The BC Civil Liberties Association among other groups, including the family of Haida Elder Jimmie Johannesson, have issued 害羞草研究所淐alls to Action害羞草研究所� 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害羞草研究所檚 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害羞草研究所檚 last minutes as well as recommendations intended to prevent such a death from happening again.

害羞草研究所淓lder Jimmie called police that morning out of concern that he was a danger to himself. In response to this Elder害羞草研究所檚 call for help, the Emergency Response Team (whose officers wear military-style uniforms) and armed RCMP Officers were dispatched and surrounded his home,害羞草研究所� their letter reads. 害羞草研究所淭he RCMP害羞草研究所檚 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.害羞草研究所�

Surrey RCMP Const. Sarbjit Sangha, a spokeswoman for the detachment, told the Now-Leader on Thursday that because 害羞草研究所渢his matter is under independent investigation which we need to respect,害羞草研究所� that 害羞草研究所渋t would not be appropriate to comment on the BCCLA/UNBCIC release in advance of the conclusion of the investigation.害羞草研究所�

The letter calls on the two levels of government to eliminate police involvement in wellness checks and 害羞草研究所渞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.害羞草研究所�

Moreover, among other related recommendations, the coalition calls for the end of police checks 害羞草研究所� maintaining that street checks 害羞草研究所渙utside of an investigation害羞草研究所� are discriminatory and violate people害羞草研究所檚 privacy, exposing individuals 害羞草研究所渢o further surveillance and potential criminalization害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� and for government to establish 害羞草研究所渆xplicit, sanction-backed legal duties害羞草研究所� for police to cooperate with the Surrey-based police watchdog Independent Investigations Office (IIO, and for police and the IIO to 害羞草研究所渟afeguard evidence.害羞草研究所�

The coalitions is also calling on government to 害羞草研究所渞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, 害羞草研究所渢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,害羞草研究所� to restrict firearm possession to a small percentage 害羞草研究所� ie., less than five per cent害羞草研究所澓π卟菅芯克鶕 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.

害羞草研究所淵ou each have significant influence and legal authorities at your disposal to constrain police and augment civilian oversight mechanisms,害羞草研究所� Marks and Holland told the politicians. 害羞草研究所淲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.害羞草研究所�

On the call to eliminate police involvement in wellness checks, asked what happens if police aren害羞草研究所檛 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 害羞草研究所渢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.

害羞草研究所淪o that害羞草研究所檚 kind of the main focus is looking to greater skills at de-escalation and actually managing the situation,害羞草研究所� Selanders said. 害羞草研究所淥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害羞草研究所檚 what we害羞草研究所檝e seen, time and again.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e seen time and again that the situations often escalate beyond what they ever needed to be in the first place,害羞草研究所� Selanders added, 害羞草研究所渂ecause police do not have those same skills that a lot of front-line healthcare and mental health workers possess.害羞草研究所�

As for the IIO害羞草研究所檚 investigation into the police害羞草研究所檚 role in Johannesson害羞草研究所檚 death, she noted, 害羞草研究所渢he investigation is still open and ongoing. No conclusions on that front.害羞草研究所�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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