Jurors make 20 recommendations on last day of public inquiry into Samwel Uko’s death
It’s been a deeply emotional inquiry process for the family as they’ve listened to a handful of witnesses that were there the day Uko died by suicide in Wascana Lake on May, 21, 2020.
During a press conference Friday morning, before the last day of the inquest began, family members conveyed feelings of being re-traumatized through the inquest process as they said it was hard to sit through some of the testimonies and watch footage of Uko being “kicked-out” of the hospital.“We are upset, angry, we are frustrated,” stated Justin Nyee, Uko’s uncle.
During the testimonies it was revealed that Uko began to feel isolated through the pandemic when the football season was put on hold, in-person classes were suspended, and he was far away from the strong support system he had in B.C.His family and high school teachers described him as a respectful, laid-back, productive individual who “always had the biggest smile.”
“Samwel was a human who walked into the hospital, and the people at the hospital did not see him as a human. That was the reason. If they saw him as one of them they would have helped him, but they did not,” Nyee said.At the hospital, there was some confusion around Uko’s identity among registration staff on his second visit, in terms of getting his first and last name right.
“What we are calling for is transparency, an admission for the role that racism and discrimination has played in this,” said Vibya Natana, Black in Sask spokesperson, who was also at the press conference Friday morning. Nyee said they were relieved to see the recommendations made by the jurors, adding the family agrees with every single point made and that it reaffirmed the faith they had in the jurors from the beginning.