11 Days, 6 Indigenous People Dead

tansi ninôtemik, 

These past few weeks have not been easy for Indigenous folks. Within the span of 11 days, 6 Indigenous people have died when coming into contact with the police.[1] 

Let us take a moment to honour those whose lives have been lost:

Steven “Iggy” Dedam

Jack Piché

Hoss Lightning-Saddleback

Tammy Bateman

Jason West

Daniel Knife [2]

These 6 Indigenous peoples are only a few among many who have died in police-related incidents. A 2023 press release from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association reported that 16.2% of people who die in police related incidents are Indigenous, despite making up only 5.1% of the population in Canada.[3] There is a rising number of calls for accountability for these deaths. One notable project attempting to create accountability is the Tracking (In)Justice Project, which states that 769 people have died in incidents involving police use of force since 2000.[4] Of these 769 people, 124 are Indigenous.[5] 

Steven, Jack, Hoss, Tammy, Jason, and Daniel remind us that these are real people, not just numbers we can skim over. 

The elephant in the room that we need to discuss is that there were reported victims on the scene for the death of Daniel Knife. Police were called to Ahtahkakoop First Nation to help a woman who was reportedly being assaulted with a machete.[6] We need to be careful to not romanticize Indigenous peoples or fail to acknowledge lateral violence. Romanticism can lead to the erasure of gendered conflict and violence in both Indigenous history and Indigenous present.[7] We need to make room to respect victims of lateral violence, while also recognizing that Indigenous peoples should not have to die when they come into contact with police. The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team currently has an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Daniel Knife.[8]

The current state of policing in Canada does not allow Indigenous people to feel and be safe. Indigenous people are often over-policed and under-protected.[9] Indigenous people are more likely than non-Indigenous people to rate police performance poorly, have little to no confidence in police, or have negative perceptions of the police.[10] RCMP are trained using the Incident Management Intervention Model, which places a focus on de-escalation and reducing the use of force in crisis situations.[11] While de-escalation strategies are an important tool, the mistrust of police and disproportionate deaths of Indigenous people tell us that the current system is not working. Indigenous people do not feel safe, and the statistics show that they often are not. We must move beyond training and reform to deeper systemic changes in order to truly protect Indigenous people. 

Our hearts are with those suffering from these losses. We will keep you in our thoughts as we continue to advocate for systemic change and true reconciliation.

Ekosi.

The ReconciliACTION Team

Citations

[1]  Indigenous.tv & bmorinstories, “Six Indigenous lives have been lost during interactions with police across Canada, in the span of just 11 days (Aug 29 - Sep 8).” (13 September 2024), online: <https://www.instagram.com/p/C_3U9HevmZA/?igsh=aG1qb3NsYnRjbTB5>.

[2] Angel Moore et al, “15 Days and six Indigenous people have died when coming in contact with police across Canada” (12 September 2024) online: <https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/indigenous-deaths-rcmp-windsor-winnipeg-shooting/>. 

[3] Canadian Civil Liberties Association, “Press Release: Police-Involved Deaths on the Rise Across Canada” (23 February 2023) online: <https://ccla.org/press-release/press-release-police-involved-deaths-on-the-rise-across-canada/#:~:text=While%205.1%20percent%20of%20people,firearm%20during%20interactions%20with%20police>. 

[4] Tracking (In)Justice, “About The Project” online: <https://trackinginjustice.ca/about-the-project/>.  

[5] Tracking (In)Justice, “Explore The Data” online:  <https://trackinginjustice.ca/explore-the-data/>.

[6] Nigel Maxwell, “Shooting incident at Ahtahkakoop occured after woman assaulted with a machete: Ministry” (10 September 2024) online: <https://battlefordsnow.com/2024/09/10/shooting-incident-at-ahtahkakoop-occurred-after-woman-assaulted-with-a-machete-ministry/>; Mark Blackburn, “Cellphone video shows last moments of Cree man’s life” (11 September 2024) online: <https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/video-atahkakoop-cree-nation-saskatchewan-rcmp-shooting/>.  

[7] Emily Snyder, Val Napoleon & John Borrows, “Gender and Violence: Drawing on Indigenous Legal Resources” (2015) 48:2 UBC L Rev 593 at 614.

[8] Government of Saskatchewan, “SIRT Investigating Fatal Officer Involved Shooting on Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation” (10 September 2024) online: <https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2024/september/10/sirt-investigating-fatal-officer-involved-shooting-on-ahtahkakoop-cree-nation>. 

[9] Kent Roach, Canadian Policing: Why and How It Must Change (Toronto: Delve Books, 2022) at 26. 

[10] Statistics Canada, “Perceptions of and experiences with police and the justice system among the Black and Indigenous populations in Canada” (16 February 2022) online: <https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2022001/article/00003-eng.htm>.

[11] Travis Poland, “Training puts focus on de-escalation” (19 April 2022) online:  <https://grc.ca/en/gazette/training-puts-focus-escalation>.

[12] Ibid.