Hundreds of people marched alongside the family of Jon Wells on Monday to honour the Blood Tribe member and continue their calls for justice following his death in police custody.
Wells’s sister, Leslie, who attended the march, said the support she and her family have been shown is extraordinary.
Around 200 people walked from the Carriage House Hotel, where the incident occurred, to the local Calgary police district office. Along the way, the group stopped four times to pray, drum and sing.
She said the march, which occurred on the same day Canada marked the fourth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, serves as a painful reminder of how much more work there is left to do.
“It seems like we’re taking 100 steps backward when we’re supposed to be moving forward,” she said.
Jon Wells, 42, died last month after police responded to a call from the Carriage House Hotel, which reported a man was causing a disturbance and refusing to leave the hotel.
The provincial agency that reviews in-custody deaths is investigating, though it reported last week officers tackled, punched and deployed stun guns on Wells, who was unarmed and told police he didn’t want to die.
Paramedics also gave Wells, who had been handcuffed and was lying face down, a sedative.
Wells’s sister, Leslie, said the focus of the walk was to honour Jon’s spirit and help people get to know the man he was. She said she’ll always remember his smile, his kind words, and the rodeo mentorship he offered to many young people in the community.
“Jon was a very handsome, humble and loving father, brother, friend, and son…. We want to pray for him to have a peaceful journey back to the happy hunting grounds of where our people go.”
Leslie Wells said the family wants a thorough, transparent investigation into what went wrong.
She believes police and other officials need to be more aware about the intergenerational trauma many Indigenous people live with, and learn culturally appropriate ways to approach them safely.
“Every one of us are going to be scared when we see someone of authority,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Mayor Jyoti Gondek addressed members of Wells’s family who attended the Orange Shirt Day ceremony hosted at The Confluence.
“Your shock and your sorrow is something that is shared by those of us who are gathered here, and although we will not be able to feel the depths of your pain, I want you to know that we are here for you in community today,” said Gondek.