Family members are speaking out after an arrest on the Mosquito Grizzly Bear’s Head Lean Man First Nation.
On October 6th, Stan Moosomin was injured during an arrest by RCMP officers.
The arrest was caught on camera and shared widely on social media.
Moosomin was never charged, and the arrest is currently under investigation by the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations hosted a press conference on Wednesday afternoon where family members and local leaders shared their thoughts on the arrest and called for some action above the SIRT investigation.
Moosomin’s sister Roseanna Moosomin says Stan is a person who lives with disabilities.
She says RCMP officers were informed of this before the arrest.
“This could have been prevented,” she said.
Moosomin says Stan’s arm was broken and required surgery and he continues to suffer physically and emotionally from the arrest.
Mosquito Grizzly Bears Head Lean Man First Nation Chief Tanya Aguilar-Antiman says Stan was well-known and well-loved in the community.
“We need answers about what lawful grounds were used to arrest Stan and why force was necessary,” said Chief Aguilar-Antiman. “There was an opportunity to slow down the situation, instead it was escalated and Stan was injured.”
She called for more training for RCMP officers and for better models for First Nations policing.
“This is a thing that continues to happen… Our people should not fear the police. “