Sienna Wright can’t unsee a man’s face.
She was meeting a friend at Clareview LRT station late at night when she spotted someone hunched over who looked like he needed help. It’s a situation she’s faced before, as she has harm reduction training.
“His neck was bent unnaturally, his arms were on the poles, he had a faint pulse… he needed help,” she explained.
She learned from other bystanders that the man had been there for two hours without getting any help. Wright says a security guard on the scene felt cold and aggressive.
“He kind of yelled at me like he was telling me ‘stay away from him,’” said Wright.
Wright called 9-1-1 after she said the guard told her not to. When EMS arrived, CPR was given for an hour, but it was too late. The man died. He was later identified as Jerry Desjarlais.
Last Thursday, community advocates and family put together a vigil of flowers, tobacco, candles, and two naloxone kits.
“It kind of sounds like neglect… on the part of not only the security but ETS as a whole. So me and my family, we’re really looking at getting answers for what happened,” said Jordan Williams, the brother of Desjarlais.
Within a few days, the vigil was gone.
The City of Edmonton confirmed to CityNews that naloxone was used that night and that commissionaire security guards are trained to use it. In a statement, the City also gave us insight into their protocol for this type of situation.
“If a guard encounters an unresponsive individual and an opioid overdose is suspected, they will secure the scene and apply appropriate personal protective equipment, such as gloves and a mask, prior to administering naloxone.”
On what happened that night, the City says, “The guards were patrolling two stations while on shift and responded to the incident when they arrived at Clareview.”
Both Wright and Williams believe more could be done.
“I mean, you see someone unconscious, report it or something. Do something because at the end of the day, you can’t just leave someone here,” said Williams.
Wright added, “More access to harm reduction, maybe more training for their workers here. He’s supposed to protect people and keep them safe, and I don’t think he did that that day.”