Second protest at Rockwood OPP station honours Nathaniel Schofield

ROCKWOOD 鈥 鈥淚t鈥檚 been 60 days, and still no answers.鈥

That鈥檚 how much time had passed since Nathaniel Schofield, a 36-year-old father of six living in Arthur, died in OPP custody on July 10.

And it鈥檚 why a group of people, including Angel Mitchell, gathered for a protest in front of the Rockwood OPP station on Sept. 8.

鈥淗e鈥檚 dead, and for what?鈥 Mitchell asked. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know.鈥

鈥淒ear Nathaniel isn鈥檛 here to stand up for himself,鈥 said his mother Faye Dzikewich, so 鈥渕yself and the community, family, friends need to take this stand.鈥

Milestones he鈥檒l miss

Among the 30-or-so people at the protest was Schofield鈥檚 widow, Angelique Hunter, holding a sign with the words 鈥淏ut Daddy, I never got to say good bye.鈥

鈥淢y daughter has this written on her wall,鈥 Hunter told the Advertiser.听 听

She said the protest marked the first time she made it out to a public event for Schofield, and it was very hard to be there.

People protested across the street from the Rockwood OPP station on Sept. 8, demanding an explanation about how Nathaniel Schofield died in OPP custody two months ago.

 

鈥淚 just want to stay inside, with my kids,鈥 she said.

Tears streamed down Hunter鈥檚 cheeks as she reflected on the significant moments in her children鈥檚 futures that their dad will miss.

鈥淢y daughters don鈥檛 have anyone to walk them down the aisle,鈥 she said.

And their 16-year-old son Hayden is already talking about how, when he eventually becomes a father himself, his dad won鈥檛 be there to hold the baby.

鈥淭he kids are going to go their whole lives without their dad,鈥 Hunter said.

鈥楢 verbal argument鈥

For Hunter and Schofield鈥檚 eight-year-old son Aleks, the last memory he has of his father is witnessing his dad鈥檚 arrest.

Hunter said Schofield begged the officers not to arrest him in front of his son 鈥 to take him around the corner, out of sight, instead, but the officers refused.

On the night of Schofield鈥檚 arrest, Hunter said the couple was 鈥渉aving a verbal argument 鈥 and it was nobody鈥檚 business to call the police in the first place.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 anything violent,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e are young parents with six kids 鈥 things are going to get tense once in a while.鈥

Now, Hunter worries her children will never feel safe calling the police for help.

鈥淗e was supposed to be safe while in their care,鈥 she said.

鈥淣ever in a million years did I think I鈥檇 get that phone call鈥 (about Schofield鈥檚 death), she said.

鈥淚 was supposed to be planning our wedding this summer, not a funeral.

鈥淭here鈥檚 absolutely no reason why he shouldn鈥檛 have come home. He was not a trouble maker. He was perfectly healthy.”听

Faye Dzikewich, right, organized a peaceful protest across from the Rockwood OPP station on Sept. 8, in memory of her son Nathaniel Schofield, who died in OPP custody on July 10. The sign in the middle shows a photo of Angel Mitchell鈥檚 son, that she alleges was taken after he was 鈥渂eaten鈥 by police officers.

 

鈥淣ow, it鈥檚 the kids that are going to suffer,鈥 she said.

And it鈥檚 the kids, she added, who really deserve to know how Schofield died 鈥 鈥淣ot the gory details, but they deserve to know what happened to their dad.鈥

Kyle Jones pulled Hunter into a hug as she became overcome with emotion.

Tears spilled from Jones鈥 eyes, too, as he comforted the grieving widow.

鈥淢e and Nat have been best friends since we were 14,鈥 he told the Advertiser.

“We worked together; lived together. The amount of times we had together that were absolutely phenomenal. I will never forget him.鈥

Support from a stranger

Dean Mitchelmore was at the Guelph courthouse on July 10 when Dzikewich found out Nathaniel had died, and he attended the protest on Sept. 8 to show support.

Dzikewich and Mitchelmore didn鈥檛 know each other before that day, though Mitchelmore said he had met Schofield before.

While Dzikewich sat in a court room waiting for her son to appear on the day of his death, Mitchelmore was in the same room, waiting to bail a friend out of jail.

He said he heard an OPP officer tell the judge that Schofield would not be attending court that day, and that more information would be provided the following day.

鈥淭he judge said 鈥楴o, that鈥檚 not good enough,鈥欌 Mitchelmore said, noting the judge insisted the officer provide more information.

Dean Mitchelmore was at the Guelph Court House on July 10, when Nathaniel Schofield鈥檚 mother found out he was dead.

 

That鈥檚 when the officer said Schofield had been rushed to Guelph General Hospital, Mitchelmore recalled, and 鈥淔aye ran out the door.鈥

Mitchelmore followed her out of the courtroom, and when he caught up with her outside, 鈥渟he was not in any shape,鈥 he said.

Dzikewich had just gotten a call from Hunter informing her that her son had died.

鈥淪he literally started to fall to the ground,鈥 Mitchelmore said.

鈥淚 supported her, stood her up, and gave her a hug.鈥

He also gave her a can of pop from his backpack.

The small gesture of kindness made an impact when she needed it most, Dzikewich previously told the Advertiser.

Crisis response alternative

The protestors also included Issac Petonoquot and Lori Lafond, who say Petonoquot had a horrible experience with police during a crisis support call five years ago.

Lafond said she didn鈥檛 know where Petonoquot was for three days 鈥 she was told he was at a hospital, but he was really at Maplehurst Correctional Complex.

Lafond and Petonoquot have launched an organization in Cambridge called Womb with a View, a 鈥渃ulturally relevant crisis response alternative that is rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing.鈥

Lori Lafond, left, and Issac Petonoquot travelled to Rockwood from Cambridge to show support for Schofield and his family.

 

They focus on supporting BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, Lafond said.

鈥淧olice don鈥檛 seem to understand the trauma that can bring somebody to breaking point,鈥 Lafond said.

For more information about Womb with a View visit facebook.com/p/A-Womb-With-A-View-100089303556029.

Hope for change

Many of the attendees discussed experiences their loved ones have had with police and incarceration.

Angel Mitchell says her son was treated terribly by police officers, and April Belcastro said her father is 鈥渁 survivor of the Kingston Penitentiary.鈥

From left, April Belcastro, Caley Sanders and Angel Mitchell. Sanders and Mitchell are long-time friends of Nathaniel Schofield鈥檚 mother, Faye Dzikewich, and Sanders, who was tearful during the protest, cared for Schofield when he was a child.

 

Mitchell said when visiting Dzikewich recently, she recommended the mourning mother 鈥渓ook for the light鈥 in her son鈥檚 tragic story.

The system needs to change to prevent unnecessary deaths, protestors kept repeating.

鈥淣athaniel is going to open this door towards change,鈥 Mitchell said.

SIU investigation

Schofield鈥檚 death is being investigated by Ontario鈥檚 Special Investigations Unit, which has designated a 鈥渟ubject official鈥 鈥 an officer whose conduct appears 鈥渢o have been the cause of the incident under investigation鈥 which led to Schofield鈥檚 death.

The SIU is reviewing footage captured from inside OPP cells.

The SIU will determine whether there are grounds to charge an official in relation to the incident. If grounds are not found, a public report will be released.

When possible, the SIU must complete investigations within 120 days, according to the SIU website.

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