RCMP GONE WILD IN CANADA

SOCIETY IN CHAOS

Chief Allan Adam 2020

We all have opinions. And sometimes we will express them without the full story being revealed. Our biases and our prejudices fill in the blanks.  We believe that our opinions hold the truth. We become indignant if we are contradicted. Even judgmental. You only have to read the comments to see this  unfolding. Even when we don’t have all the facts.

This a story which has got a lot of traction on social media. It involves a high profile  chief. I watched a short video this morning and read the comments. It was recorded by the dash camera on a police cruiser. It is the story about an Indigenous Chief, beaten by the RCMP. The video does  show the beating.

FACTS

·      He is an Indigenous Chief

·      His license plate was expired.

·      His vehicle was stopped by RCMP outside a casino.

·      He was not driving.

·      He was in the passenger seat

·      Officer manhandled his wife. This put the chief over the edge. 

·      He swore at the officer.

·      He took his jacket off and assumed a fighting stance.

·      A policeman jumped on him and they fall to the ground.

·      The policeman punched him in the head with a closed fist.

·      Police called for backup.

·      Six additional police arrived.

The  incident occurred in Fort McMurray, Alberta.  and not on the reserve.   Many after seeing the casino in the background assumed it was on the reserve.  That in itself is a racist assumption.  

Was there excessive force? Could the police have de-escalate the situation?

Did the Chief need to be beaten by two police officers to contain him?

The Chief in the story is Chief Allan Adam, a Dene from my community, the Athabasca Dene First Nation.  Honestly, Chief Adam is a bit of a hothead. In spite of the fact I felt a sickening in the pit of my stomach watching the video, and knowing what kind of comments it would generate from people who have a low tolerance of indigenous peoples.  that said, he is a strong advocate for our community. He has been anti-oil which has gotten him some negative publicity, and he has attracted enemies from the oil industry.

Indeed, he has a strong personality. In the community, he has encouraged self-sufficiency and independence, helped build a grocery store to compete against the high costs of groceries in the community with one only other store, the Northern Store (formerly the Hudson’s Bay Company). He is an activist protecting the environment.

But none of that has any bearing on why the RCMP felt they had the right to beat him up. The only explanation is that the officer believed that the Chief’s life does not matter. He could have, either impounded the vehicle, or given the Chief a ticket for driving without proper stickers.  He could have given him a warning. But he did not.

In today's climate of police brutality with overstepping people's rights, it is even more important to continue the pressure to keep their actions accountable and humane.

More importantly, we also must critically look at these stories, without jumping to conclusions or making assumptions. Because whether we admit it or not, our biases and prejudice will colour our judgment.

This story it is clear because we have the recording. What would have been the story had there been no video?  Interestingly, the officers knew they were being videoed, and that did not stop the excessive force. What does that say about them?  About our society?

I have read some of the comments of the released video of the incident on social media. Are people proud of what they write? Fortunately, the camera footage had a direct view of chief Adam.

In my opinion, this story has no gray area. The RCMP were in the wrong here.  They were never in danger of their life. Nor was  the public was  in danger. Excessive force was not required. Ego and non-discipline officers got in the way of handling the incident with appropriateness.

It is time for the police to show up for the community as mature thinking adults, not as hotheaded, emotionally immature thugs. The Chief is a human being.  A father, a husband, brother, a son.  He is a leader in his community. They showed him no respect.

The RCMP has a huge image problem. While I understand that an apology could not be considered in an active court case, due to liability, or some such nonsense.  Still, one must be issued.

An apology that includes action steps to repair the relationship between Indigenous communities and the RCMP. Furthermore, it should come with a promise that identifies clear steps of accountability to ensure that this type of incident will never occur again. The thing to consider is what kind of payoff is there to not issuing an apology?  Or will they wait until someone dies?

We don’t need a George Floyd in Canada, and Certainly not  have it be my chief. CHARGES DROPPED 

Please donate to his legal fees