User:Acardz04/Over and Under Policing Indigenous People in Canada

= Over and Under Policing Indigenous People in Canada = Over policing is when police surveil and target Indigenous people more compared to the majority of people. Over policing is not necessarily just the people who work as police officers but the system and the on going violence of settler colonialism. Once a person is in the system it can be difficult for them to get out because once their time is finished it is almost impossible to get back on their feet. No businesses want to hire someone with a criminal record so they go back back to what they know to make quick cash so they can feed their families and keep a roof over their heads and end up back into the system. Under policing is when the RCMP and police do not take cases seriously when Indigenous people are the victims. The Missing and murdered Indigenous women epidemic is an example of under policing because when a missing person report is made police do not investigate the report or a search for the missing person. Often people will see police in reserves to arrest someone and less likely there to protect the community or make it there in time if someone makes a call for help.

History
Over and under policing has been a systemic issue since the North West Mounted Police. The NWMP were used as military to police Indigenous people and “maintain order” throughout what is now Canada by John A McDonald. They are now known as the RCMP, so right from the beginning the system was being used to oppress Indigenous people.

John A McDonald is also the person who established Residential Schools. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also had a huge role of Residential School as well. The RCMP would go to each Indigenous persons home and forcibly remove the children from their parents and homes to attend these schools for many months at a time. If the parents would resist the RCMP from taking their children the parents would be arrested. Residential school were used to force language removal, hair cutting, clothing, spirituality, and they were also sexually and physically assaulted. These schools were made to disconnect them from their families, the land, ceremonies, and community; assimilating Indigenous children into Western Society. The high number of incarcerated Indigenous people is a new form of new residential school because the people are disconnected from their families, land and culture.

Victims
Neil Stonechild was a young Indigenous man who was found dead on the outskirts 30 minutes away from Saskatoon in -28 weather. He was last seen with his friend who said he was picked up by police. The police drove him to the outskirts of Saskatoon to beat him up and leave him there to die in the harsh winter conditions. Neil and his friend were not doing anything to harm the public to be arrested. When they investigated Neil's death it was concluded there was no foul play when there was evidence the police were the reason for his death. The Freezing deaths still happen today.

Tina Fontaine was a 15 year old girl who was murdered and her case still remains unsolved. It is not known what she was doing or where she was between the days August 5th to August 8th. Tina’s case is an example of underpolicing because she was foster child who was in the care of her aunty. Tina wanted to desperately visit her mom so her aunt allowed her to for a few days. Tina was not in contact with her aunty so she made a missing persons police report. The police officers did not investigate even though she was a passenger in a truck that was stopped. When she was stopped she had a missing police report but the police did not take her into custody because if they did she would still be alive today.

Media
When Indigenous people are over and under policed the media plays a huge role on how the public perceive the victims and their families. It creates misleading images of Indigenous peoples and the headlines that are used. These kinds of colonial language used paints a different picture and often contributes to the Indigenous peoples being framed as the perpetrator, rather than the victim. When Tina Fontaine passed away the media stated she had alcohol in her system and creating a narrative that is was her fault that she was murdered. Colten Bushie was an Indigenous man who was murdered by a caucasion man when him and a few friends were on their property. Gerald Stanley who was the murdered states it was an accident when Colten was shot point black at the back of the head and the chances of that happening is slim. There was one witness in the van at the time but they were not allow to testify against Gerald Stanley. Colten Bushies family protested to get justice for Colten. People were calling is the “Bushie Case” as if he was on trial. His mom said when the police came to tell her that he died and did not offer comfort while being told the most devastating news in her life. When his case was taken to trial it had an all white jury & Gerald Stanley was found not guilty.

Summary
Over and Under Policing has been an on going issue since settlers first arrived but there has just been different forms of under and over policing. This is a systemic issue which is why there is a high incarceration rate of Indigenous people, MMIW, Freezing Deaths and the foster care system. Indigenous people are policed how we take care of our children, where our children go to school, and how they identify themselves. Indigenous people are unpoliced because their cases are not a top priority when they go missing or need help. The court system is almost never in favour when an Indigenous person is murdered when there is evidence.