[IPSM] B.C. band furious over pepper spray incident

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B.C. band furious over pepper spray incident
Last Updated: Tuesday, July 3, 2007 | 10:00 AM PT
CBC News

Several aboriginal parents in a town northwest of
Vancouver plan to file a complaint with the RCMP after
a community celebration ended in pepper spray use and
a confrontation with officers.

It all happened Monday night in Sechelt, B.C., after
the Sechelt band's two youth teams won first prize at
a soccer tournament in Vancouver.

    Shannon Phillips said the RCMP pepper sprayed her
and her baby Kaden.Shannon Phillips said the RCMP
pepper sprayed her and her baby Kaden.
    (CBC) 

The parents said it is a community tradition to
celebrate with a grand entrance by honking horns.

But police said they had to forcibly stop a pickup
truck with 10 young people in the back, and an officer
used pepper spray only when the driver resisted
arrest.

Shannon Phillips said she was carrying her baby and
tried to intervene on behalf of her husband, Troy
Myers, who was the driver.

"They pepper sprayed him and when I went to say, 'What
are you doing?' they turned around and pepper sprayed
me and Kaden — quite a few times, actually."
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Calvin Craigan, a former chief with the Sechelt band,
told CBC Radio Tuesday that band members are "going to
have a session with the RCMP" and demand an
explanation.

"We feel it's very disappointing that they would take
this kind of action at this point in time when we've
built a really good relationship with our community
over the last 30 years," Craigan said.

While home video cameras rolled, people started
screaming at the officers, who responded with more
pepper spray.

In all, 15 adults and children, including two under
two years old, were treated at St. Mary's Hospital for
exposure to pepper spray. All were released.

The RCMP in Sechelt said they were dealing with an
angry mob and feared for the officers' safety.

At an emergency meeting Monday night, the community
vowed to proceed with a complaint, saying the officers
overreacted and showed no respect for a community
tradition.

A 42-year-old was in custody facing several charges.



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