“First Nations are rights holders, not stakeholders. Our citizens have the right to move through their own homelands, shop for food, care for their families, and live their daily lives without fear of harassment, racial profiling, intimidation, or violence.”
– Grand Chief Jerry Daniels
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2026
ANISHINAABE AND DAKOTA TERRITORY, MB — The Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) is raising urgent, serious concerns following a recent incident at a retail location on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg, Treaty One Territory, where video footage appears to show a private security guard using brutal force against an Indigenous man.
This incident is deeply disturbing. It is also not an isolated case.
“First Nations people in Manitoba are well aware of a troubling pattern of being profiled and subject to unsafe, discriminatory, and degrading treatment in everyday spaces, including retail stores and other public businesses,” shared Grand Chief Jerry Daniels. “First Nations are rights holders, not stakeholders. Our citizens have the right to move through their own homelands, shop, care for their families, and live their daily lives without fear of harassment, racial profiling, intimidation, or violence.”
SCO condemns any use of force, intimidation, or racial profiling against First Nations citizens in retail businesses and other public spaces. These incidents harm the person directly targeted, while also causing wider trauma for families, children, and communities.
“Violence against our citizens demands a broad public response,” stated Grand Chief Daniels. “This issue is part of a broader, well-documented problem. First Nations people have long reported racism, excessive force, and discriminatory treatment in policing, security, and other public safety settings. Even in situations where shoplifting is suspected, the use of brutal or excessive force is never justified. No allegation of theft warrants violence, humiliation, or actions that endanger a person’s safety and dignity.”
SCO is calling on the employer of the security guard captured in the video now circulating online to be held responsible for the incident. SCO is also requesting that the Province of Manitoba be accountable as the regulating body that issues and revokes the licence for the security guard and the business. SCO urges the Private Investigators and Security Guards Program to immediately launch a comprehensive review of training, standards, and oversight for private security guards and in-store loss prevention personnel.
This review must examine: use-of-force policies, including whether weapons or hard objects are being authorized, carried, or informally tolerated; requirements for de-escalation, trauma-informed practice, and cultural safety training specific to First Nations peoples; complaint mechanisms, data collection, and disciplinary processes when force is used or discrimination is alleged; along with the licensing, supervision, and accountability of security companies operating in Winnipeg and throughout southern Manitoba.
Retailers and security firms must publicly disclose their security and loss-prevention policies, including any use-of-force terms. They must commit to independent, third-party reviews of incidents involving Indigenous customers. They must enter formal partnerships with First Nations organizations to co-design mandatory cultural safety and anti-racism training for all staff and contracted security personnel.
“SCO acknowledges the broader social and economic realities facing many First Nations people in Manitoba,” shared Grand Chief Daniels. “Deep and persistent poverty, coupled with the erosion of social safety nets and rising costs of living, is disproportionately impacting First Nations citizens.”
“When families struggle to meet basic needs, like food and housing, desperate circumstances can lead to desperate decisions. SCO does not condone shoplifting. The answer to this crisis is not violence or racial profiling. It is meaningful action to address poverty, strengthen social supports, and ensure that First Nations citizens can live with dignity, security, and real opportunity in their own homelands,” concluded Grand Chief Daniels.
SCO will request an urgent meeting with Manitoba’s Justice Minister, along with the Winnipeg Police Service, to address systemic issues involving private security and loss prevention.
SCO will also report back to Chiefs, Councils, and citizens as we continue to advocate for systemic change to ensure First Nations citizens are safe in all public spaces across southern Manitoba.
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The Southern Chiefs’ Organization represents 33 First Nations and more than 92,000 citizens in what is now called southern Manitoba. SCO is an independent political organization that protects, preserves, promotes, and enhances First Nations peoples’ inherent rights, languages, customs, and traditions through the application and implementation of the spirit and intent of the Treaty-making process.
For media inquiries:
Email: Media@scoinc.mb.ca