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The leadership of the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) has called for a meeting with Mayor Greg Dionne and Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) Chief Jon Bergen after a video surfaced on Facebook showing the arrest of an Indigenous man in Prince Albert.
In a video posted to Facebook on Friday, an officer is seen taking a man to the ground.
“We are disturbed by the use of force used by the officer in the video,” Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte said in a media release. “It is hard to see our Indigenous people treated aggressively like this, and I have serious questions about what happened and why it happened this way.”
“We have been making progress in building trust and better relationships with the PAPS, and we are concerned that incidents like this pose a serious setback in our collective efforts to create positive change.”
The video doesn’t show what happens immediately before the man is put on the ground, or why the man was being arrested in the first place, but the officer later comments to one of the bystanders, “why was he fighting me then.”
In the media release, the PAGC said the incident only adds to its concerns that Prince Albert’s proposed back alley bylaw would permit officers to use greater force, especially when confronting an individual at night in a place that is deemed out of bounds.
The PAGC said it has maintained that police officers already have the authority under the Criminal Code to investigate suspicious activities when they receive complaints, and the proposed bylaw will only lead to more problematic issues of discrimination and racial profiling into the future.
The alley curfew bylaw is up for third reading and final approval at Monday night’s city council meeting.
The PAGC Executive has called a meeting with PAPS Police Chief Jon Bergen and Mayor Greg Dionne for Tuesday at 2 p.m. the press release said.
The Prince Albert Police Service has confirmed they will meet with the PAGC Tuesday afternoon.
In a press release issued late Monday, police said officers were called to the 200 Block of 32nd St. W for a report of a man attempting to fight multiple people in the area just before 8 p.m. Friday night. The release goes on to say the Prince Albert Police Service is transparent and accountable to the public and welcomes the opportunity for further discussion about police response.
“This technique that’s seen in the video is a technique members are trained in and the appropriateness of using it will be something that will be discussed at the meeting on Tuesday,” said Prince Albert Police Service spokesperson Charlene Tebbutt.
Mayor Greg Dionne told paNOW he had sent the video for investigation so he could not comment.
*Editors note: This story was updated at 6:40 p.m. Monday night to add details from a Prince Albert Police Service press release.
This story was further updated at 1:10 a.m. on Tuesday to add comment from Mayor Greg Dionne.
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