Winnipeg Copwatch

Family, friends, and supporters have raised the profile of Wilfred Asham’s death in custody of the Winnipeg Police Service in 2007 to the level that an inquest has been called.  The inquest will only examine the circumstances that led to his death, and not result in charges or punitive action being taken against anyone found [...]

A report by the Winnipeg Police Advisory Board has revealed the negative experiences of many new immigrants in the city when interacting with police. Some of the items the report touches on are “Lack of respect by some police toward the newcomer community in general” “General harassment of black youth during everyday activities” “Unwarranted combative/assaultive [...]

Have a look at Winnipeg Copwatch’s first ever newsletter and keep up to date on police accountability issues in Winnipeg.

Two years ago today, on September 2nd, 2007, Wilfred Asham died inside Winnipeg’s Public Safety Building under mysterious circumstances. His family is inviting community members out tonight to a vigil they’re holding on the second anniversary of his death. Asham’s family have been looking for answers after the police failed to answer a number of [...]

The M.s. Citizenship Feminist Collective is encouraging people to sign a petition to return the definition of sexual assault on the police’s CrimeStat service to one that includes attacks where the perpetrator is known to the victim. “As of January 1 2008, Winnipeg Police Services’ CrimeStat service changed the definition of sexual assault to ‘an [...]

Saturday, June 6th, 2009 at Kildonan Park (South Picnic Shelter) Run start time – 9:30 a.m. Support social justice and human rights by joining the Run for Rights. You can walk, cycle, run, wheel or rollerblade a 5 km or 10 km route.  If you would like to help raise funds for Winnipeg Copwatch, print [...]

Winnipeg Copwatch is discouraged to hear of another case of Winnipeg police illegally seizing video equipment.  Local media have reported the seizure on Wednesday of a video camera belonging to local filmmaker John Paskievich, known locally for his book of photography, The North End.  To our knowledge, the police have yet to comment publicly on [...]

Roanna Hepburn is a resident of Winnipeg, community activist, grandmother and great grandmother currently campaigning the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for a full and independent investigation into an act of violence committed against her granddaughter by members of the Winnipeg Police Service. Listen to a radio interview with Roanna Hepburn on police brutality in Winnipeg. [...]

“Racialized Policing Practices in Winnipeg”: public lecture by Elizabeth Comack, Sociology Professor and author of The Power to Criminalize: Violence, Inequality, and the Law. Wednesday, March 25 at 12:30, the University of Manitoba, 307 Tier Building.

The Provincial Police Act is being reviewed for the first time in nearly 80 years. The 2007 report on the Racialized Communities and Police Services Project by the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, and the 1991 report of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba have pointed to systemic problems in police accountability in this province. The [...]