Vancouver, B.C.—The First Nations Summit and leaders from First Nations organizations across B.C. strongly support Police Complaint Commissioner Dirk Ryneveld’s recommendation to hold a public inquiry into the death of the Frank Joseph Paul and have called on Attorney General Geoff Plant to order the inquiry immediately.
Frank Joseph Paul, a Mi’kmaq man, died of hypothermia in December 1998 shortly after being released by the Vancouver police department into an east Vancouver alley.
“We believe that the surviving family and relatives of Mr. Paul deserve to know exactly how and why Mr. Paul died, as does the B.C. public,” said Grand Chief Edward John, a member of the political executive of the First Nations Summit.