Chief of Kainai Reserve discusses personal encounter with RCMP after issuing statement on racism

In a recent statement addressing systemic racism faced by Blood Tribe members at the hands of police, Kainai Chief Roy Fox commented on these relations, which came to a head in the late 1980s.

“The Blood Tribe joins the many voices in speaking out against systemic racism and the detrimental effects it has on the health and well-being of Indigenous people and other people of colour, not only in Canada, but also around the world,” reads the statement issued by the Kainai chief and council.

“In my generation, people who grew up felt that there was something… an attitude by the greater population of southern Alberta, that impacted negatively on us as we were growing up,” Fox told Global News in a recent interview.

He continued on to say that some of his peers were able to move on from the constant demeanor of indifference they had to put up with, however according to him, it did significantly “hinder” some people’s “development.”

The statement draws attention to members of the community who have experienced systemic racism in several areas, including the criminal justice system, health, education, employment, housing and retail.

“Like other people of colour, Blood Tribe members have also been subjected to racial profiling by police and border-crossing officials,” the statement says.

Fox was once among a number advocates pushing for the provincial and federal governments to conduct a public inquiry into the suspicious deaths of a number of Kainai members.

This resulted in the 1991 Rolf inquiry on “policing in relation to the Blood Tribe.”

However, before the inquiry even started, Fox says he, along with family members, was ambushed by the RCMP on the Kainai Reserve not far from his home.

“I was attacked by two members of the RCMP,” Fox said.

“They were hitting me over the head with flashlights and other things… Rather than them being charged, I was charged.”

He added that while he believes the officers assaulted him, they did not succeed as his spirit and determination for change remained intact, only growing stronger.

He was charged with assaulting two RCMP officers but was ultimately found not guilty.

Fox said he believes the attack was the RCMP’s way of reacting to the inquiry with a “backlash”. He says pointing out this incident highlights the roots of systemic racism that can be witnessed in southern Alberta.

“Our people have had to endure it, especially our young people,” said Chief Fox.

“These incidents happened over 30 years ago and even though some of the recommendations of the Blood inquiry resulted in limited positive changes, systemic racism is alive and well today in the south and obviously in other parts of Canada,” the statement goes on to say.

Global News reached out to the Alberta RCMP for comment and they declined to provide one.

Recommendations from the inquiry resulted in the establishment of the independent Blood Tribe Police Service.

According to the Kainai council and the Blood Tribe Police Service, while the BTPS continues to function as an independent service, it exists not without funding challenges.

When it comes to the persisting issues of racism and discrimination, Chief Fox says, “We are prepared to work with people, work with other governments so that we can all work together in dealing with this problem.”

Chief Fox says they are prepared to work with other police forces as well. However, he continues to push for cultural education among law enforcement officers in order to prevent any targeted acts of violence towards Indigenous, Black, and other people of colour from occurring.

Now, 30 years after the Blood Tribe police force came into existence, Insp. Farica Prince said it is having a noticeably positive impact on the Kainai community, especially within the last five to six years as community engagement has been cemented as one of the police service’s cornerstones.

“Systemic racism and systemic discrimination is the basis of our existence,” Prince said.

Prince said in the three decades the force has been around, the largest land based Indigenous police force in Canada, has never been in an officer-involved shooting, nor has an officer ever died in the line of duty, representing a key benchmark of the service’s overall success in building rapport with its community members.