National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will take place on Monday under the tragic backdrop of the recent incident in which Blood Tribe member Jonathan Wells died while in police custody — a case that has raised alarm over Calgary police’s use of force.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been in contact with First Nations leaders and is waiting for the conclusion of the investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) to judge the matter, while Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek has been in direct contact with Wells’ family since details around his death were released Wednesday by Alberta’s police watchdog.
Wells died Sept. 17 in an incident at a southeast Calgary hotel when a physical altercation resulted in police applying restraints and medics sedating him. Wells was unresponsive after being restrained and sedated and was declared dead at the scene.
A walk from the Carriage House Inn, where Wells died, to Calgary Police Service headquarters is scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. The walk, happening on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, will be dedicated to Wells and is being organized by his family.
Gondek reached out to the family directly this week and will meet them on Monday during the national holiday, which recognizes the atrocities and generational impact caused by Canada’s residential school system.
“My heart is broken for them. This is an incredibly tragic loss, not only for the family but for the entire community and for the city, and I just want them to know how much my heart hurts for them,” Gondek said at an unrelated event.
Premier Smith said on her Saturday radio show that the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) has reached out and a private conversation is being planned.
Smith said ASIRT is independent and the appropriate mechanism to review an incident such as this.
“Nobody likes when these kinds of situations occurs. Nobody intends for it to happen. I don’t want to prejudge the outcome until that investigation is complete,” she said.
Blood Tribe Chief ‘Makiinima’ Roy Fox said in a Friday video that he’s also been in touch with Shawn Cornett, chair of the Calgary Police Commission.
“This painful event brings back memories of challenges our community has faced in the past,” the chief said. The First Nation raised the issue of its relationship with police in a 1991 inquiry that looked into the deaths of 17 Blood Tribe members. The Blood Tribe is also filing a formal complaint against the three officers involved in the Sept. 17 incident.
The Criminal Defence Layers Association (CDLA) of Calgary called out “concerning differences” between the contents in CPS’ initial news release and the detailed account later provided by ASIRT.
In the first Sept. 17 release, CPS wrote that officers were called for reports of a man causing a “disturbance” who refused to leave. Police said the man did not co-operate with de-escalation tactics, resulting in “one officer deploying a Taser.”
“The man was taken into custody and, shortly after, went into medical distress. Sadly, and despite the efforts of EMS, the man was declared deceased at the scene,” CPS wrote at the time.
Eight days later, on Sept. 25, ASIRT’s accounting of the incident detailed footage captured by the body-worn camera of the first officer to arrive, saying Wells was standing in the lobby with his hands in full view and did not possess any weapons. The initial call also came on CPS’ non-emergency line asking for help removing an unwanted person from the lobby, ASIRT wrote.
The release recounted the interaction in which Wells walked to the main doors saying “I don’t want to die” as the officer pointed a Taser at him. “At no point during the interaction had the male been identified, nor was he ever told he was being detained or under arrest,” ASIRT wrote.
After bringing down Wells in a physical altercation and putting him handcuffs and leg restraints, ASIRT wrote Wells was bleeding from the mouth and vomits, leading CPS to apply a spit mask. EMS administered a sedative shortly after; three minutes after, as he laid face-down, it was noted he was unresponsive and soon declared dead at the scene.
“These significant discrepancies make public transparency a paramount consideration in the continued investigation of this event,” the CDLA wrote, adding that if the investigation reveals reasonable grounds to believe an offence was committed, the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service should appoint an outside special prosecutor. It also asked ASIRT to investigate the role racial stereotypes or unconscious biases may have played.
At the All My Relations healing powwow, held Saturday at BMO Centre, Arlene Oostenbrink, director of community services for Closer to Home, said Wells’ death heightened the need for events like powwows to help heal from current and past tragedies.
“It makes it heavier but it also makes it all the more important. This is an important day,” Oostenbrink said.
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The release recounted the interaction in which Wells walked to the main doors saying “I don’t want to die” as the officer pointed a Taser at him. “At no point during the interaction had the male been identified, nor was he ever told he was being detained or under arrest,” ASIRT wrote.
After bringing down Wells in a physical altercation and putting him handcuffs and leg restraints, ASIRT wrote Wells was bleeding from the mouth and vomits, leading CPS to apply a spit mask. EMS administered a sedative shortly after; three minutes after, as he laid face-down, it was noted he was unresponsive and soon declared dead at the scene.
“These significant discrepancies make public transparency a paramount consideration in the continued investigation of this event,” the CDLA wrote, adding that if the investigation reveals reasonable grounds to believe an offence was committed, the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service should appoint an outside special prosecutor. It also asked ASIRT to investigate the role racial stereotypes or unconscious biases may have played.
At the All My Relations healing powwow, held Saturday at BMO Centre, Arlene Oostenbrink, director of community services for Closer to Home, said Wells’ death heightened the need for events like powwows to help heal from current and past tragedies.
“It makes it heavier but it also makes it all the more important. This is an important day,” Oostenbrink said.
[email protected]
X: @mattscace67
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