‘It’s all about the little things:’ Local group begins wellness checks after controversial arrest video

Sometimes people just need someone to connect with.

That’s the message the Okihtcitawak Patrol Group (OPG) is pushing as they look to help people in the community.

The group recently started doing wellness checks after a controversial arrest video circulated online a few weeks ago showing a man being punched by police several times. Black Lives Matter and others claimed the police response should have been a wellness check.

“Change needed to happen at a community level, there need to be more Indigenous driven initiatives out there,” said Delano Kennedy, team lead for OPG.

“It’s trying to do those little things here and there, helping people where they are at, or just making conversation. We are trying to connect with them as best as we can. It’s all about the little things.”

The local patrol group monitors the Pleasant Hill and Riversdale neighbourhoods in Saskatoon.

OPG engages with people by providing crisis counselling and offering Indigenous cultural support such as smudging, which is a traditional ceremony for purifying or cleansing the soul of negative thoughts of a person or place.

They also assist individuals who may need somewhere to sleep and provide water and lunches to people in need.

“Sometimes that’s all people really want, that connection,” Kennedy said.

“Meeting people at a certain point in their life. We want to help people if they want to be helped.”

The release of the controversial arrest video almost two weeks ago ignited the discussion of groups that can be contacted in a crisis situation.

“It’s important for people to have options when dealing with a crisis,” said Rita Field, executive director of Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service.

According to Field, there are many intervention services in Saskatoon, with five mobile crisis units operating in the city.

These groups are meant to provide an alternative to calling the police in certain situations.

“I can’t imagine what a police officer has to deal with day in and day out. We’re asking a lot out of them,” Field added.

“We encourage expert communication skills, conflict resolution and de-escalation in high stress or a crisis situation.”

She noted they look for a collective community response in crisis situations.