Community backs Eskasoni fire chief after driving, assault charges

Article content RCMP logoArticle contentThe man was transported to Eskasoni RCMP detachment, assessed by EHS, and issued a 24-hour license suspension. He was then released from custody.Article contentSylliboy was charged with failure/refusal to comply with demand, assaulting a peace officer (two counts), and resisting arrest.Article contentMESSAGES OF SUPPORTArticle contentWhen speaking with an APTN reporter after the event, Sylliboy lifts his shirt to display extensive bruising on his stomach from being tazed. He says he cut his lip in two places, has bruises and scrapes all over his body and pain in his left arm and both knees.Article contentAs news spread of the incident, the community began to send messages of support through social media.Article contentChief Leroy Denny, a volunteer firefighter himself, shared a message on Facebook to update the community.Article content“First and foremost, I have spoken with Fred to offer my support,” Denny wrote. “It is important that he knows the community supports him during this time. Our leadership is constantly pushing the RCMP to learn about our culture and to try and understand our community.”Article contentArticle contentThe Eskasoni chief referred to some “historical disconnect” that has to be addressed.Article contentDenny said he will be sending a formal letter to the RCMP detailing the community’s concerns and seeking a clear account of the events that transpired.Article contentSylliboy, described in Facebook posts as a gentle, good person, expressed his shock and confusion at what happened that night.Article content“This broke me in so many ways. I don’t think I will ever recover from this,” Sylliboy said.Article contentSome of his family watched the arrest and the grandfather says he is broken and his family is brutally traumatized.Article contentINDIGENOUS-FOCUSED POLICEArticle contentChief Denny commented that he believes a vital part of the effort to have a better relationship with the RCMP is the recruitment of more Mi’kmaq officers and the exploration of a Tribal Police or First Nation officer approach that is administered by and for their community.Article contentArticle content“We believe this is key to fostering better understanding and a more respectful approach to policing in our community,” Denny wrote in his letter to the community.Article contentThe issue of independent policing for Eskasoni was discussed in 2023 when Canada’s public safety minister, Marco Mendicino visited Cape Breton. He told Chief Denny at that time that replacing Eskasoni’s current RCMP coverage with a more Indigenous-focused policing system in the community could be a possibility down the line.Article content“We talked a lot about that (in Eskasoni), Mendicino said at the time, and about getting additional support under the fed’s First Nations and Inuit Policing Program. “I am going to work very closely with the community, my department, and the Nova Scotia government — and looking forward to conversations with my provincial counterpart and the RCMP to deliver that.”