First Nations Voice

FEBRUARY 2016 • PAGE 9 Jean Mocharski's children are now older than she was at the time of her violent death in 1961. According to Project Devote investigators, Jean Mocharski had moved to Winnipeg from Poland, and had fallen on hard times after leaving her husband in 1960. She was a mother of seven children. Jean struggled with substance abuse and relied on the survival sex trade to make ends meet. On March 18, 1961 Jean's unconscious body was found under the Alexander Docks, located on the west side of the Red River. At that time the Alexander Docks were used to accept goods barged into the city on the river. Transported to the Winnipeg General Hospital (now the Health Sciences Centre) in critical condition, Jean died of her injuries shortly after arriving. She was 43 years old. An autopsy at the time documented that Jean had received numerous injuries in the 24 hours prior to her death. Jean was last seen in Winnipeg at the New Main Café at 635-645 Main Street (at Main and Logan, which is now occupied by Mitchell Fabrics), approximately five blocks from the Alexander Docks. No matter how much time has passed, her loved ones deserve answers and Jean deserves justice. Project Devote, the Manitoba task force of the Winnipeg Police Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police focusing on missing and murdered exploited person's investigations, encourages anyone who can provide information about Jean's homicide to contact police. If you have information that can help with this investigation, call investigators on the Project Devote tipline at 1-888-673-3316. If you want to remain anonymous, you can call Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Project Devote HElp bRING juStICE FOR jEAN The topic of racism is certainly not new to anyone. It has been, and continues to be, discussed at the community, national, and international level. In our role as police officers, we deal with the issue from a couple of different perspectives. First, our members respond to incidents in which individuals provide descriptions and versions of events. At times, our members are required to consider if any bias is being built into the sequence of events that have been reported and what impact that may have on an investigation. Second, from time to time our members have been accused of being racist as a result of certain actions they have taken in their course of their duties. The Service's policies and procedures have also been criticized as such in what is known as systemic racism. Finally, as part of our work in the Indigenous Partnerships Section, we have discussions with many individuals and organizations. These take place in both private and public settings. At times, thoughts and actions are expressed to us that place the racism issue before us. What is important for us is the ability to undergo a decision making process while these discussions occur. This involves listening to those we are speaking with and allowing them to express themselves freely. It's a matter of considering the entire story and trying to determine if this really is a racist slant, or simply an expression of that person's frustration with something they, or the community are dealing with. The two can be entirely different and it is important to differentiate between the two. For example, some time ago I attended a workshop involving some pretty substantial Indigenous issues. A First Nations speaker, well known in the community, was talking about a topic that he was passionate about. At one point, he openly criticized "all the white politicians" regarding their inaction on the issue. I was quite surprised by the statement as he expressed no basis for his belief. It was on the heels of some other controversial comments he made, and it was shortly after a well-publicized incident by another individual from the community in which that individual was criticized and had to apologize to the public. Here was the scenario before us. We could easily conclude his comments revealed a racist attitude and dismiss everything he had spoken about, or, we could take the time to consider if his words were the result of his frustration with government bureaucracy and that he simply expressed himself more emotionally than logically in that particular instance. I believe the latter was the case. One could say that as a public figure, he had the added responsibility of ensuring he chose the right words before he spoke and should be held to account. It wasn't the best choice of words but none of us are perfect. In our work, we have found it is better to allow people to speak freely, even if it means hearing comments that may not be "politically correct". Once we have had a chance to digest what was said, through conversation, we can then come to a proper conclusion about the person's comments, and ultimately, their character. Using the racism versus frustration approach allows us to maintain relationships and partnerships that may otherwise have been cut short needlessly by misinterpreting the intent for why people make certain comments. It can be difficult to do, but with so much at stake for our community, it is worth the extra effort. Staff Sergeant Andy Golebioski is in the Community Relations Unit of the Winnipeg Police Service RACISM VERSuS FRuStRAtION Staff Sergeant Andy Golebioski The Arts and Cultural Industries Association (ACI) surveyed Indigenous artists to put together a report highlighting Manitoba's vibrant Indigenous arts community and its needs. On Wednesday, January 13, 2016, a cold and bitter wind could not keep a small but dedicated group of Indigenous artists, administrators and supporters from gathering together for the release of the survey. On hand were notable elders Barb and Clarence Nepinak, film and TV producer Jim Compton and Governor General Award winning poet Kate Vermette. Jessica Dumas opened the news conference by quoting Louis Riel: "My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back." By First Nations Voice staff AcI RElEASES INdIgENoUS ARTISTS SURvEY Leonard Bighetty, one of the artists surveyed with the mural he painted for the ACI

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