Youth basketball fundraiser ends with violent arrests of women in Terrace, B.C.

A Kitselas First Nation woman is speaking out after being arrested at a youth basketball fundraiser at a Terrace, B.C. bar. Lynn Wright-Parker is a matriarch with the Gitxsan/Tsimchian in northwest B.C. and was taken into custody early Saturday morning by the RCMP. “I am one of five Indigenous women who experienced violent arrest, denial of medical care, and unlawful detention at a public event where we were helping protect a young woman in distress,” says Wright-Parker in a news release. “We are cooperating fully with formal legal processes. We are committed to truth, accountability, and community safety — especially for Indigenous women and our children. Because legal processes are active, I will not discuss detailed evidence publicly at this time.” Wright-Parker tells APTN News she was a parent-volunteer at the event, which was raising money for the Kitselas U13 girls and the Terrace Kings teams to cover the costs of their trip to the Junior All Native tournament being held this year in Langley, B.C. Around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, RCMP arrived after being called over by hotel staff to deal with a young woman “who was intoxicated, unable to care for herself, and refusing to leave the hotel,” according to a news release from the Terrace detachment. RCMP say in their release they “entered the Best Western…the woman was located and arrested without issue.” What happened next was captured on cellphone video by bystanders and has been widely shared on social media. In the video, at least three officers can be seen near an exit door at the bottom of a set of stairs. An older Indigenous woman is pulled from a stairwell and pushed to the floor. An officer places her face down and pins her to the floor. A second officer then pulls the woman’s arm forcefully back as he tries to place her in handcuffs. Other officers can also be seen in the video. The name patches on the front of some of their vests appear to be covered. The woman is eventually handcuffed and taken up some stairs by two officers with another following behind. Four other women were also arrested and taken into custody. Terrace RCMP also recount what happened in their release. “While the woman was being escorted out of the hotel and up a set of stairs toward the exit, a second woman ran up the stairs yelling at police. The second woman allegedly attempted to grab at the items on one officer’s duty belt. She was directed to step back but continued to be confrontational with police and was subsequently arrested,” the release states. “The woman allegedly resisted arrest and assaulted the officers. During the struggle, the woman and arresting officers fell to the landing where she continued to resist arrest.” The release goes on to say that “additional bar patrons began closing in on police, and out of an abundance of caution, additional officers were called for assistance.” RCMP say “six patrons in total were arrested and lodged in cells. One complained of shoulder pain and was released to BC Emergency Health Services care, while the rest were released once they became sober.” One officer suffered minor injuries during this incident, according to the release. “A Report to Crown Counsel is being prepared and will be submitted for charge assessment.” Wright-Parker says they were only concerned for the safety of the young woman who had been arrested and taken into custody. “This is not only about what happened to us — but about ensuring it never happens to other Indigenous women,” she says. The parent who was hosting the event, Michael Davis, works for child and family services with the Nisga’a Nation and says elected Nisga’a government officials, a school principal and a vice principal were all in attendance. Davis was deejaying at the time and didn’t witness what happened, but he says he considered shutting down the event at that point. He says earlier in the evening, several officers made what he calls a “bar walk,” and that RCMP presence at any First Nation event in Terrace has come to be expected. “About six or seven of them walked through and not in a friendly way,” he says. The RCMP detachment in Terrace also serves the communities of Thornhill and Rosswood as well as Kitsumkalum and Kitselas First Nations. According to weekly summaries on the detachment’s website, it receives about 180 to 330 calls for service each week. Arlene Lincoln, one of the people who shared a video of the incident on Facebook, says the woman who was handcuffed is her younger sister. Lincoln wasn’t there, but says the video was very traumatizing to watch, and it triggered many people. She also says her sister is still scared of repercussions and doesn’t want to speak to the media. She is asking people not to be afraid and to report their complaints to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission, or CRCC. Lincoln wants the officers involved to be suspended. When reached, the CRCC wouldn’t “confirm or comment” on complaints against the RCMP. Wright-Parker asks the public to consider the women’s safety and boundaries. “We ask media and the public to respect our role as a mother, our children’s emotional wellbeing, the dignity and privacy of all women involved, and to respect the integrity of ongoing investigations,” Wright-Parker says in the news release. She tells APTN she knew the young woman who was arrested and wanted to make sure she was ok. “No one — including Indigenous women — should be harmed for trying to help others.” Meanwhile Davis says he doesn’t hold out much hope anything will come of the complaints made against the RCMP because of this incident. “You know, it’s their word against ours, it’s really difficult. So many complaints have been put in before, and I’ve never seen any repercussions yet because the officers are still out there.” Continue Reading