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| Frank Paul a "knob": police |
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| Frank Paul Inquiry: Opening Statement |
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| Frank Paul Inquiry starts tomorrow |
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Frank Paul was a "knob", according to a police arrest report made earlier on the day before his body was found in a Vancouver alley, the Frank Paul Inquiry heard Monday. The Vancouver Police Dpartment wagon driver who transported Frank Paul to the jail said she didn't know who wrote the word "knob" next to "H/SIPP", shorthand for "Hold/State of Intoxication in a Public Place".
We expressed concern about the state of document disclosure by the VPD, which has provided copies of handwritten notebook entries from just two of the twelve police officers scheduled to testify in Phase 1. The VPD has failed to disclose the CPIC printout for inquiries about Mr. Paul, and failed to deliver any records of radio transmissions between police officers around December 6, 1998, the date he was found dead in a Vancouver alley.
The Inquiry continues.
The Frank Paul Inquiry commenced today with opening statements by counsel for the participants. The opening statement of Mr. Ward, counsel for the United Native Nations Society, is reproduced below:
Mr. Commissioner, Mr. Eby and I are grateful for, and deeply honoured to have the opportunity to represent the interests of the United Native Nations Society at this Commission of Inquiry. For many years, the UNNS, along with other aboriginal groups and concerned individuals, urged the BC government to hold a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Frank Joseph Paul.
The United Native Nations Society represents 40,500 members across British Columbia and is the province’s main, and often only, advocate for off-reserve aboriginal people. Frank Paul’s home reserve was in New Brunswick, but his home was in the streets of Vancouver. Advocates for UNNS worked on Frank Paul’s behalf while he was still alive and living near the IGA store at Maple and Broadway in Kitsilano. Their advocacy on behalf of Frank Paul did not end at the time of his death, and it will not end until he and his family have had a full and fair hearing of the facts, and any parties responsible for his death are held accountable by our justice system.
Frank Paul is one of many off-reserve aboriginal people assisted by UNNS on what would generously be described as a shoestring budget. The absence of aboriginal-run shelters, the shortage of aboriginal housing, and the lack of aboriginal-run treatment and detoxification is a reality that is felt by the UNNS and its constituency every day. This shortage of resources for this population, widely recognized as the most poor, and most marginalized in our society, must be addressed. For these reasons, among many others, the following off-reserve aboriginal support organizations have endorsed the UNNS’s attendance at this hearing, and its efforts to bring meaning and justice to the life and death of Frank Paul:
• The Aboriginal Homelessness Steering Committee;
• The Aboriginal Mother Centre;
• The Circle of Eagles Lodge;
• Healing our Spirit;
• Helping Spirit Lodge;
• The Knowledgeable Aboriginal Youth Alliance Society;
• Lu’ma Native Housing;
• The Pacific Association of First Nations Women;
• The Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society;
• The Vancouver Aboriginal Transformative Justice Program;
• Vancouver Native Health Society; and
• The Vancouver Native Housing Society.
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Mr. Commissioner, we know that Frank Joseph Paul, age 47, an off-reserve aboriginal person of no fixed address, died some time after 9:00 p.m. on December 5, 1998. His lifeless body was found in an alley the next morning by someone searching for a missing cat.
Now, nearly nine years after Mr. Paul died, this Commission of Inquiry has finally been convened to probe the circumstances of Mr. Paul’s death and to consider the responsiveness of various agencies to them. This Commission will also review the social and health services available to the disadvantaged and consider making recommendations for improvement to the social safety net that is supposed to catch people like Mr. Paul. For the UNNS and others, this is an historic opportunity.
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Finally. Almost nine years after Frank Joseph Paul, 47, was found dead of hypothermia in a Vancouver alley, the public commission of inquiry into the circumstances of his death is set to begin on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 in Vancouver. Commissioner William Davies, Q.C. a retired Supreme Court of British Columbia justice, will preside over a process intended to scrutinize all aspects of the tragic case, including the handling of investigations conducted by the Vancouver Police Department, Crown Counsel, the BC Coroners Service and the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner.
Here's the official blurb, from www.frankpaulinquiry.ca:
"The Government of British Columbia has appointed an independent commission of inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Frank Joseph Paul. Mr. Paul, a Mi'kmaq from New Brunswick, was removed from the Vancouver Police Department lockup at about 8:30 p.m. on December 5, 1998, and was left in a nearby alley by a police officer. His body was found in the alley early the next morning. An autopsy concluded he had died from hypothermia due to exposure/alcohol intoxication."
No coroner's inquest was held and no criminal charges were laid.
The inquiry is to be divided into phases, with the first phase devoted to the factual circumstances of Mr. Paul's death. Many organizations and individuals will be represented by counsel at the proceeding, including our client United Native Nations. The lawyers are expected to present opening statements on Tuesday.
Members of the public are welcome. The Commission hearings will be held commencing at 9:30 a.m. each weekday morning at the 8th floor, 701 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC. We hope to provide regular updates here.
