever have to hear the news their child has been killed, ” You know our neighbours to the south…George Floyd…the police have their foot on our necks too. But you know this weekend justice woke up for a little while.”
The CRCC report says RCMP members who notified Debbie Baptiste of her son’s death treated her with such insensitivity that her treatment amounted to discrimination. The Commission referred to questions about Debbie Baptiste’s sobriety, smelling her breath and looking inside her microwave to verify her statement that she had put her now-deceased son’s dinner there.
One of the recommendations from the CRCC report is for more training for police, but Chris Murphy, a lawyer for Debbie Baptiste, Colten’s mother, simply said it’s not enough. Chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Bobby Cameron, says it’s time for action to deal with systemic racism on all government levels, and he asks the same of the Commissioner of the RCMP. Cameron says, “What are you going to do, rather than just say, we agree with what’s been found? Big deal, Brenda Lucki do something. The family is calling for those officers who mistreated Debbie that day to be terminated. You can start by doing that, Brenda Lucki.”
The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations believes the RCMP needs a serious overhaul and policy review. Chief Perry Bellegarde says the overhaul should include zero tolerance for excessive use of force, using body cams, and de-escalation training, misconception cross-cultural training, better recruitment processes at RCMP Depot to rid any RCMP recruit of any bias and prejudice, more First Nations police officers in positions of authority and strengthening the civilian body oversight committee.
(CJWW)