Brandon starlight tour claim false but man says police did call him 'dirty Indian'
Brandon police have asked an outside police force to look into allegations made on social media that their officers took an Aboriginal man on a “starlight tour” on the weekend despite the man saying he made the claim up.
By Kenneth Jackson
APTN National News
Brandon – Brandon police have asked an outside police force to look into allegations made on social media that their officers took an Aboriginal man on a “starlight tour” on the weekend despite the man saying he made the claim up.
The RCMP is investigating according to a press release issued Monday by Brandon police. The RCMP told APTN National News they confirmed Sunday the claim was fake and forwarded that information to Brandon police.
Jay Moosetail posted on his Facebook page Brandon police took him outside of town to force him to walk home, otherwise known as a starlight tour.
Moosetail told APTN Brandon police never contacted him to confirm what the RCMP told them. The RCMP said they spoke to one of Moosetail’s friends and were confident his allegation was false.
However, Moosetail alleges Brandon police officers called him a “dirty Indian” and other things he wouldn’t repeat.
“I am really sorry I made that up. It never happened. I was just mad because of the way they treated me,” he said Sunday and repeated Monday. “They made me feel worthless.”
He said he was at a house party. When he went outside to wait for a cab, there were three or four cruisers outside and police asked him what he was doing. He said he was just going home.
He alleges they searched him and pushed him against a police car twice.
“They were trying to provoke me but I just kept my mouth shut,” he said. “They said ‘we should drop you off and make you walk home.'”
He said he’s heard of starlight tours happening to other people but it’s never happened to him.
He said he’s received multiple messages on Facebook from people claiming it happened to them.
When police were leaving Moosetail said one officer said “idle no more mother****er.”
Brandon police said they take these allegations seriously.
@afixedaddress
Even tho this didn’t happen to him, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen to other people and they are to scared to report the police or even do anything about it feeling like no one would help and call you a liar, and say the police would NEVER do that. I should know I’ve been a starlight tour victim myself. And to me it was just another thing in my life I had to endure. And now I have a difficult time trusting and law enforcements. They didn’t make me feel safe they made me feel like I was disposable. So yeah he lied but he did bring this subject that everyone forgot back to life.
The was just an article on the CBC website that says, “RCMP failed to track internal misconduct for years.” So I highly doubt that they will look into anything like this.