A photo of Colten Boushie. Courtesy Facebook.
A vice-chief with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations says the death of a 22 year-old from Red Pheasant First Nation should be treated as a hate crime.
According to the RCMP Colten Boushie and a few friends drove into a property in the RM of Glendale earlier this week where an altercation took place between them and the property owner.
After words were exchanged Boushie was shot and killed and 54 year-old Gerald Stanley is now charged with second-degree murder.
FSIN Vice-Chief Kimberly Jonathan says she believes the alleged crime was race related.
“We have to ask people if those youth were white would they have been shot at,” said the Vice-Chief while speaking with MBC, adding that “our kids are not bounty.”
In the initial RCMP report there was mention of a theft investigation, but family and friends of Boushie say he and his friends were at the property because their vehicle had a flat tire.
The 3 other occupants of the vehicle have since been released from custody. According to the latest RCMP release on Thursday, police were still considering charges pending further investigation.
The case has sparked heated debate online to the point where the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations has called on people to stop the racist comments.
“A young man is gone and our thoughts should be with his loved ones and family,” said National Chief Perry Bellegarde. “to see racist, derogatory comments about this young man and about First Nations people online and on social media in response to this tragedy is profoundly disturbing.”
In an FSIN media release they say they are disappointed in how the RCMP presented the shooting.
“The news release the RCMP issued the following day provided just enough prejudicial information for the average reader to draw their own conclusions that the shooting was somehow justified,” said FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron in the release. “The messaging in an RCMP news release should not fuel racial tensions.”
“The media’s initial potrayal of the event made the incident sound like a crime was about to be committed by the passengers in the car,” said Chief Clint Wuttunee of Red Pheasant First Nation in the same release. “The media based their reports on the RCMP’s news release.”
The FSIN is calling for a review of the RCMP’s communication policies and writing guidelines.
The RCMP is expected to respond to these claims later on Friday.
Vice-Chief Kimberley Jonathan says they are speaking out because she says Colten’s family deserves justice.
“Anything less is unacceptable,” said Jonathan. “What would happen if there was not punishment to the highest degree it would allow open season on First Nations people and that is not ok.”
None of the claims against either the group in the vehicle or Gerald Stanley have been proven in court.
Friends and family of Colten Boushie have spent the past few days taking to social media to honour him. He has been called hard-working and kindhearted.
A GoFundMe page has also been put up to raise money for Colten’s family.
The page entitled ‘Justice for Colten’ had raised nearly $7,000 of its $10,000 goal as of Friday evening.