Eastern Door Volume 7 Number 17

Volume 7 Number 17

May 22, 1998

SQ investigates death in custody
Circumstances of suicide while in holding cell will be studied and report made
By: Tom Dearhouse

The tragic death of 31 year old John Oroniateken Diabo, who killed himself in his Peacekeeper cell last Sunday afternoon, sent his family and the entire reserve into shock.

The Diabo family requested media privacy during this upsetting, emotional time, and the Peacekeeper department, led by PK Chief Warren Lahache, has stated they will abide by the request.

Lahache, referring to the investigation said, "Things are going the way they are supposed to. I'd like to inform the public of the details, but I'm respecting the family's wishes."

Autopsy results were available Wednesday morning, according to SQ spokesman Pierre Robichaud, and cause of death is by asphyxia.

One local source said PKs passed over Diabo's shoes in a "pat down" for weapons because the shoes had Velcro closures over the laces.

The source said Diabo likely drew from his ironwork experience to make a slip-free knot in the lace.

Robichaud added that the Peacekeepers did their job, and likely no criminal charges will come out of the investigation; there doesn't appear to be any brutality from police during the arrest.

Although the autopsy is complete, the investigation report, done by the four to six SQ officers, will take a week or two to complete. Results of blood tests for any alcohol or drugs in the blood stream will take two weeks.

According to SQ spokesman Ronald Boudreault, the Peacekeepers received a call from Diabo's aunt on the reserve, at about 3 p.m., asking for help as Diabo was soon to arrive at her house.

A PK patrol and a backup patrol, two officers in total, made the arrest based on a parole violation and the SQ's assertion of unpaid traffic fines.

Boudreault said there was resistance to the arrest and assault on a police officer while Diabo was taken to the PK station.

A shift change took place at 3 p.m. Occupants in the PK cells are monitored on their camera system, which does not have recording and playback capacity.

Around 3:45 hrs., Diabo was found in his cell not breathing and without a pulse. PK officers there did CPR, and an ambulance rushed him to Anna Laberge hospital where death was pronounced at 4:41 p.m.

John Diabo is the son of April and Lance Diabo, and older brother to Jody. He leaves behind six children and common law wife Trina Skye, and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.

On Sunday evening, about 25 residents burned tobacco outside the PK station during a vigil, not a protest they emphasized, so that Diabo would be "on a better path than when he was alive."

His funeral mass will be held Friday (today) 11 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Mission, and then burial in Kateri Cemetery.

Why an SQ investigation

Peacekeeper Chief Warren Lahache said as soon as the incident occurred, he phoned the Surete du Quebec to do an investigation. In situations like this, another police force is called to have an objective, credible investigation and to negate any perception of impropriety in the investigation.

The SQ investigating officers collected evidence, took statements from arresting officers, and from family and acquaintances of the victim.

The duration of time on the reserve was about two and a half hours. The rest of their work will be done on the outside.

Officially, the investigator's role is to reveal any criminal negligence and to present the facts to the coroner. In cases where facts are missing or do not jibe, a coroner can call for a full inquest.

Lahache was left with few choices other than the SQ because other Native police forces in the area do not have the resources for this kind of investigation. The RCMP detachment in Montreal is not equipped for this kind of investigation and MUC police generally do not operate off the island of Montreal.

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Woman fends off attacker in sexual assault

Woman fends off attacker in sexual assault
By: Dan Cross

On May 14, 1998, a 23-year-old Kahnawake woman successfully defended herself when she was attacked while walking from the Clay Mountain area towards town. Alain Gaulthier, 37, was subsequently caught and charged with Article 271 (1)b), sexual assault, and Article 173 (1) indecent exposure.

The incident occurred on the service road linking highway 132 to 138, directly beneath the railway overpass. In her report to police, the woman said he heard noises in the bushes. A moment later, a man jumped out of the brush and grabbed her.

Luckily, the woman was able to fend off her attacker and run away. When she turned around to see if he was following her, the man exposed himself. The woman ran to nearby homes for help.

After finding help, the woman and a local man drove to where the attack occurred in the hopes of finding and holding the perpetrator until the Kahnawake Peacekeepers could arrive. They found him as he was getting into a Volkswagen minivan, which he used to hit their car in his getaway.

As it turned out, the van was a company vehicle and fortunately, the woman was able to get a partial license plate number, as well as the company's phone number. Using these numbers to track down the perpetrator, the company was called by Kahnawake Peacekeeper Larry Beaton.

The company informed PK Beaton that they indeed did have an employee fitting the description of the attacker, and he did have a company van that day.

PK Beaton and a member of the MUC police went to the man's workplace and upon his arrival, PK Beaton arrested him and brought him back to Kahnawake. The man refused to make any statement until he could speak to a lawyer.

On May 15, the man was arraigned in Longueuil court. Although he does have a criminal record, (convicted for theft 1990, and again for theft in 1997), he was released without bail but with conditions. The conditions are: not to be in Kahnawake Territory, not to communicate directly or indirectly with the victim, and to keep the peace.

He will be back in court within a few weeks for a proforma, at which time the crown will present their case.

Peacekeeper Tom Lahache said the charge of sexual assault is an indictable offense, and if convicted, an offender can serve jail time. However, PK Lahache said in similar cases, in which there is no penetration, the offender usually will receive a stiff find and definitely probation.

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"I want to fly like an eagle.."
By: Tom Dearhouse

It just so happened, two busloads of Kahnawakero;non movie extras were returning home Thursday morning after overnight filming when they saw an object in the distant sky.

It couldn't be a mass hallucination because of lack of sleep. At the top of the Mercier Bridge, it seemed like a sail of some kind that was gaining altitude by unseen updrafts.

It looked like a bird, then a plane...no, it was Gordon Day in what is termed a "paraski."

The real answer was found later in the day.

This was confirmed by the PK Billy Diabo who showed an interest in the flying machine used.

The flying contraption is newly purchased by Day. It's like an ultralight plane, it has an engine, but also a large propeller like the small-drafted Everglade boats for steering.

The aircraft needs about 100 years to pick up enough windspeed for take off. Apparently the gas tank allows flight for up to three hours.

Day could not be reached for an interview Thursday afternoon, so the full story has to wait; but for sure, he didn't fly away because his "para-ski" was parked in the driveway.

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Editorial

In my opinion
By: Dan Cross, The Eastern Door

In my opinion, Montreal definitely does not need a brand new $257 million stadium. The mere suggestion is preposterous given the fact that Montrealers show minimal interest in any other sport than hockey.

The proposed stadium has been getting an abundance of positive press lately; which is hard to understand after the Olympic Stadium fiasco. After flushing hundreds of millions of dollars down what looks to be a giant toilet bowl, only to have it stand virtually useless not even thirty years later, one would think Montreal taxpayers would be a little more hesitant to do it again.

What's the reasoning behind the so-called "need" for a new stadium? They say a new stadium built in downtown Montreal would attract more fans to Expos games. I don't think so. Montreal isn't a baseball town. In 1994 the city had the absolute best team in the major leagues, and were it not for a season ending strike, they would have surely won the World Series. But how many of the Expos' games were sold out before the strike? Not many. Were ticket sales for would-be games selling like hotcakes? Not hardly. Now, in 1998, with a bargain basement team, which hasn't a snowball's chance in hell of even coming close to the post-season, there are people who would have you believe a new stadium will be full on a regular basis.

Where will the $257 million come from? Proponents for the new white elephant are quick to say team owners and additional investors will pick up most of the tab. Didn't the Quebec government buy a large share of the team when there was a possibility they would move to another city? Immediately following their investment, a fleur de lis was branded on Expos uniforms. So if team owners are going to foot most of the bill, that means Quebec taxpayers are going to pay for it.

The thing that makes their shinola stink even more, is the Quebec government saying there isn't enough money to keep certain hospitals open. They are not worried about closing a few indispensable health care institutions, but the thought of losing a professional baseball franchise scares the living hell out of 'em.

People are literally dying in emergency waiting rooms, because there aren't enough doctors and nurses to effectively treat the increased volume of patients since the closures of other hospitals. Doctors in Quebec are threatening to leave for the lucrative United States because their salaries here are insulting compared to their American counterparts. Nurses are threatening strike action unless their grievances are addressed and remedied. Propaganda commercials on television are saying because of improved medical science and wondrous drug therapies, people are now able to leave hospitals quickly and recover at home.

What the commercials aren't saying is there aren't enough beds, doctors, or even hospitals to keep patients for the optimum amount of time. Yet the government actually has the audacity to say they are in favor of building a $257 million stadium for a team nobody wants to watch, and will probably emigrate south before the paint dries on the building.

The government would also have people believe there isn't enough money for education. Schools are being closed, programs are being dropped or integrated into others, classes are getting larger and teachers are becoming rarer. Yet the people just stand by and accept it as if nothing can be done. Some groups can be seen protesting from time to time, but the government doesn't seem to be worried.

Politicians dance around the issues and say there isn't enough money. Taxes rise because they say more money is needed to solve the problem, but at the same time problems are increasing as well as politicians' salaries and pensions.

Some people in Kahnawake might like to believe that rising taxes do not affect us. However, when taxes go up so do prices. When hospitals and schools are closed or downsized, it affects everybody. Montreal doesn't need a new stadium, it needs to change its priorities.

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Comics

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