Indigenous leaders demand change after RCMP shooting of Tla-o-qui-aht mother

UCLUELET (NEWS 1130) – Saying the community and families are “completely devastated,” First Nations leaders on Vancouver Island are calling out the RCMP after a Tla-o-qui-aht mother was shot on Saturday.

The woman remains in critical condition, according to Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations Chief Moses Martin.

“This is the third recent shooting by the RCMP of one of our people – our population is approximately 1,150 people,” Chief Martin says in a statement. “Needless to say, we are experiencing heavy trauma and shock.”

Noting his people are frustrated after being told to wait for an investigation into what happened to be completed, Martin says the Tla-o-qui-aht will be “seeking interim measures with the RCMP and the IIO.”

The woman, whose identity has not been shared, was shot by officers after they were called to a disturbance at a home. When they arrived, officers claim the woman was holding a weapon.

RCMP Shoot Tla-o-qui-aht Woman on Mother’s Day Weekend: Indigenous Leadership Furious with Ongoing Police Brutality " “We refuse to sit idly by and be silent while our people continue to be shot and murdered." Kukpi7 Judy https://t.co/J0YehkEUaU pic.twitter.com/Cq0odYfWMb

— UBCIC (@UBCIC) May 11, 2021

She was seriously hurt and taken to the hospital. The Independent Investigations Office has since been called in.

“What will it take to make the tragedies stop? The use of lethal force by Canadian police forces against Indigenous peoples is a deadly epidemic in Canada,” writes Lydia Hwitsum of the First Nations Summit Political Executive.

The statement from Union of BC Indian Chiefs notes that Hereditary Chiefs and Elected Council issued a statement in June of 2020 demanding changes and justice reforms after 26-year-old Chantel Moore, a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, was shot and killed by police in New Brunswick.

“There have been numerous inquiries, studies, reports, and a First Nations Justice Strategy in B.C. created to address the need for justice reform,” says Hwitsum. “Despite this, our citizens continue to be the victims of unnecessary police violence leading to serious injury or death as a result of police shootings. The lack of action on implementing proposed solutions will only lead to more of our citizens being injured or dying. The time for police reform is now.”

Saturday’s shooting came three months after another Indigenous person, Julian Jones, was shot and killed by RCMP on Vancouver Island.

Related: Woman shot by RCMP in Ucluelet; police watchdog investigating

The UBCIC says members of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and the Nuu-chah-nulth Nation are still dealing with the grief of losing Moore and Jones.

“We refuse to sit idly by and be silent while our people continue to be shot and murdered,” said Kukpi7 Judy Wilson, secretary-treasurer of the UBCIC. “We demand immediate action and full transparency by the police and the Independent Investigations Office in this investigation including a full review of the detachment, and the implementation of all calls put forward following previous shootings. Our thoughts are also with this young mother as she undergoes treatment and healing, and demand necessary resources be put in place to support her, her family and her community in dealing with this trauma.”

On Tuesday, high-level members of the RCMP took part in a Zoom meeting with First Nations leaders on Vancouver Island.

Judith Sayers is the president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and says the focus of the latest meeting was to figure out, “How we can work better to protect our people from the people who are supposed to be protecting us?”

Sayers adds she believes senior Mounties taking part in these meetings are listening.

"I think they do. The question is how much are they able to do?

— Marcella Bernardo (@MBernardoNews) May 12, 2021

“People are shocked there were shots being fired in their community. You start to feel unsafe in your own community,” she says.

“We need to be able to build our relationships with the RCMP so that we know that we have a relationship that we can work with them, and that we can figure out processes to deal with situations.”

However, she says “We’re just starting the work.”

“We have this systemic racism in the RCMP and the court system. And I’m glad that we’re able to speak about that and do something about that. And I think that’s really important for us to realize.”

She adds while she believes the RCMP is listening to the concerns she says the question is “how much are they able to do?”

“We need to know, is it a lack of training? Is it insufficient training? Is it racism? Is it a lack of cultural awareness and education? Discomfort as police officers coming into the reserve? We need to address all those areas so that we can so we can fix this.”

In a statement from RCMP Deputy Commissioner Jennifer Strachan, she says Mounties are listening to the concerns and frustrations raised by the community and Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.

“We fully support that our actions are being independently investigated by the IIO BC and we are confident their efforts will address some of the key questions being raised such as why did this happen and what did police do?”

Strachan adds they also support the IIO BC’s appointment of an Indigenous civilian observer related to the RCMP shooting that killed Julian Jones in February.

“The incidents referenced were tragic and difficult for all involved, including the police officers who attended,” she says. “They do not represent our years of work in the community.  We will continue to have meetings with President Sayers and the Nation on effecting change and enhancing the trust and confidence in policing.”

Mounties will be meeting with the First Nations Leadership Council later this week once again to address concerns surrounding policing and Indigenous communities.

-With files from Renee Bernard and Charlie Carey