Canadian police are facing accusations of racism after they arrested an indigenous woman and ignored her warnings that her son was in danger of being left with her partner, who has been taken into custody for the murder of their child.
Authorities discovered the dead body of Tanner Brass after police officers arrested his mother, Kyla Frenchman, while she argued about the situation. Kaij Brass, the boy's father, was charged with second-degree murder.
Police Racism
Several indigenous leaders argue that police racially profiled Frenchman and have demanded the local police chief's resignation. Authorities have also suspended two Canadian police officers in the city of Prince Albert Saskatchewan over the case.
The incident began when police personnel responded to reports of a domestic dispute in the early hours of Feb. 10, finding Frenchman outside of her apartment building. She said that she told officers her partner kicked her out of the house and warned of her 13-month-old son's safety in the hands of Kaij.
Officers allegedly told Frenchman to wait outside while they tried to enter the building but returned shortly after saying that no one answered the door. The mother said that she then demanded they check on her son. Instead, police arrested Frenchman for suspected intoxication, an allegation she denies, as per BBC.
Several hours after the arrest of Frenchman, police received another report related to the home, but this time about a homicide involving a child. During a news conference on Friday, the mother of the victim struggled to speak as she demanded justice for her son. Accompanied by friends and relatives, she reminisced of her child who was a "happy baby."
Frenchman wrote a statement that was read on her behalf where she noted that she "begged and pleaded" with police to help her and her child. However, she argued that instead of assistance, she was handcuffed and sent to jail.
According to Yahoo News, the Prince Albert police department released a statement where officials described the death of the boy as a tragedy. The department added, "As an organization, there is nothing we can say to lessen the grief and torment at this shocking loss of a deeply loved child from our community.
Tragic Death
The vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Heather Bear, said that if the police officers who showed up for domestic abuse were called to a white family, they would not have done the same thing they did with Frenchman. The police department has not responded to this allegation.
On Thursday, Chief Jonathan Bergen issued a statement that announced the two officers involved in the case were suspended with pay. Before taking additional measures, the police chief said he was waiting for an independent investigation by the Public Complaints Commission (PCC).
Bergen's statement also noted that three police officers involved in various supervisory roles over the course of the incident were under investigation. Authorities still have custody of the father of the victim and have scheduled him to appear in Prince Albert Provincial Court on Mar. 14, CBC reported.
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