The Neil Stonechild Situation - Essay Example

THE NEIL STONECHILD CASE An Aborigine, more commonly termed as a native, is a part of the first recognized population of a locality. These Aborigines were present even before the discovery of countries such as Australia and Canada. There is no question that there are great differences and diversities between Aborigines and non-Aborigines living presently in different countries, both groups with different traditions, languages, and ethnicity. In Canada, different attempts were made to integrate the culture of Canadians to the aborigines. It was only in 1991 that the government of Canada formed a Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) to attend to the concerns of the Aborigines of Canada such as previous government courses of action, to be able to present policy proposals. A final report was issued in 1996 by the commission with a 20-year period for change (Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia). This 20-year period ends by the year 2016. It has been 13 years after the RCAP issued its report and recommendations to the government. What has happened in the span of 13 years? Has anything changed between how the Aborigines, non-Aborigines, and the government relate to one other? Have you ever heard of Cameron Mulrunji Doomadgee, Corrine McKeown, Doreen LeClair, Helen Betty Osborne, Eva Taysup, Shelley Napope, Calinda Waterhen or Neil Stonechild? Most likely, you have never heard of them, but they do have one thing in common. They are Aborigines in Canada who are now all dead. Are they dead because of police brutality, racial discrimination, or because the public has turned a blind eye on what is really happening to the First Nation in Canada? Neil Stonechild is a 17-year old Aborigine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Four days after being picked up by the police for causing a disturbance, his body was found frozen in a field in the northwest area of the city. Autopsy reports showed hypothermia as the cause of death and investigations by the police service disproved foul play in his death. But there were qualms, especially by the family, about the circumstances surrounding the death of Stonechild especially since there were complaints about members of the police team moving Aborigines to remote places in and outside of the city of Saskatoon. Apparently, the principal investigator assigned to the case set aside important data pointed out to him regarding Neil Stonechild’s disappearance and demise. Further investigations were made and a decision was concluded in 2004, fourteen years after the primary incident. Several factors were pinpointed as contributing to his death. First was the weather, as it appeared in the initial investigation, saying that it was hypothermia that killed him. Second, it was surmised that a certain Gary Pratt or one of his brothers beat him up either because of the case where Neil was supposed to testify against him or because he had been “flirting” with Pratt’s girlfriend. Third factor that could have led to his death was that Neil Stonechild was drunk at the night of November 24. Another factor that could have led to his death was the police service itself. There had been a lot of cases of Aboriginal deaths while in custodial care and a friend of Stonechild, Jason Roy, testified that he had seen Neil on the night of November 24, 1990 at the back of a marked Saskatoon police car, handcuffed and that there was blood across his nose and that he was asking Roy to help him. That was the last time he saw his friend alive. Police records failed to show what or where the two officers seen in the patrol car with Neil Stonechild were between the time period of 12:30 a.m. to 1:39 a.m. of November 25th. During the course of the inquiry, the two police officers denied they had anything to do with the disappearance and death of Stonechild while giving vague and unclear answers throughout the investigation. Several police officers, more specifically the first responder and the patrol sergeant involved in the case also gave blurred answers regarding the Stonechild death. Underlying factors mentioned above could all have led to Neil Stonechild’s death. His intoxication, the cold weather, the refusal of police officers to take accountability of their actions and instead, resorting to blaming one another, even the instance when his friend, Roy, denied knowing him could all have brought about Neil’s death sentence. All of this and much more could have contributed to his death. What then, does this say about the condition of Aborigines in Canada? It is no secret that there have been a lot of Aboriginal deaths. Cameron Mulrunji Doomadgee, a 36-year old aboriginal man died an hour later after being brought into police custody in 2004 (AAP General News, 2004). According to the coroner, cause of death was intra-abdominal hemorrhage brought about by a ruptured liver and portal vein. Two years later, his coroner found out that the hemorrhage was brought about by blows to Doomadgee’s body by the arresting officer. The officer went through trial but was found not guilty by the jury of the charges against him regarding the Aborigine’s death. Another case in the same year, a judge pleaded guilty to the assault and sex-buying of four Aboriginal girls with ages ranging from 12-16 and all minors (Ross, 2005). In the year 2000, two Aboriginal women were murdered despite having called 911 for help over 5 times in an 8-hour period (Ross, 2005). Help did not come and the two women died from the cuts and injuries inflicted on them. In 1996, a serial killer was condemned for the murder of three Aboriginal women, Eva Taysup, Shelley Napope, and Calinda Waterhen in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Ross, 2005). The killer gave four reasons for killing these women, among them was because they were natives. In 1971, a 19-year old Indian student was abducted by four men, all white, and was sexually attacked and killed viciously (Amnesty International Canada, 2007). The police were well-aware of attacks with a sexual nature on indigent women by white men but felt that it did not call for caution. Police investigation took more than 15 years to condemn one of the four men, while the second one was exonerated. What does this say about the place of Aborigines in Canada? It seems that they are abused and discriminated against in a society where they fail to blend in the dominant culture. It would seem that they are victims of a faulty police system wherein the police offenders are not convicted of offenses they have committed and are not accountable for actions they execute in the performance of their duties. It appears that Aboriginal people in Canada are given little importance as seen in the reaction of non-aborigines toward their deaths and disappearances. So where does that place the Aborigines when it looks as if current societal conditions dictate that they have no place in Canada? What does this say about the police and justice system in Canada and even in the world? Issues such as extrajudicial killings, custodial deaths, and police brutality have been around for a long time in the Middle East, Central America, India, Russia, and the Philippines among others. Yet it still exists today and few measures have been done to make and enforce policies to avoid these types of situations. Neil Stonechild’s death only exposed the defects and flaws of the justice system which existed back then and still exists in present time. His case proved the police system as inadequate. The police service denied any accountability for the death of an Aborigine yet evidence points a finger at them. They failed to pinpoint a cause for death and chose to blame it instead on nature. Other murder cases concerning the killing of Aborigines failed to make the offender pay for their crime. Is not a system where offenders are protected from facing the full consequences of their actions damaged and corrupted? When these offenders are not made to pay for their wrongdoings, it serves as the spark that lights the fire, making others feel that they can do cold-blooded murder and get away with it. The sad truth is they do get away with it because of the rotten justice system that no one seems capable of fixing. It cannot be fixed until we accept that racism exists and that we ourselves are racists. We pass judgment to others and in the process, we end up being insensitive to them and their needs. We separate ourselves from them and forget that they have the same needs as we do. Society abounds with racism, hence, the lack of concern of non-Aborigines toward numerous deaths and mysterious disappearances of Aborigines. Society turns a blind eye on the situation, the police and the justice system refuses to see the severity of the situation. How can a problem as such be solved when no one even acknowledges its existence? Stonechild’s death and the investigation that followed should serve as a wake-up call for all involved in police services all over the world. Justice for a crime or an offense done should follow a certain protocol that’s why there are rules and laws. If the one who enforces the law cannot even follow it, even resorting to brutality and murder, how can they expect others to adhere to the law? In the case of extra-judicial killings done by other groups other than the government and the police, there should be stricter policies and greater vigilance to prevent these inhumane murders. Lawbreakers should be punished accordingly, without regard to race, color, or gender. It is only through these that criminals will think twice before doing a wrong act. The law should be consistent and should not bow to anyone, regardless of status and power. The Commission gave eight recommendations to address the problems that came up from the investigation. I think that these recommendations are satisfactory enough to tackle the different issues that were found in the inquiry. I do agree strongly with several proposals given. I agree that there should be members of the First Nation to enter the police service so that the Aborigines will have someone to represent them and make a stand for them. Having an Aborigine as part of the police force will also help them understand the procedures and protocols in handling investigations and crime. There should also be an Aboriginal peace officer to ensure that no laws and rights are violated while First Nation members are brought into custody. This would also ensure that their opinions, thoughts, and suggestions are also considered when making decisions. In essence, the Aborigines should make their presence known by becoming more prominent members of the society. Maybe through this, racism towards them will eventually decrease and lead to their acceptance in the society. I also strongly agree that police members should be trained in transcultural relations. It is an important aspect of their work especially since they will be dealing with different people with different backgrounds. They should also undergo mandatory anger management classes to lessen the probability of police brutality. I believe that police officers should always carry themselves in a professional manner and always keep their emotions in line when carrying out their duties. I would like to add, however, to the recommendations given by the Commission, that there would be stricter guidelines and policies in recording data. In the investigations, there were a lot of unclear points mainly because the police officers failed to document pertinent details. Due to incomplete and inaccurate documentation, it made it hard to actually prove or disprove anything. Unfortunate incidents such as the death of Neil Stonechild remain a part of a larger number of Aboriginal killings in Canada. A blind eye has been turned many times and many different fingers remain pointed in all directions, with no definite answers and solutions in sight. Until racism and sexism regarding Aborigines is resolved, it is better that they remain vigilant and educate themselves regarding the law to avoid more unjust and unlawful killings. Bonokoski, N. (2007). Colonial Constructs and Legally Sanctioned Sexually Violent Consequences in R V Edmondson. Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture. Retrieved on November 21, 2009, from http://reconstruction.eserver.org/071/bonokoski.shtml Green, J. (2006). From Stonechild to Social Cohesion: Anti-Racist Challenges for Saskatchewan. Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique, 39 , pp 507-527 “Qld: Indigneous leaders call for justice over black deaths.” (2004). AAP General News (Australia). Retrieved November 21, 2009, from HighBeam.com: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-103333888.html Read, P. (1998). The Return of the Stolen Generation. Journal of Australian Studies, pp 1-10 Ross, I. (2005). Aboriginal Women in Canada: Lives Valued in Pennies. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article/10450408-aboriginal-women-in-canada-lives-valued-in-pennies “Royal Commission on Aboriginal People.” (n.d.). In Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia online. Retrieved on November 21, 2009, at (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_peoples_in_Canada) “Stolen Sisters.” (2007). Amnesty International Canada. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from http://www.amnesty.ca/campaigns/sisters_helen_betty_osborne.php Wright, D. (2004). Commission of Inquiry Into Matters Relating to the Death of Neil Stonechild Final Report. Retrieved November 20, 2009, from http://www.justice.gov.sk.ca/stonechild/finalreport/default.shtml Read More