SCO launches police racism survey

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This article was published 26/02/2021 (2035 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) today launched a survey for First Nations people across the province to share their experiences with racism in policing.

“I’m proud to be launching this important and much needed survey to better understand racism experienced by First Nation citizens in their encounters with police services in Manitoba,” stated SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels in a news release.

“One of the great injustices is that the systems that are supposed to protect us can be themselves perpetrators of violence.”

Today is Indigenous Justice Awareness Day, a day that stems from the fatal 1988 shooting of John Joseph “JJ” Harper, a 37-year-old member of Wasagamack First Nation.

Nearly thirty-three years after the death of JJ Harper, incidents of police shootings and other forms of violence against First Nation people remain all too common, the SCO stated.

Further, throughout the past year, police across Canada came under scrutiny for their treatment of Indigenous communities and peoples. The SCO pointed to a recent analysis that shows since 2017 an Indigenous person in Canada is more than 10 times more likely to be shot and killed by a police officer than a non-racialized Canadian.

The SCO also recalled that in Winnipeg, over the span of 10 days in the spring of 2020, Jason Collins, Stewart Kevin Andres, and Eishia Hudson, all of them First Nation people, were fatally shot by Winnipeg police officers.

The Independent Investigation Unit’s report on the deadly shooting of Eishia Hudson, an unarmed 16-year-old, recommended not laying charges against the officer responsible for her shooting, causing an uproar from First Nation and social justice organizations.

Additionally, the SCO noted, “earlier this month, William Ahmo from Sagkeeng First Nation died tragically as a result of an incident with correctional officers at Headingley Correctional Institute.”

The Chiefs of the southern First Nations have called on the Premier and Attorney General to launch a public inquiry for a full investigation into his death.

“These examples point to a larger, systemic issue that SCO will examine with the survey launched today,” the SCO stated.

Daniels stated that good data and reporting can lead to understanding and real change, which are both greatly needed.

“We have faced systemic racism for centuries now. It’s time for it to end. Indigenous lives matter, and we cannot take one more phone call or one more announcement of our people suffering or dying at the hands of the justice system,” he stated.

This survey follows a previous one on experiences of racism in the Manitoba health-care system. That survey found a consistent pattern of racism, neglect, and even abuse when First Nations people access health-care services in Manitoba.

“For SCO, combatting systemic racism is a top priority, and the survey results will be integral to informing how we can build better systems and policies that actually serve to benefit our southern First Nations,” Daniels stated.

The survey is located on the SCO’s homepage at www.scoinc.mb.ca and will be available for approximately six weeks for First Nation citizens to respond.