The BC Civil Liberties Association among other groups, including the family of Haida Elder Jimmie Johannesson, have issued 香蕉视频直播淐alls to Action香蕉视频直播� five months after Johannesson was shot dead by the Surrey RCMP during a wellness check in Whalley on April 8.

Beside his family and the BCCLA, Pivot Legal Society, #Justice for Jared and The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) are among the coalition.

Johannesson香蕉视频直播檚 sister, Ruby Marks, was not available for comment.

She and Laura Holland, founder of Justice for Jared, sent a letter to B.C. Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth and federal Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino on Sept. 8 concerning Johannesson香蕉视频直播檚 last minutes as well as recommendations intended to prevent such a death from happening again.

香蕉视频直播淓lder Jimmie called police that morning out of concern that he was a danger to himself. In response to this Elder香蕉视频直播檚 call for help, the Emergency Response Team (whose officers wear military-style uniforms) and armed RCMP Officers were dispatched and surrounded his home,香蕉视频直播� their letter reads. 香蕉视频直播淭he RCMP香蕉视频直播檚 lack of training around mental health, de-escalation and safe disarming techniques then saw them opening fire in his home where Jimmie was shot in the arm, leg, and twice in the heart. What began as a desperate cry for help ended in a senseless tragedy at the hands of the state when Jimmie was pronounced dead at the hospital.香蕉视频直播�

Surrey RCMP Const. Sarbjit Sangha, a spokeswoman for the detachment, told the Now-Leader on Thursday that because 香蕉视频直播渢his matter is under independent investigation which we need to respect,香蕉视频直播� that 香蕉视频直播渋t would not be appropriate to comment on the BCCLA/UNBCIC release in advance of the conclusion of the investigation.香蕉视频直播�

The letter calls on the two levels of government to eliminate police involvement in wellness checks and 香蕉视频直播渞eallocate resources to a peer-led mental health emergency response team trained in de-escalation and professional mental health professions whose practices are rooted in and informed by the community, all while prioritizing crisis support and care for the distressed person or family.香蕉视频直播�

Moreover, among other related recommendations, the coalition calls for the end of police checks 香蕉视频直播� maintaining that street checks 香蕉视频直播渙utside of an investigation香蕉视频直播� are discriminatory and violate people香蕉视频直播檚 privacy, exposing individuals 香蕉视频直播渢o further surveillance and potential criminalization香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播� and for government to establish 香蕉视频直播渆xplicit, sanction-backed legal duties香蕉视频直播� for police to cooperate with the Surrey-based police watchdog Independent Investigations Office (IIO, and for police and the IIO to 香蕉视频直播渟afeguard evidence.香蕉视频直播�

The coalitions is also calling on government to 香蕉视频直播渞ecruit Black and Indigenous investigators with knowledge of the lived experiences of these racialized communities, for the IIO to appoint an Indigenous Civilian Monitor, or a separate board of Indigenous Civilian Monitors, 香蕉视频直播渢o oversee each investigation where an Indigenous person is identified as a victim or affected party in an incident of death, serious harm, or reportable injury,香蕉视频直播� to restrict firearm possession to a small percentage 香蕉视频直播� ie., less than five per cent香蕉视频直播澫憬妒悠抵辈�� specifically and highly trained officers, and make mandatory a policy for body cameras to be worn by all municipal, provincial and federal police officers at all times when on duty.

香蕉视频直播淵ou each have significant influence and legal authorities at your disposal to constrain police and augment civilian oversight mechanisms,香蕉视频直播� Marks and Holland told the politicians. 香蕉视频直播淲e ask you to use your authority without delay as each day passes where another life is taken, distrust of police organizations grows and communities are left torn and broken by the lack of accountability, community safety and care for its citizens.香蕉视频直播�

On the call to eliminate police involvement in wellness checks, asked what happens if police aren香蕉视频直播檛 on scene to protect mental health workers if a person produces a weapon, Mara Selanders, staff counsel (community) for the BCCLA, told the Now-Leader on Thursday that 香蕉视频直播渢here are people with greater skills at de-escalation than the police currently possess, that are able to de-escalate a situation that might mean that the person who did have the weapon has no reason to use it in the end.

香蕉视频直播淪o that香蕉视频直播檚 kind of the main focus is looking to greater skills at de-escalation and actually managing the situation,香蕉视频直播� Selanders said. 香蕉视频直播淥ften the police, whether by their mere presence or by the way they handle a situation, that escalates it to the point that weapons are actually used. That香蕉视频直播檚 what we香蕉视频直播檝e seen, time and again.

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檝e seen time and again that the situations often escalate beyond what they ever needed to be in the first place,香蕉视频直播� Selanders added, 香蕉视频直播渂ecause police do not have those same skills that a lot of front-line healthcare and mental health workers possess.香蕉视频直播�

As for the IIO香蕉视频直播檚 investigation into the police香蕉视频直播檚 role in Johannesson香蕉视频直播檚 death, she noted, 香蕉视频直播渢he investigation is still open and ongoing. No conclusions on that front.香蕉视频直播�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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