News

RCMP apologize: Questions remain more than 50 years after Yukon woman’s death

Published

2 years ago

August 10, 2022

Family members are still searching for answers after the RCMP apologized for not properly investigating an Indigenous woman’s death more than five decades ago.

Tootsie Jimmy-Charlie, a 26-year-old Kaska member of the Liard First Nation and a mother of four, went missing in 1967.

Several weeks after loved ones expected her to return home from Whitehorse, RCMP informed them that her body had been discovered at a dump in the city.

On Friday, Yukon RCMP apologized to friends and relatives of Jimmy-Charlie at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre in Whitehorse for failing to properly investigate her death.

Jimmy-Charlie’s younger sister Anne Maje Raider, who attended the apology, said her family had mixed emotions, including relief and anger that it had taken so long.

Maje Raider said she is hopeful the RCMP’s commitment to change and improve its relationship with Indigenous people means something like this won’t happen again.

“That’s all that we can pray for now — that Indigenous women aren’t treated with racism and the RCMP respond immediately and do the search immediately,” said Maje Raider, who was 16 when her sister died.

Maje Raider said she remembers her sister, who was one of 14 children, as a loving mother.

“She was very compassionate and caring and she adored her children,” she said.

“She was always very slow putting on her makeup. One thing we always joke about was how she loves to put on makeup and take her time.”

Chief Supt. Scott Sheppard, commanding officer for the Yukon RCMP, said it was the police force’s job to complete a thorough investigation “and that was not done”

“Your experience was not up to the standards of our policies and procedures today, and we were not the police service you needed and deserved.”

In a statement ahead of the apology, Jimmy-Charlie’s family said the police investigation into her death was inadequate and the coroner’s report displayed prejudice against Indigenous people.

That report described the discovery of her remains as “uneventful” and determined her death was the result of “misadventure” with alcohol and exposure playing a prominent role. The family is asking that the “racism embedded in the report” be removed.

“To this day, the dump in Whitehorse remains far from everything. Their report makes it sound like she just walked there herself and died on a pile of garbage. No one does that. No one,” Jimmy-Charlie’s daughter, Darlene Jimmy, wrote in the statement.

The RCMP apology comes after several members of Jimmy-Charlie’s family publicly spoke about her death and how it was handled by police during the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in 2017 and 2018.

The RCMP said it reviewed the case after a public complaint in 2019, and determined they had failed to conduct a thorough investigation, to keep the family informed or to advise them of the cause of Jimmy-Charlie’s death.

Police said their investigation remains open and they are asking the public for any information.

In addition to the RCMP apology, Maje Raider said her family wants an apology for the coroner’s report, and from the federal government for policies they believe led to Jimmy-Charlie’s death.

Under the Indian Act at the time, it was illegal for Indigenous people to purchase or consume alcohol and they weren’t allowed to hire legal representation.

Jimmy-Charlie’s family said she was taken to a jail in Whitehorse for either consuming or possessing alcohol.

They said her family expected her to return home by bus when she was released, but she never arrived.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Aug. 10, 2022

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Emily Blake, The Canadian Press

News

Christian McCaffrey is placed on injured reserve for the 49ers and will miss at least 4 more games

Published

2 hours ago

September 14, 2024

Anne Joseph

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers placed All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve because of his lingering calf and Achilles tendon injuries.

The move made Saturday means McCaffrey will miss at least four more games after already sitting out the season opener. He is eligible to return for a Thursday night game in Seattle on Oct. 10.

McCaffrey got hurt early in training camp and missed four weeks of practice before returning to the field on a limited basis last week. He was a late scratch for the opener on Monday night against the Jets and now is sidelined again after experiencing pain following practice on Thursday.

McCaffrey led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns, winning AP Offensive Player of the Year.

The Niners made up for McCaffrey’s absence thanks to a strong performance from backup Jordan Mason, who had 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s 32-19 victory over the New York Jets. Mason is set to start again Sunday at Minnesota.

After missing 23 games because of injuries in his final two full seasons with Carolina, McCaffrey had been healthy the past two seasons.

He missed only one game combined in 2022-23 — a meaningless Week 18 game last season for San Francisco when he had a sore calf. His 798 combined touches from scrimmage in the regular season and playoffs were the third most for any player in a two-year span in the past 10 years.

Now San Francisco will likely rely heavily on Mason, a former undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech who had 83 carries his first two seasons. He had at least 10 touches just twice before the season opener, when his 28 carries were the most by a 49ers player in a regular-season game since Frank Gore had 31 against Seattle on Oct. 30, 2011.

The Niners also have fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. on the active roster. Guerendo played three offensive snaps with no touches in the opener. Taylor had 65 carries for Green Bay from 2021-23.

San Francisco also elevated safety Tracy Walker III from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against Minnesota.

___

AP NFL:

Source link

News

Canada’s Newman, Arop secure third-place finishes at Diamond League track event

Published

2 hours ago

September 14, 2024

Anne Joseph

BRUSSELS – Canada walked away with some hardware at the Diamond League track and field competition Saturday.

Alysha Newman finished third in women’s pole vault, while Marco Arop did the same in the men’s 800-metre race.

Newman won a bronze medal in her event at the recent Paris Olympics. Arop grabbed silver at the same distance in France last month.

Australia’s Nina Kennedy, who captured gold at the Summer Games, again finished atop the podium. Sandi Morris of the United States was second.

Newman set a national record when she secured Canada’s first-ever pole vault medal with a bronze at the Olympics with a height of 4.85 metres. The 30-year-old from London, Ont., cleared 4.80 metres in her second attempt Saturday, but was unable conquer 4.88 metres on three attempts.

Arop, a 25-year-old from Edmonton, finished the men’s 800 metres with a time of one minute 43.25 seconds. Olympic gold medallist Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya was first with a time of 1:42.70.

Djamel Sedjati, edged out by Arop for silver in Paris last month, was second 1:42.87

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.

Source link

News

Bologna prepares for Champions League debut with draw at Como while Juventus held

Published

4 hours ago

September 14, 2024

Anne Joseph

MILAN (AP) — Bologna’s preparations for its Champions League debut are not going well though it managed to spoil Como’s first Serie A home match in 21 years on Saturday.

Bologna came from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw to gather three points from its opening four matches.

Bologna hosts Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday. Its only other appearance in Europe’s top competition was in 1964 in the preliminary round of the old European Cup.

AC Milan is also winless as it prepares for a Tuesday Champions League match against Liverpool. The Rossoneri hosted promoted Venezia later. Juventus drew at Empoli 0-0.

Como made a great start in the fifth minute when Patrick Cutrone attempted to roll the ball across the six-yard box but it took a huge deflection off Bologna defender Nicolò Casale for an own goal.

Bologna thought it was gifted a way back into the match on the stroke of halftime when referee Marco Piccinini signalled for a penalty following an Alberto Moreno handball, but he revoked his decision and instead gave a free kick because the handball was just outside the area.

Bologna improved after the break but found itself further behind when Cutrone raced onto a through ball and cut inside past a defender and fired into the far bottom corner.

Tommaso Pobega hit the post for Bologna, which finally pulled one back in the 76th through substitute Santiago Castro.

Another substitute helped the visitors snatch a point when Samuel Iling-Junior curled a fine strike into the top left corner in stoppage time.

Unbeaten sides

Juventus, and more surprisingly Empoli, are among six unbeaten sides.

Empoli held Monza and Bologna to draws either side of a shock 2-1 win at Roma. Juventus’ perfect start to the season was ruined by Roma in a goalless draw before the international break.

On Saturday, there were few clearcut chances in Empoli although home goalkeeper Devis Vásquez made spectacular saves to fingertip out a Federico Gatti header and deny Dusan Vlahovic in a one on one with the Juventus forward.

Empoli had a good opportunity in the 73rd minute following an Alberto Grassi one-two with Pietro Pellegri but the finish was straight at Mattia Perin.

The host could have won it right at the death but Gatti flew in with a great sliding block to keep out Emanuel Gyasi’s close-range effort.

Juventus hosts PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League on Tuesday.

___

AP soccer:

Source link