Arely Gist

 Even 30+ Years Later Neil Stonechild’s death — and the subsequent pattern of “starlight tours” — stands as a haunting reminder of deep structural injustices faced by Indigenous communities: how policing, neglect, racism and impunity can converge into tragedy. His case forced a public reckoning, exposed systemic failures, and spurred calls for accountability and reform. Neil Stonechild was a 17‑year‑old boy from the Saulteaux First Nations.  On the night of November 24–25, 1990 he was taken into custody by two officers of the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS), in response to a complaint of disorderly conduct. The officers were Brad Senger and Larry Hartwig.  According to witness testimony many years later, a friend of Neil — Jason Roy — said he saw Neil in the back of the police cruiser that night. Roy claimed Neil looked bloodied, had marks on his face, and was pleading for help — crying that “they’re going to kill me.”  Neil’s body was discovered on November 2...

    ‎It was July 17, 1967. During routine work on a power line, lineman Randall G. Champion came into contact with a live wire carrying over 4,000 volts. The powerful surge knocked him unconscious, leaving him hanging helplessly in his safety harness, swaying in the open air nearly twenty feet above the ground. ‎ ‎  Below, panic erupted. Shouts filled the street. But one man didn’t hesitate. ‎ ‎J.D. Thompson — his coworker, his friend — ran to the pole and began climbing. ‎ ‎Without waiting for instructions. ‎Without thinking of his own safety. ‎Without knowing if it was already too late. ‎ ‎Reaching Randall’s motionless body, Thompson did the one thing his training — and his heart — demanded. He stabilized him, held him close, and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation… while both men were suspended in the sky. ‎ ‎At that very moment, a young newspaper photographer named Rocco Morabito arrived on the scene. He captured a single photograph — a picture so powerful that it woul...