[HPN] Fwd: Saskatoon & Regina ethnic cleansing

[Graeme Bacque]

------------forwarded message------------
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 22:52:58 -0500
To: gbacque@idirect.com
From: Lynne Moss-Sharman <lsharman@microage-tb.com>
Subject: Saskatoon & Regina ethnic cleansing

KNOWN DEAD SASKATOON:
Lloyd Joseph Dustyhorn  2000  Kawacatoose First Nation
Rodney Naistus   2000         Onion Lake First Nation
Lawrence Wegner  2000         Saulteaux First Nation
Neil Stonechild  1990         (mother, Cross Lake Manitoba)

ESCAPED DEATH:
Darrell Night                    Saulteaux First Nation

SUSPECTED ETHNIC CLEANSERS:
Senior Constables Daniel Hatchen, Ken Munson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
KNOWN DEAD REGINA:
Four unnamed men

ESCAPED DEATH:
Glen Pewean

SUSPECTED ETHNIC CLEANSERS:
unnamed police officers

****************************************************************
~o~     ~o~    ~o~     ~o~      ~o~     ~o~     ~o~    ~o~

RCMP TOO BUSY TO PROBE NEIL STONECHILD DEATH, 1990
Stonechild case closed
RCMP refuses to add 1990 Native death to its
investigation of suspicious deaths
By Leslie Perreaux Saskatoon Star Phoenix 2/23/2000

The RCMP has decided not to reopen a decade-old investigation into the
suspicious freezing death of a Native teenager on the outskirts of
Saskatoon, despite pleas from Native leaders and the boy's family. "Right
now, we have five things to deal with and
sometime we have to decide where to maintain our focus," said RCMP Sgt.
Rick Wychreschuk. "We want to deal with these issues first. That's the
decision right now." Neil Stonechild, 17, was last seen Nov. 24, 1990 and
his frozen body was found five days later in a field in Saskatoon's north
end. The last person to see Stonechild alive on the -28 C night has claimed
that police apprehended Stonechild and took him away. The decision by the
RCMP to ignore the Stonechild case for now was met with sadness from the
boy's mother and anger from a Native leader. Lawrence Joseph, vice-chief in
charge of justice issues at the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian
Nations, said the Stonechild case is one of the "more glaring leads" in the
growing investigation surrounding Saskatoon city police.

"The RCMP shouldn't have to be pushed. These people have lost a family
member. They have heart-wrenching questions and someone needs to put the
wheels in motion to answer them," he said. "If they're going to treat this
cry for an investigation of the death of Mr. Stonechild this way, it's
unacceptable. It's not enough to say their plate is too full." Many
circumstances surrounding Stonechild's death are similar to the mysterious
deaths of two Native men
earlier this year, which are being investigated by a special RCMP task
force. Like the other men, Stonechild was intoxicated and
causing a disturbance in the city the night he disappeared. Like the two
other men, his body was found in a field on the edge of the city. The RCMP
is investigating the two recent deaths, as well as an alleged incident
where a Native man says he was dropped off at the edge of town by Saskatoon
police and forced to attempt to walk home in frigid weather. Chief of
police Dave Scott suspended two officers for their alleged involvement in
that incident.

Stella Bignell, Stonechild's mother, has always believed her son was the
victim of foul play. She now believes the police had something to do with
it and she's angry the RCMP is ignoring the case.
"They don't want to have anything to do with it. You'd think after all the
information that has come up, they would have the decency to look into it
again. They certainly didn't do anything about it before," Bignell said.
She said she has contacted Saskatoon lawyer Don Worme and she will wait for
his advice before acting.

The RCMP has also assumed from Saskatoon city police investigations into
the deaths of the two other Native men. In January and February,
respectively, those men had contact with police, were released and were
later found dead at or near their homes.
Wychreschuk said the RCMP took over those cases after the request of the
deceased's family in one case, and the Saskatoon city police in the other.
The Saskatoon police are reviewing the Stonechild
file, along with all other deaths the force has attended over the past five
years. "Any that we feel should go to the RCMP will go to
the RCMP following that review. The Stonechild one will fall into that
category," said Staff Sgt. Glenn Thomson. Saskatoon police concluded in
1991 that Stonechild died while trying to walk to the correctional centre
from a convenience store to surrender himself. He was wanted for escaping
from a youth group home where he was serving a sentence for break and enter.

Joseph, Bignell and Worme each questioned the wisdom of leaving the file in
the hands of city police Tuesday. "But I'm sure the truth will come out
eventually," Bignell said. "I have my faith in that. I will find out
whoever did this."

February 23, 2000  RCMP too busy to probe death
Saskatchewan News Network Regina Leader Post

SASKATOON -- The RCMP has decided not to reopen a decade-old investigation
into the suspicious freezing death of a native teenager on the outskirts of
Saskatoon, despite pleas from
native leaders and the boy's family. "Right now we have five things to deal
with and sometimes we have to decide where to maintain our focus," said
RCMP Sgt. Rick Wychreschuk. "We want to deal with these issues first.
That's the decision right now." Neil Stonechild, 17, was last seen on Nov.
24, 1990. His frozen body was found five days later in a field in
Saskatoon's north end. The last person to see Stonechild alive on the -28û
night has claimed that police apprehended Stonechild and took him away. The
decision by the RCMP to ignore the Stonechild case for now was met with
sadness from the boy's mother and anger from a native leader in charge of
justice issues. Lawrence Joseph, the vice-chief in charge of justice issues
at the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, said the Stonechild case
is one of the "more glaring leads" in the growing investigation surrounding
Saskatoon city police. "The RCMP shouldn't have to be pushed. These people
have lost a family member. They have heart-wrenching questions and someone
needs to put the wheels in motion to answer them," Joseph said. "If they're
going to treat this cry for an investigation of the death of Mr. Stonechild
this way, it's unacceptable. It's not enough to say their plate is too full."

Many circumstances surrounding Stonechild's death are similar to
the mysterious deaths of two native men earlier this year which are
being investigated by a special RCMP task force. Like the other
men, Stonechild was intoxicated and causing a disturbance in the
city the night he disappeared. Like the two other men, his body
was found in a field on the edge of the city. The RCMP is investigating the
two recent deaths, as well as an alleged incident where a native man was
dropped off at the edge of town by Saskatoon police and forced to walk home
in frigid weather. Chief of police Dave Scott suspended two officers for
alleged involvement in that incident. Stella Bignell, Stonechild's mother,
has always believed her son was the victim of foul play. She now believes
the police had
something to do with it and she's angry the RCMP is ignoring the
case.  "They don't want to have anything to do with it. You'd think after
all the information that has come up, they would have the decency to look
into it again. They certainly didn't do anything about it before," said
Stella Bignell, Stonechild's mother.

Bignell said she has contacted Saskatoon lawyer Don Worme and
she will wait for his advice before acting. The RCMP also assumed from
Saska-toon city police investigations into the deaths of two other native
men on the weekend. Those men had contact with police, were released and
were later found dead at or near their homes.
Wychreschuk said the RCMP took over those cases after the
request of the deceased's family in one case, and the Saskatoon
city police in the other. The Saskatoon police are reviewing the Stonechild
file, along with all other deaths the force has attended over the past five
years. "Any that we feel should go to the RCMP will go to the RCMP
following that review. The Stonechild one will fall into that category,"
said Staff Sgt. Glenn Thomson.

Saskatoon police concluded in 1991 that Stonechild died while
trying to walk to the correctional centre from a convenience store to
surrender himself. He was wanted for escaping from a youth
group home where he was serving a sentence for breaking and
entering. Joseph, Bignell and Worme each questioned the wisdom of
leaving the file in the hands of city police Tuesday. "But I'm sure the
truth will come out eventually," Bignell said. "I have my faith in that. I
will find out whoever did this." Meanwhile, Metis leaders called for an
independent judicial inquiry into the provincial justice system on Tuesday,
saying the suspicious deaths of four First Nations men in the Saskatoon
area symbolize the racism plaguing the administration of justice in
Saskatchewan.

"The standards of the community have been violated," Gerald
Morin, president of the Metis National Council, told a news
conference. "We must get to the truth. A serious public judicial
inquiry is the only way to restore faith in the justice system in the
aboriginal community." The Metis demand for a public inquiry came just a
day after provincial Justice Minister Chris Axworthy rejected the idea.
Axworthy said the provincial government will wait until the RCMP task force
completes its investigation.

SASKATOON STARPHOENIX
SASKATOON POLICE SPECIAL CONSTABLE HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINT
Police department racist: worker
Metis woman complains to human rights commission about employer's
'poisoned' work environment
By James Parker Saskatoon Star Phoenix 2/23/2000

A Metis employee of the Saskatoon Police Service has filed a complaint with
the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, alleging the racist attitudes of
her co-workers poisoned her work environment and amounted to
discrimination. Charlene Lavallee, a special constable now on stress leave,
also claims police Chief Dave Scott told her she shouldn't be involved in
the Metis Nation of
Saskatchewan (MNS), the province's most important Metis political
organization. Lavallee filed a complaint with the commission before
the police service revealed that two senior officers were suspended after a
First Nations man complained he was driven to a location near the Queen
Elizabeth power station and abandoned.

An RCMP task force is investigating the incident and the recent suspicious
deaths of four First Nations men. The controversy has given rise to
allegations the police force is racist. Lavallee attended a news conference
Tuesday where Metis leaders called for an independent public inquiry into
the provincial justice system. Her complaint is being investigated by the
commission and she will
meet with Scott this week to discuss her concerns. The police service had
no comment on the case Tuesday. "She has been an employee there for 6 1/2
years and she saw first-hand the racism exhibited by the police force,"
Dwayne Roth, a Saskatoon lawyer
representing Lavallee, told reporters. In the complaint, dated Jan. 5,
Lavallee claims she was subjected to derogatory remarks about Native people
made by co-workers and a supervisor.

In one case, a sergeant said Natives don't work and couldn't survive
without handouts. Lavallee said she told the officer she didn't appreciate
the comments. On another occasion, she claims a constable
expressed a sharp opinion about a study on residential schools.
"One of his comments was 'I'm sick and tired of paying for the damned
Indians for stuff that happened to them hundreds of years ago,' " reads the
complaint. "Both men knew I was a person of aboriginal ancestry. These
comments were typical of others I
was subjected to."  Lavallee claims she was told by Scott in 1997 that she
should not be involved with the MNS because it would interfere with her
work. Lavallee was vice-president of MNS Local 126 in Saskatoon and had
just attended the MNS annual general assembly. According to the complaint,
Lavallee believes she is
working in a poisoned work environment. "As such, the Saskatoon board of
police commissioners have discriminated against me in the
terms and conditions of my employment because of my race and ancestry," the
complaint reads. Roth said Lavallee will sue the police service if her
complaints aren't addressed. "The basis of it would be constructive
dismissal. If she is forced to leave her employment because of poor working
conditions, we would be alleging constructive dismissal. But it's really
early yet to make that
determination."

JUSTICE MINISTER REFUSES TO CALL PROVINCIAL INQUIRY
Axworthy refuses to call public inquiry
By Dan Zakreski  Saskatoon Star Phoenix  2/22/2000
2/22/2000    Saskatoon Star Phoenix

The provincial government will wait until the RCMP completes its criminal
investigation into the deaths of Lawrence Wegner and Rodney Naistus and
allegations of police abuse by Darrell Night before
deciding whether a public inquiry is warranted, Justice Minister Chris
Axworthy said Monday. "Any kind of inquiry is likely to make it very
difficult to have a criminal proceeding which would be regarded as fair and
might hold up in court," he said. "Our view is that it's better to await
the investigation and then make a decision about an inquiry sometime after.
I can say that I'm not ruling out any options in the future." This is not
good enough for the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), which
says
Axworthy "is missing a golden opportunity to restore faith in the justice
system." Vice-chief Lawrence Joseph said the province should be putting the
inquiry in motion right now. "Start meeting with us, talking to us, putting
together the terms of reference, who is going to be on the commission. Just
to commit to it, that's all we're
asking," he said. "The issue is national, the issue is hot. The pressure
from our public is overwhelming and I think it's a life
and death situation."

Axworthy did not believe an inquiry into general relations between the
aboriginal community and the justice system could be done while the 16
investigators are looking into the Saskatoon matters.
"I think it's very difficult to see a way in which those two things could
be effectively separated," he said. Darrell Night alleges that two city
police officers drove him to a field between the city landfill and the
Queen Elizabeth power station in the early morning
hours of Jan. 28. He said the officers abandoned him at the site and that
he walked to the power station and called a taxi.

Power station manager Terry Scott confirmed Monday that, "Yes, he was here
and, yes, the call to the cab did go from here."
Two senior constables were suspended in connection with the incident. They
are the subject of an internal investigation by Saskatoon police and a
criminal investigation by the RCMP.
RCMP are also investigating the deaths of Rodney Naistus, 25, and
30-year-old Lawrence Wegner. Naistus was last seen on the evening of Jan.
28. His frozen body was found at 11 a.m. on Jan. 29 in the
Holiday Park industrial area, north of the power station.

Wegner was last seen on the evening of Jan. 30 near St. Paul's Hospital.
One woman called 911 saying he was causing a disturbance, and another man
said he witnessed two officers forcing an agitated Wegner into a cruiser
near midnight. Wegner's frozen body was found in a field near the Queen
Elizabeth station on Feb. 3. The Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners
intends to launch its own inquiry after the RCMP finish the criminal
investigation, chair Henry Dayday said. The board, along with Chief Dave
Scott, approached the Saskatoon Tribal Council about helping select a
person to conduct the inquiry and establish the terms of reference.

On Monday, Dayday said the inquiry could "deal with the more general
issues." "Public confidence, the way we manage our department - but it
can't deal specifically with police officers or criminal investigations,
nothing like that." The RCMP will forward the results of its criminal
investigation to the director of public prosecutions in Regina. That office
will determine whether there are sufficient grounds for charges. Axworthy
said he would have to consider the location of the allegations and the
substance before deciding on a public inquiry.

"If we hear more allegations from other parts of the province, obviously
the pressure builds," he said. "I think we have three issues at hand. One
is these criminal investigations; one is whatever else the RCMP might
discover; thirdly, how do we, in the face of this, continue to build a
strong working relationship
between the aboriginal community and the justice system, and move to make
the system better than it is? That should be our primary focus. Plainly,
while these allegations are being investigated, there is a lot of pain and
anguish in the community."  The RCMP task force is now in Saskatoon and
working out of offices at the Sandman Hotel near the airport. Sgt. Rick
Wychreschuk said the funding for the task force, now the largest in
Saskatchewan history, is coming out of the regular budget. "We'll pay for
it, unless there are cost overruns or it gets into horrendous amounts," he
said.

The province contributes 70% and the federal government 30% to the RCMP
budget in Saskatchewan. Axworthy said the investigation could reach the
point where the province considers contributing directly.
"The question does arise as to whether or not it goes beyond normal
policing procedures, and whether the province should fund any extra costs,"
he said.

RCMP seek help finding man last seen with Naistus
By Betty Ann Adam  Saskatoon Star Phoenix  2/20/2000

RCMP are asking for the public's assistance in locating a man who may have
information that could aid their investigation into the death of one of
four aboriginal men in Saskatoon over the past month. RCMP are trying to
locate a man, known only as Pat,
who is said to have been with Rodney Naistus the last time he was seen
alive on Jan. 28. Naistus' frozen body was discovered Jan. 29 south of the
Queen Elizabeth II Power Station on the outskirts
of the city. Police said he died from exposure. Naistus' family members say
he left the Red Rock Bar and Grill with a new acquaintance whose name was
Pat. RCMP hope that man can help them retrace Naistus' movements on his
last day alive, said RCMP
spokesperson Sgt. Rick Wychreschuk. Pat is white, clean-shaven, clean-cut
and of average build. He is about 5-feet-8 to 5-feet-11 and he frequented
the Red Rock between Jan. 1 and Jan. 28. He is said to have been working
temporarily as a bricklayer or construction worker and spoke of beginning
work in Calgary in February. He is said to have lived with his mother in the
neighbourhood of the Red Rock on 22nd Street West. Anyone with information
about Pat is asked to contact the RCMP at 1-800-868-7030.  Naistus' death
and those of Lawrence Wegner, Lloyd
Joseph Dustyhorn and Darcy Dean Ironchild are being investigated by an RCMP
task force. The task force was established after another
aboriginal man, Darrell Night, was taken to a field near the power plant by
uniformed police officers and abandoned in freezing weather. Two senior
officers, Ken Munson and Daniel Hatchen, have been suspended for 30 days
with pay in connection with that incident.

Decade-old death resurfaces
By Leslie Perreaux Saskatoon Star Phoenix  2/22/2000

It was a -28 C November night in 1990 when a drunk, Native 17-year-old
named Neil Stonechild created a ruckus at an apartment building and then
disappeared. Five days later, Stonechild turned up frozen solid on the
northern edge of the city. A victim, it seemed, of
drunken meandering on a frigid night. His mother suspected foul play
immediately. "Why was he found way up in the north industrial area
with only one shoe?" Stella Bignell asked three months after her son's
death. "What kid goes out with only one shoe?"

Bignell's doubts were fuelled last week by allegations that some Saskatoon
police officers may be dumping troublemakers outside of town in cold
weather. The RCMP is investigating the allegations of one man, and the
exposure deaths of at least two others.
"I thought right away of my son. I always knew there was something wrong
with this," Bignell said recently from her home in Cross Lake, Man. "I
always believed the police were there for me. I just
can't understand this." Her suspicions had been confirmed long ago by
Stonechild's 16-year-old friend and drinking partner on that cold night.
The friend was the last known person to see Neil Stonechild alive. The
friend has always maintained he watched the cops drive away with Stonechild
in the back of a Saskatoon city police patrol car. As the car drove away,
the friend says Stonechild was screaming, "They're gonna kill me."

Weeks later police concluded Stonechild died trying to walk across the city
to turn himself in at the correctional centre. He attempted this, they
said, in the wee hours of a Saturday morning, while drunk, in -28 weather,
wearing sneakers, a jean jacket and a lumberjack coat. For 10 years the
friend, a young man with his own
lengthy criminal record, has consistently repeated his account of the
incident to friends, to family and to a youth detention staffer who worked
with him 10 years ago. The friend repeated the story again in an interview
Monday. His hands shook, his eyes watered and he was visibly terrified
during the interview. He asked not
to be identified because he is afraid of the police. Neil Stonechild and
the friend were both young men in trouble with the law on Nov. 23, 1990
when they went out drinking. Convicted of break and enter earlier that
year, Stonechild was supposed to be in a group home for
young offenders. He had walked away earlier in the week and a warrant was
out for his arrest. Just after midnight on the 24th, Stonechild and his
buddy went to an apartment building on 33rd Street West and Confederation
Drive where their friend, Lucille Horse, was babysitting. The pair weren't
sure where to find Horse, so they knocked on doors and rang dozens of
buzzers in the
building, annoying a host of neighbours. Horse didn't let her friends into
the apartment because she was babysitting and they were drunk, especially
Neil. "I still have some regrets about that to this day," Horse said. She
later learned that someone in the building called police.

The friend was cold and tired and he tried to convince Stonechild to give
up the hunt. Stonechild refused, so the friend headed in the opposite
direction toward a drinking buddy's home. A few minutes later while the
friend was walking south along Diefenbaker Drive, he says two police
officers drove up to him from an alley. The officers asked for his name and
they asked if he knew the young man
sitting in the back of the car. The young man in custody was Neil
Stonechild. he friend says he gave a false name to police and
denied he knew Stonechild, who was swearing and bleeding in the back seat.
The friend says he lied because he was wanted by police at the time and he
already had a lengthy criminal record.

"Neil was screaming my name, telling me to help him. Seeing him sitting in
the car like that, I was in no position to want to get in that car with
him. So I lied," he said. "I know it was him. I couldn't be more positive.
He was screaming my name. It couldn't have been anyone else." As the car
drove away, the friend says Stonechild swore and screamed: "They're gonna
kill me, they're
gonna kill me."

Five days later, on Nov. 29, 1990, Stonechild's frozen body was found in a
field in Saskatoon's north industrial area, near the 800 block of 57th
Street. He'd somehow lost a shoe. An autopsy confirmed he died from
hypothermia. His body showed no signs of a struggle, except for several
"scratches" across his nose, police said.
When the body was first found and before it was identified, police said the
young man was 30 to 35 years old.

Early in 1991 police concluded Stonechild probably died trying to walk to
the correctional centre to surrender himself. The police noted that the
young man was extremely drunk and was last seen just after midnight at a
convenience store at 33rd Street and Confederation Drive, contrary to the
account of the friend.

Stella Bignell wondered back in 1990 about her son's death. She always
suspected foul play, although initially she thought a gang may have killed
her son. Then she heard from the friend. Bignell, Lucille Horse, and
another son Jason Stonechild, each recently confirm the friend has been
steadfast in his account on various occasions since 1990. The friend says
he spoke to police twice about his allegations. He says a police officer
took a statement from him shortly after Stonechild's funeral. He also says
he approached homicide investigators several months later. He never heard
from the police again about the incident. Saskatoon police could not
confirm or deny the claim Monday.

The friend also says he told his account to a staff member at Kilburn Hall
in 1991. The staff member confirmed that assertion Monday. The friend has
now hired Saskatoon lawyer Don Worme for advice on what to do next. Bignell
wondered whether her son's death would have been more completely
investigated had her son been a
white person, or the son of the mayor or a police commissioner.

Police Chief Dave Scott, then a sergeant in the police force in 1991,
insisted then that the case was investigated thoroughly but no evidence of
foul play was found in Stonechild's death. "A tremendous amount of work
went into that case," Scott said in 1991. At the time he had on hand a
thick investigative file. "It was an unfortunate incident."

The RCMP has assumed the investigation of two recent freezing deaths of
Native men on the outskirts of Saskatoon. The RCMP is also probing
allegations that police dropped another Native man outside of town in
freezing weather. Two officers have been suspended
from the force in that case. The StarPhoenix reported last week an
allegation from a Native man who says he was picked up by police while
drunk and dumped northwest of town about a month before Stonechild's death.
That man walked back to the city. RCMP Sgt. Rick Wychreschuk says the RCMP
task force is not currently looking into the Stonechild case. City police
Staff Sgt. Glenn Thomson says the
Stonechild file will be reviewed and may be forwarded to the RCMP task
force, as well. "We're aware of it, we're looking at it, and we'll have to
see what we do with it. If the file is turned over, any information will
have to come from the RCMP."


Tuesday, February 22, 2000 Police probe complaint
By KEVIN O'CONNOR Regina Leader-Post

The Regina Police Service is investigating an aboriginal man's
claim that officers left him stranded on the outskirts of the city after
taking him into custody last summer. Glen Pewean, 55, says Regina police
officers apprehended him and another man in Regina's Core area in July 1999
and drove him to a spot near the Ipsco steel mill north of the city.  In an
echo of the current Saskatoon police controversy, the Regina resident said
he was abandoned and forced to walk several kilometres to get home.

Pewean said he had been drinking in a back alley on the night in
question. The two police service members told him they didn't
want to bother putting him in jail, he said. "It's not an allegation, it's
the truth," Pewean told reporters Monday. "It took me the whole night and
part of the morning to get back." Regina police spent several hours on
Sunday discussing the alleged incident with Pewean.

"We're taking this very seriously," said Regina Police Service
spokesman Sgt. Dave Wyatt. Wyatt said nothing has been determined yet, but
if the allegations turn out to be true, they would constitute improper
police conduct.

Pewean says a similar incident involving the same officers took place three
or four years earlier. He had been drinking that night too, he said. Police
took him from the downtown Core area to a spot northeast of the city near
the Regina Correctional Centre, he said.
Pewean said the officers didn't make racial remarks and he doesn't know why
they treated him the way they did. Wyatt said police heard about Pewean's
complaint from a local radio station and took the initiative of contacting
him. The police service's internal affairs section is investigating
Pewean's allegations.

The results will be forwarded to the provincial Justice Department
for further consideration. Police hope anybody who has similar concerns
will step forward, Wyatt said. "We want to clear these items up if they're
happening out there," he said. Complaints about alleged police misconduct
can be directed to several places, including the police department, the
City of Regina's board of police commissioners, the provincial Justice
Department and the Saskatchewan Police Complaints Investigator, Wyatt said.

Bob Hughes, president of the Saskatchewan Coalition Against
Racism (SCAR), said he's known Pewean for years and believes
his account is credible. Over the years, SCAR has received complaints of a
similar nature involving police and the aboriginal community, he said.
Wyatt said Pewean's complaint is the first of its kind that he's aware of,
although he noted aspects of the allegations are reminiscent of the
Saskatoon situation.
snip   Saskatchewan Justice Minister Chris Axworthy said Monday he
was troubled to hear allegations of police misconduct are also
being made in Regina.

February 22, 2000 Regina police probe complaint by native man
Saskatoon force has similar allegations
The Canadian Press

REGINA - Allegations that police officers in Saskatchewan mistreated native
suspects -- possibly causing several deaths -- have spread to another
force. Regina police confirmed yesterday they are investigating a complaint
by a native man who says two officers dumped him on the outskirts of town
last year as punishment.
The story is similar to an allegation made last week by a Saskatoon man who
says he was dropped off on the edge of that city by police.
The RCMP are also investigating charges that Saskatoon police may have been
involved in the deaths of up to four native men, two of whom were found
frozen outside the city.

Sergeant Dave Wyatt, of Regina police said his department's internal
affairs unit is handling the latest complaint. "They will look into the
allegations, investigate them to the fullest and then, once all the
information has been gathered, it will be turned over to Saskatchewan
Justice," he said.  Sgt. Wyatt would not release any other details but said
he has never heard of police abandoning
people in their custody. "Being a member for 18 years, I've never seen it
done," he said.

The allegations have inflamed the strained relations between police and
large Indian communities in both cities. Chief Dave Scott, of Saskatoon
police, tried to calm the anger last week by suspending two officers
accused of abandoning the men. But he said there is no evidence linking
them to the deaths.
(snip)
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says it has received dozens
of complaints about police abuse and is demanding a public inquiry into how
the justice system deals with aboriginals.
Chris Axworthy, the province's Justice Minister, said he will consider an
inquiry once the RCMP investigation is complete.
"There's great concern, as there should be, about these allegations," Mr.
Axworthy said. "[But] we have not yet seen from the RCMP whether these
allegations are founded and whether criminal
charges should be laid."

Meanwhile, Sgt. Wyatt [Regina] acknowledged that the allegations have hurt
relations with aboriginal people. "The bridges we've built over the years
-- this doesn't help," he said. "We want to get to the bottom of this so it
doesn't destroy what we've done or where we're going in the future."

Tuesday, February 22, 2000
FROM REGINA LEADER POST
Aboriginal officers on task force
By DAN ZAKRESKI and LESLIE PERREAUX
Saskatchewan News Network

SASKATOON -- The RCMP has assembled the largest task force in Saskatchewan
history to investigate the freezing deaths of two Native men and
accusations that two Saskatoon police officers abandoned a third man on
city outskirts in frigid weather.
RCMP Sgt. Rick Wychreschuk said 16 investigators and six support staff from
outside Saskatoon have been hand-picked to work the case.
"We have several aboriginal peace officers on this task force, some fluent
in Cree," Wychreschuk added.  (snip) Two senior constables have been
suspended for allegedly abandoning Night. Sources say the two officers also
worked the night shift 12 hours later -- when Rodney Naistus went missing.
(snip) There is concern within the police department that other officers
may be implicated. Munson and Hatchen's platoon did not work the evening of
Jan. 30, when witnesses say 30-year-old Lawrence Wegner went missing. (snip)
"They have to talk to everybody who possibly was involved,
anybody that has any information, was around at the time,"
Wychreschuk said Friday. "That's pretty straightforward, that they're going
to have to talk to a lot of people, and in the process establish a time
period."

On each police shift, there are approximately 35 platoon members on the
street in the city. The city is divided into 13 districts, with two members
in each district. There are four sergeants working, a van with two members
and usually between two and three traffic enforcement officers. Once a time
frame is established, RCMP investigators will go over police logs and
records to determine who worked where, and when.

Wychreschuk said one of the questions RCMP will investigate is when Wegner
went missing, and which platoon and officers were working at the time. The
RCMP investigation began late Wednesday evening,
hours after the Saskatchewan Justice Department called the
force in to investigate Naistus' and Wegner's deaths, and Night's
allegations. The RCMP has also set up a toll-free number to take tips on
the case from the public. An investigator will staff the
number for 11 hours each day, until 8 p.m. The number is 1-800-868-7030. At
the end of the investigation, Wychreschuk said results will
be sent to Saskatchewan Justice officials for a final decision
on charges. He said the practice is standard when police officers are
accused of crimes.

The task force has set up in a city hotel, away from the RCMP detachment in
Saskatoon . Late Friday, the RCMP announced the head of the investigation
was being replaced. Insp. Darrell McFadyen will replace Insp. Darrell
Madill this morning because Madill is related to one of the witnesses in
the case, Wychreschuk said. If the task force hears any allegations of
similiar misconduct by police in other communities, it will not investigate
them, Wychreschuk said.
"But we won't ignore any information that we hear... We will
direct the information to the appropriate people."

In most cases, that would be the local police service. Wychreschuk
acknowledged that each of those police departments would then have to
decide if they want to conduct an internal investigation or turn it over to
an outside police agency.

He said he hasn't yet heard any offical allegations involving
other police agencies but has heard some people may already be making
similar claims. "I fully expect that will happen."

Monday, February 21, 2000
New Native fatalities face probe
By CP
SASKATOON --  An RCMP task force examining allegations that
police officers may have left two aboriginal men to freeze to death
has been asked to review the deaths of two other Natives. RCMP Sgt. Rick
Wychreschuk confirmed yesterday that the task force is now looking into the
Jan. 19 death of Lloyd Joseph Dustyhorn. He was found frozen outside a
west-side Saskatoon apartment building hours after his release from police
custody. The task force has also agreed to investigate the death early
Saturday morning of a 33-year-old aboriginal man in a west-side apartment
building.
SUDDEN DEATHS
"It was decided appropriate by the Saskatoon Police Service and
the investigation team that we look into it," said Wychreschuk, a
spokesman for the task force. "Our mandate is to look into these sudden
deaths and see if a criminal offence occurred." City police said they
arrested an intoxicated man at around 6 p.m. Friday in a shopping centre
and took him to the downtown station. He was sober when he was released
from police cells around midnight and arrangements were made for a taxi to
take him home, Staff Sgt. Glenn Thomson said in a news release. The man
died after arriving home. Family members discovered his body in his
apartment bedroom about 4 a.m. No visible cause of death was found. An
autopsy is being held to determine the cause of death.

City police Chief Dave Scott approached the task force and
requested it take over the investigation, Wychreschuk said.