Supporters hold their signs as thy begin a rally at Kinsmen Park on Oct. 6. (Derek Craddock/paNOW Staff)

By paNOW Staff

RALLY FOR CHANGE

Rally calling for change and accountability with police held in P.A.

Oct 7, 2023 | 12:00 PM

The memory of two men killed after confrontations with police was front and centre and family, friends, and supporters to call for accountability, change, and action.

On Friday afternoon, holding neon signs and photos and waving to passing vehicles, a rally took place from Kinsmen Park to the Prince Albert Police Service headquarters calling for justice for Boden Umpherville and Jonathan Gardiner.

Umpherville passed away in April of this year after being struck several times by police and tasered during an arrest by Prince Albert police that was caught on camera.

Margaret Mercredi knew Umpherville and cringed when even thinking about the video, which was shared on social media, calling it very graphic.

While Umpherville was wanted on a bench warrant for incidents in Saskatoon and Prince Albert at the time of the arrest, Mercredi said that was in the past and the man she knew was different.

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“He was very respectful. He sees a person on the street that needed something, even if he had just a sweater on his back, he’d give it to them,” said Mercredi, who made the journey from Buffalo Narrows for the rally.

She added that he had plans to move to Moose Jaw and pursue a career as an electrician.

Jonathan Gardiner was another man who died during a confrontation with police. That incident happened on Jan. 16, in the South Industrial area.

Gardiner was shot and later died in hospital.

Both cases are being investigated by the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Team (SIRT) and could take months or years to finish.

Chase Sinclair, who organized this rally and a vigil earlier this year, said that long timeline could mean the families of Gardiner and Umpherville are forgotten.

“We want accountability, we want justice, and we don’t want time to dilute what happened,” he said. “We’re still all hurting so we’re still out here letting the community that we’re still, we’re still hurting.”

Sinclair and Mercredi said they have lost faith in the Prince Albert Police Service, adding many residents, especially Indigenous people do not feel safe.

Sinclair went on to say that he has had at least one conversation with the leadership of Prince Albert police but unfortunately, they couldn’t talk about Umpherville as the case remains under investigation.

SIRT cannot provide details of the investigations, only saying that a final report will be a final report will be issued to the public within 90 days of the investigation ending. Right now, there’s no time as to when that investigation will wrap up.

For now, family and friends say they will not rest until they have answers. For Sinclair, that means changing the relationship between police and the city’s Indigenous population.

“All these people suffer and mostly these little kids, that’s intergenerational traumas,” he said. “How do we change people like us if you keep doing to us what you’re doing and affecting this next generation because everyone one of these kids lost their Dad.”

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panews@pattisonmedia.com