Latest news with #GeraldStraightnose
CTV News
13-07-2025
- CTV News
FSIN calls for transparency after Indigenous man dies in Sask. RCMP custody
WATCH: First Nations leaders are gathering in Kamsack calling for answers after an in-custody death of an Indigenous man. Sierra D'Souza Butts reports. WATCH: First Nations leaders are gathering in Kamsack calling for answers after an in-custody death of an Indigenous man. Sierra D'Souza Butts reports. Less than 48 hours after being taken into RCMP custody in Kamsack, Sask. Gerald Straightnose was pronounced dead. Now, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) is highlighting the case - hoping to prevent similar incidents in the future. Serving his community for six years, Gerald Straightnose left a mark on people of Keeseekoose First Nation. 'He was a band councillor. He was a hunter. He always hunted and gave food to the community members, his family members,' Straightnose's aunt, Thelma Severight, explained. In an effort to continue serving the people in his neighborhood, Gerald decided to deal with matters from the past. 'He had charges that led back from years ago. He wanted to deal with them in order for him to get his license back,' Severight said. 'He gave himself up willingly to the police and and unfortunately, it led to his death.' Less than 48 hours after being taken into custody at the Kamsack RCMP detachment, Straightnose was unresponsive in his cell, where he was pronounced dead on June 5, 2025. 'Nobody deserves to die that way,' said Gerald's sister, Janice Straightnose. Now, his family and neighbouring First Nations are calling for answers. On Thursday morning, the FSIN hosted a press conference near the Kamsack RCMP's building to make public statements supporting Straightnose's family and to express concern over the circumstances surrounding his death. 'We're hoping to start a movement here today to ensure that something like this ... does not happen, not only in Kamsack, but across Canada to our First Nations people,' Keeseekoose First Nation Chief Alvin Musqua told the crowd. The FSIN said it plans to support Straightnose's family in any way possible. 'Any family, no matter who you are, when something like this happens you expect answers. We expect closure,' FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said. 'There's a lot of anger, there's a lot of hurt, and rightfully so. Families are hurt and families are sad. This is what we deal with every day.' In a statement to CTV News, the Saskatchewan RCMP expressed its 'sincere condolences' to Straightnose's family and loved ones. 'We understand there are questions, however to be mindful of the integrity of the ongoing independent Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team investigation, we are unable to provide comment at this time,' the statement read. Saskatchewan's Ministry of Justice similarly noted that it can not provide additional information - given the ongoing SIRT investigation. However, the ministry did confirm that SIRT has been in contact with Straightnose's family and that a community liaison will be appointed to assist in the investigation. Lastly, the province added that Straightnose's cause of death remains under investigation by the Saskatchewan Coroners Service. Straightnose's say they will not stop speaking out until they receive answers and justice.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- CTV News
‘Nobody deserves to die that way': FSIN calls for transparency and answers after in-custody death of Gerald Straightnose
WATCH: First Nations leaders are gathering in Kamsack calling for answers after an in-custody death of an Indigenous man. Sierra D'Souza Butts reports. WATCH: First Nations leaders are gathering in Kamsack calling for answers after an in-custody death of an Indigenous man. Sierra D'Souza Butts reports. Less than 48 hours after being taken into RCMP custody in Kamsack, Sask. Gerald Straightnose was pronounced dead. Now, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) is highlighting the case - hoping to prevent similar incidents in the future. Serving his community for six years, Gerald Straightnose left a mark on people of Keeseekoose First Nation. 'He was a band councillor. He was a hunter. He always hunted and gave food to the community members, his family members,' Straightnose's aunt, Thelma Severight, explained. In an effort to continue serving the people in his neighborhood, Gerald decided to deal with matters from the past. 'He had charges that led back from years ago. He wanted to deal with them in order for him to get his license back,' Severight said. 'He gave himself up willingly to the police and and unfortunately, it led to his death.' Less than 48 hours after being taken into custody at the Kamsack RCMP detachment, Straightnose was unresponsive in his cell, where he was pronounced dead on June 5, 2025. 'Nobody deserves to die that way,' said Gerald's sister, Janice Straightnose. Now, his family and neighbouring First Nations are calling for answers. On Thursday morning, the FSIN hosted a press conference near the Kamsack RCMP's building to make public statements supporting Straightnose's family and to express concern over the circumstances surrounding his death. 'We're hoping to start a movement here today to ensure that something like this ... does not happen, not only in Kamsack, but across Canada to our First Nations people,' Keeseekoose First Nation Chief Alvin Musqua told the crowd. The FSIN said it plans to support Straightnose's family in any way possible. 'Any family, no matter who you are, when something like this happens you expect answers. We expect closure,' FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said. 'There's a lot of anger, there's a lot of hurt, and rightfully so. Families are hurt and families are sad. This is what we deal with every day.' In a statement to CTV News, the Saskatchewan RCMP expressed its 'sincere condolences' to Straightnose's family and loved ones. 'We understand there are questions, however to be mindful of the integrity of the ongoing independent Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team investigation, we are unable to provide comment at this time,' the statement read. Saskatchewan's Ministry of Justice similarly noted that it can not provide additional information - given the ongoing SIRT investigation. However, the ministry did confirm that SIRT has been in contact with Straightnose's family and that a community liaison will be appointed to assist in the investigation. Lastly, the province added that Straightnose's cause of death remains under investigation by the Saskatchewan Coroners Service. Straightnose's say they will not stop speaking out until they receive answers and justice.
CBC
10-07-2025
- CBC
In-custody death prompts calls to change relationship between RCMP, Indigenous people
Social Sharing The family of a man who died in Saskatchewan RCMP custody is demanding answers and changes to how Indigenous people are held by police. Last month, Gerald Straightnose, a 61-year-old from Keeseekoose First Nation, died in the cells of the RCMP detachment in Kamsack, Sask., just over 225 kilometres northeast of Regina. The Serious Incident Response Team, Saskatchewan's police watchdog, is investigating the death, but with no clear answers available yet, the family say they have been unable to find closure. On Thursday, family members and supporters were joined by members of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations as they rallied in Kamsack. "We're not going to stop here. We're going to keep on until we get that justice and we get out exactly what happened," said Janice Straightnose, Gerald's sister. The family wants an Indigenous liaison in police cells to ensure that when Indigenous people are taken into custody, someone is looking out for their well-being. Grand Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents 74 First Nations across Saskatchewan, said it's a suggestion he supports not just in this province, but across Canada. "This ain't over by a long shot. This family and other families deserve all the justice in the world," Cameron said. Found unresponsive in cell Before he died, Gerald Straightnose was trying to get his life back on track, his family says. He had served as a band councillor for six years, and was known to hunt and provide food for traditional ceremonies and those who needed it. But a struggle with addiction had landed him in trouble, and eventually his family members convinced him to deal with outstanding arrest warrants he had. On June 3, Straightnose willingly turned himself in to members of the RCMP detachment in Kamsack. According to a June 10 news release from the Serious Incident Response Team, no force was used in the arrest. "When I convinced my brother to go to court, it wasn't to meet his death," said Janice Straightnose. Her brother appeared in provincial court via CCTV the next day, before being remanded into RCMP custody. At around 7 p.m. on June 5, he was found unresponsive in his cell. Paramedics were called, but he was declared dead at 8:37 p.m., according to the police watchdog. Police have not released the cause of death. On Thursday, the FSIN and Gerald Straightnose's family said a woman in a nearby cell had reported that leading up to his death, she heard him loudly complaining and calling for food and medication that was meant to treat his withdrawal from drugs. Thursday's rally repeatedly highlighted the lack of trust local First Nations have with the Kamsack RCMP detachment. Gerald Straightnose's family and other Indigenous speakers at the rally relayed their own bad experiences with the Mounties. They said they feel like investigations into the deaths of Indigenous people are not a priority, or are otherwise swept under the rug. "The police were put here to protect and serve us to bring peace amongst the nations, bring peace amongst the people," said Chief George Cote of Cote First Nation. "But when you have unexpected deaths from incarceration, there's simply something wrong." FSIN repeats call for Indigenous police force On Thursday, FSIN Grand Chief Cameron repeated his past calls for an Indigenous police force. Cameron said the federation has repeatedly been left frustrated by the RCMP, which often polices rural and remote areas in Saskatchewan. Cameron said before Thursday's rally, he had attempted to call RCMP Assistant Commissioner Robin McNeil, the interim commanding officer for the RCMP in Saskatchewan, and Mike Duheme, commissioner of the RCMP. Neither took his call, he said. Cameron also called for changes at the Kamsack department, including for all officers there to be fired. "We're trying to protect our little ones … so that they don't face the bad times that we faced, so that they're not mistreated like we have been," he said. "We want our little boys and girls to live better lives than we ever had, to be treated as equals in this country." In a statement, the Saskatchewan RCMP said they were aware of the rally on Thursday. "[We] express our sincere condolences to the deceased's family and loved ones. We acknowledge their grief," the statement read. RCMP declined to answer any questions, saying they were mindful of the ongoing investigation by the Serious Incident Response Team.
