(File photo/battlefordsNOW)

By Josh Ryan

Attack caught on video

FSIN calls for police to lay charges in ‘unprovoked racial attack’ in Battleford

Jul 19, 2022 | 1:26 PM

A video circulating on social media that shows a man being assaulted by another is putting into question what the motivation was for the attack. The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) and the victim believe it was racially motivated.

Eleanor Sunchild posted the video on her personal Facebook page early Tuesday morning and it quickly made the rounds on social media. It shows her friend, Colby Tootoosis from Poundmaker Cree Nation, standing on her property between his truck and a trailer he was unhooking on July 17. Three men approach him with one of them saying, “I followed my (expletive) phone right to the garage here.”

The man immediately jumps onto the back of the truck and launches himself at Tootoosis who drops to the ground. The video then shows the man pulling Tootoosis’ braids yelling “Where are my (expletive) pants?” Tootoosis, who was still on the ground at that point and was not fighting back can be heard saying, “I don’t even live here, sir. I was just dropping off the trailer.”

In the video, there are no audible racial slurs, but the assailant claims somebody stole a bag out of his truck and brought it to that property. When Tootoosis explained he had just arrived at the location, the assailant demanded to know who was in the house telling Tootoosis, “get somebody out here.”

Eventually, he and the other two men leave and a visibly shaken Tootoosis can be seen leaning forward with his hands on his knees. The FSIN said he took a knee to the face during the attack while his six-year-old daughter sat in the truck.

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Sunchild’s 13-year-old son was also in the house at the time of the incident.

“We are sickened and saddened by the anger, violence and racism that was brought into our yard on Sunday, July 17, 2022. This was seemingly an act of vigilante justice which resulted in our friend being brutally assaulted. I posted this video because racism kills and it has to stop,” said Sunchild.

***A warning, the video below may be disturbing for some and contains foul language.

A statement from Tootoosis was released on Twitter by Andrea Landry who acknowledged him as her partner. In it he wrote: “‘Wrong place at the wrong time’, the male who punched me stated as he walked away. I asked what his name was which he refused to give me. I had permission to be there, they did not.”

He goes on to request that the public not retaliate and allow the justice system to do its work. Tootoosis said the evidence collected against the three individuals, who have not been identified publicly, is strong and ‘we need to trust in the values, morals and principles of who we’ve always been as continuing Nations.”

“So often we hear stories of violence like what happened to me and many Indigenous peoples choose not to speak out or address it. This is an encouragement for all our relatives out there who are experiencing ongoing settler colonial violence to stop tolerating it,” he said.

The FSIN described Tootoosis as a respected First Nation man with leadership and Treaty advocacy who ‘does amazing work for First Nation communities.

Vice Chief Dutch Lerat is demanding RCMP lay appropriate charges in the matter.

Meanwhile, NDP MLA Betty Nippi-Albright, Critic for Truth and Reconciliation issued a statement after hearing about the incident.

“I am absolutely appalled by the news coming out of the Battlefords a couple of nights ago and heartbroken that a six-year-old bore witness to this unprovoked attack. Sadly, attacks such as this one occur all too often in Saskatchewan. I stand with the FSIN in urging a swift investigation and appropriate charges. I also implore the people of Saskatchewan to write their MLAs and demand immediate action on the disproportionate levels of violence facing Indigenous people. Racism has no place in our province.”

The Saskatchewan RCMP issued a statement Tuesday about its investigation.

“The RCMP is aware of social media posts stating police spoke to the suspects on scene,” the statement said. “North Battleford RCMP were dispatched to the scene at 6:50 p.m. and arrived shortly after and the suspects had already left the area.

“Investigations take time to complete. Charges have not been laid at this time and North Battleford RCMP are continuing their investigation into this incident, including working to identify and locate the suspects involved.”

Late Tuesday evening, the Town of Battleford issued a statement regarding the incident.

Mayor Ames Leslie said in part, “we would like to apologize on behalf of Town Council, to Colby and his family, that he and his young daughter had to experience an unprovoked event of this nature, in our community.”

He added that the Town cannot speak to the identify of the individuals or “the intentions of those involved, however the actions displayed in the videos are concerning and appeared to go against Battleford’s goal to create an inclusive and diverse community, one that is welcoming and safe for all.”

There will be more reaction from this story tomorrow on battlefordsNOW.

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josh.ryan@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW