The family of a man who died in Saskatchewan RCMP custody is demanding answers and changes to how Indigenous people are held by police.
Last month, Gerald Straightnose, a 61-year-old from Keeseekoose First Nation, died in the cells of the RCMP detachment in Kamsack, Sask., just over 225 kilometres northeast of Regina.
The Serious Incident Response Team, Saskatchewan’s police watchdog, is investigating the death, but with no clear answers available yet, the family say they have been unable to find closure.
On Thursday, family members and supporters were joined by members of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations as they rallied in Kamsack.
“We’re not going to stop here. We’re going to keep on until we get that justice and we get out exactly what happened,” said Janice Straightnose, Gerald’s sister.
The family wants an Indigenous liaison in police cells to ensure that when Indigenous people are taken into custody, someone is looking out for their well-being.
Grand Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents 74 First Nations across Saskatchewan, said it’s a suggestion he supports not just in this province, but across Canada.
“This ain’t over by a long shot. This family and other families deserve all the justice in the world,” Cameron said.
Before he died, Gerald Straightnose was trying to get his life back on track, his family says.
He had served as a band councillor for six years, and was known to hunt and provide food for traditional ceremonies and those who needed it.
But a struggle with addiction had landed him in trouble, and eventually his family members convinced him to deal with outstanding arrest warrants he had.
On June 3, Straightnose willingly turned himself in to members of the RCMP detachment in Kamsack. According to a June 10 news release from the Serious Incident Response Team, no force was used in the arrest.
“When I convinced my brother to go to court, it wasn’t to meet his death,” said Janice Straightnose.
Her brother appeared in provincial court via CCTV the next day, before being remanded into RCMP custody.
At around 7 p.m. on June 5, he was found unresponsive in his cell. Paramedics were called, but he was declared dead at 8:37 p.m., according to the police watchdog.
Police have not released the cause of death.
On Thursday, the FSIN and Gerald Straightnose’s family said a woman in a nearby cell had reported that leading up to his death, she heard him loudly complaining and calling for food and medication that was meant to treat his withdrawal from drugs.
Thursday’s rally repeatedly highlighted the lack of trust local First Nations have with the Kamsack RCMP detachment.
Gerald Straightnose’s family and other Indigenous speakers at the rally relayed their own bad experiences with the Mounties. They said they feel like investigations into the deaths of Indigenous people are not a priority, or are otherwise swept under the rug.
“The police were put here to protect and serve us to bring peace amongst the nations, bring peace amongst the people,” said Chief George Cote of Cote First Nation.
“But when you have unexpected deaths from incarceration, there’s simply something wrong.”
On Thursday, FSIN Grand Chief Cameron repeated his past calls for an Indigenous police force.
Cameron said the federation has repeatedly been left frustrated by the RCMP, which often polices rural and remote areas in Saskatchewan.
Cameron said before Thursday’s rally, he had attempted to call RCMP Assistant Commissioner Robin McNeil, the interim commanding officer for the RCMP in Saskatchewan, and Mike Duheme, commissioner of the RCMP. Neither took his call, he said.
Cameron also called for changes at the Kamsack department, including for all officers there to be fired.
“We’re trying to protect our little ones … so that they don’t face the bad times that we faced, so that they’re not mistreated like we have been,” he said.
“We want our little boys and girls to live better lives than we ever had, to be treated as equals in this country.”
In a statement, the Saskatchewan RCMP said they were aware of the rally on Thursday.
“[We] express our sincere condolences to the deceased’s family and loved ones. We acknowledge their grief,” the statement read.
RCMP declined to answer any questions, saying they were mindful of the ongoing investigation by the Serious Incident Response Team.
The police watchdog says it continues to investigate Straightnose’s death.
