Escalation of Violence – Chief Adam Video Arrest by RCMP. Chief Adam’s said he was beaten by the RCMP
New video footage of the confrontation between Chief Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Alberta and eight RCMP officers has been finally been released. The dashcam video shows a slowly escalating series of confrontations between the RCMP Officer and Chief Adam during 9 minutes.
Initially, we see the RCMP police car arrive behind the truck of Adam outside Boomtown Casino in Fort McMurray. There is no indication as to why the truck was selected to be stopped in the very busy parking lot. Adam can be seen removing a car seat from the left backseat of his truck. Once the police stops behind the truck Adam comes over to see the officer to say that he is tried of being harassed by the RCMP and they should call their supervisor. The Officer then runs the plates and tells the Chief to return to his vehicle. The Officer then is heard calling for backup. The Officer exits his vehicle and argues with the Chief.
The Officer then moves to the driver’s door where he speaks with the driver, Freda Courtoreille who is also the wife of the chief. The Officer said something to the Courtoreille and the Chief exits his truck leading to a higher level of confrontation. Courtoreille is seen exiting the truck to de-escalate the situation. Adam seemed ready to engage in a physical confrontation with the RCMP. Eventually, Adam returns to sit in the passenger seat. Almost immediately the Officer starts physically turns Courtoreille around to being against the truck, and twisting her arm. Adam then exits the truck again and Courtoreille is released by the officer. The Chief can be heard “you are harassing us….you touched my wife.” Adam has returned to the passenger seat.
The wife who is by then sitting again in the drivers seat then puts the truck in drive, but did not advance. The Officer moves to the drivers side and places his hand on his gun. One other RCMP officer then arrives. Immediately upon the arrival of the additional officer then Chief Adam is taken down forcefully. Three women in truck ask the the police what they are doing and to stop. Other witnesses start recording the scene. Adam is the placed in handcuffs and confined to the RCMP cruiser. Soon eight officers are surrounding the truck and Courtoreille is forcibly removed from the truck and also placed in handcuffs.
It is hard to hear what the Officer did to de-escalate the situation becauss the audio recoding is not very clear.
Canada’s public safety minister says the government will be paying close attention to the independent inquiry into allegations of racism and police brutality brought forward by a First Nations chief, while another minister called the chief’s account “deeply troubling.” Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, who is a former Toronto police chief, says in a tweet that the government is “deeply concerned” by the allegations, which were made Saturday by Athabasca ChipewyanChief Allan Adam.
Adam told a news conference on June 7 2020, that he was beaten by RCMP officers and that his wife was manhandled in March when police stopped him for an expired licence plate outside a casino in Fort McMurray.
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