Regina police chief says justice camp was one of his biggest challenges
Regina police chief Evan Bray says dealing with the protest camp that established itself on the lawn in front of the Saskatchewan legislature was one of the biggest challenges in his two years on the job.
"That was quite a journey," Bray said in a recent year end interview with CBC.
"I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about our organization."
Bray said he sought opinions from predecessors, police leaders from across Canada and talked with his wife when deciding how to deal with the Justice For Our Stolen Children Camp, which remained on the west lawn of Wascana Centre for more than six months.
The camp was established after the not-guilty verdict in the Gerald Stanley murder trial. Protestors called on the provincial government to overhaul its social services and justice systems, which they say disproportionately affect young Indigenous people.
Organizers said the site also become a place where families who had lost children gathered for support.
Arrests were 'not a good incident'
One of key moments in the story of the camp came in June, when Regina police officers descended on the camp after protestors were told to dismantle it. Six people were arrested, but were released hours later. No charges were laid.
"It was not a good incident," Bray said, adding he had hoped prior conservation with protestors meant they could avoid any arrests.
He said the arrests aided the protesters' cause in the end because it spread their message and led to First Nations leaders becoming involved.
Police were 'pinched,' asked for court order
"We also took a fairly firm stand after that that we weren't prepared to go back in without some sort of good conversation happening that would resolve it or a court order that would bring about a bit of a final resolution to rights, Charter Rights versus bylaw," Bray said.
The provincial government filed a court order a month later at Regina's Court of Queen's Bench. A judge sided with the province and in September, after 197 days in the park, the last teepee was taken down.
"There was no question we were pinched," said Bray who believes police were thrust into the middle of a situation between the province and protestors.
Former protestor and camp spokesperson Robyn Pitawanakwat said they would have preferred no one be arrested and that police were carrying out the wishes of the provincial government rather than acting independently.
"The removal just marked that not much has changed," she said, noting the arrests were made just days before National Indigenous People's Day.
Bray said that, looking back, there is not much he would change about how police handled the situation as a whole. He said decisions were made deliberately and carefully.
Relations with province left 'strained', says chief
There were, however, some relationships that required repairing afterwards.
"The provincial government and our police service, we strained a bit through that," Bray said.
He said police were also at odds with the Provincial Capital Commission, which oversees operation of the park and publicized the fact police were not responding to requests to remove protestors.
Long way to go to build relationship
Bray said that overall the situation was resolved successfully, with no injury and no risk to the wider community.
Pitawanakwat defines success differently. She reiterated that the protesters' issue was not with police but that the interaction with law enforcement distracted from the camp's concerns around social services and justice they brought forward.
"This specific police chief is perhaps a bit more invested in community than previous chiefs and so is making attempts to build relationships with certain people," she said.
"There's a long way to go before you actually gain the trust of Indigenous people."
