Photo: Robert Jago
UPDATE: 7:55 p.m.
The head of an indigenous group says members have met with the RCMP in Chilliwack to discuss how police plan to proceed after the driver of a van allegedly ran over four people involved in a memorial march.
Garett Dan, captain of the Crazy Indians Brotherhood chapter in British Columbia, says the meeting at the Cheam First Nation band’s office lasted about four hours and “took off” at one point when everyone he sat in a circle.
Dan says there was anger over the alleged actions of a 77-year-old man who turned himself in on Monday, two days after some members of the group were run over as they walked down a road to draw attention to survivors of residential schools. .
Andrew Victor, head of the Cheam First Nation, says the meeting began with eight members of the brotherhood meeting with four RCMP officers, including an inspector and a sergeant from both the Chilliwack detachments and the Mission.
Dan says Indigenous members were anxious that the suspect would not be detained because they did not think they would be treated the same way.
The RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dan says the Mounties conveyed that an investigation is underway to determine whether charges will be filed against the man who was handed over after the incident.
Police said in a previous press release that two of the four protesters who were beaten suffered minor injuries.
The RCMP originally described the man in a press release as an “impatient driver” who could not pass protesters in the only eastbound lane on Lougheed Highway, near the former Indigenous Children’s Residential Institution. of St. Mary.
Dan helped organize the weekend memorial march at Mission and said the driver was urging protesters even before the walk began.
“We never stopped the traffic, we stopped it,” he said, adding that the driver was telling people to stop and get off the road, “things like that.”
Dan says the march to the old institution was emotional because participants were asking for a ground penetration radar to search the site for possible unmarked graves of children who did not survive their forced attendance at St. Mary’s.
Despite this, Dan says a man in a van told protesters to “overtake” residential schools.
“Our people suffered a lot of trauma and abuse in residential school and it’s not like they could erase it,” Dan said.
“It’s exactly like telling a vet to get over the war.”
ORIGINAL: 9:55 h
Indigenous leaders have called a meeting with the RCMP in Chilliwack to discuss how police intend to proceed after the driver of a van allegedly hit four members of a memorial march on Saturday.
Garett Dan, captain of the British Columbia Brotherhood of the Crazy Indian Chapter, says the meeting will include the heads of several First Nations in the Fraser Valley.
Dan helped organize the weekend memorial march at Mission to draw attention to the issue of residential schools and says a man had been inciting protesters even before the walk began.
A RCMP mission statement said four people had been hit by what police initially called an “impatient driver” who could not pass protesters in the only lane east of Lougheed Road, nearby. of the old residential school of St. Mary.
Two of the protesters suffered minor injuries, while the RCMP said a 77-year-old man showed up on Monday and his truck was confiscated for examination, but he was not detained.
Dan says the Mountities have said it takes time to conduct an investigation and have given no indication that there are any charges pending.
“They make his truck more responsible than him. They kept his truck but let him go home,” Dan said, adding that the police handling of the case makes him very upset.
The march to the old residential school was emotional, Dan said, because participants called for a ground penetration radar to search the site for possible unmarked graves of children who did not survive their forced attendance at the institution. St. Mary.
Despite this, Dan said a man in a van told protesters to “overtake” residential schools.
“Our people suffered a lot of trauma and abuse in residential school and it’s not like they could erase it,” Dan said.
“It’s exactly like telling a vet to get over the war.”