Winnipeg Copwatch

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.

“Whereas, the highest rate of acts of violence against women in Canada are committed against First Nation’s Women; And whereas, Canadian police services are supposed to help stop those acts from occurring and not perpetuate them; And whereas, police violence targeting First Nations peoples and communities is a systemic problem across Canada and especially in Manitoba; And whereas, allegations of police brutality committed against Stephanie Kay Warren on March 1, 2009 by Winnipeg police are incredibly serious and demand full investigation;

We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba to hold a full and independent investigation into the case of Stephanie Kay Warren; Moreover, we demand that an independent provincial task force be created to investigate police brutality, especially against First Nations peoples and communities.”

• Download the petition.

Please return signed petitions to Mondragon, 91 Albert Street, or 485 Selkirk Avenue no later than May 14. They will be submitted to the Premier on or soon after May 15.

• Update: The petition drive has been extended, since the province will not accept it until after the complaint working its way through the Law Enforcement Review Agency (LERA) is closed.  LERA is generally regarded as an ineffective accountability body; the independent investigation being called for in the petition would be much more valuable.  All this is to say that if you are still interested in helping with this initiative, please do!