The case against Paa Pii Wak

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/02/2009 (6140 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A government-funded Winnipeg halfway house meant to be a safe haven for troubled men was, according to police investigators, actually a gang-controlled hangout rife with drinking, partying and corruption.

The Free Press has uncovered new details about a four-month police probe that ended last month with the arrest of nine staff members and clients of Paa Pii Wak. The Point Douglas agency, which received $270,000 a year in federal funding since its start in 2003, has been shut.

"This is, in my estimation, gangs gone wild in Winnipeg," Winnipeg police Sgt. James Jewell said.

Paa Pii Wak was supposed to be acting as an aboriginal treatment and healing centre, providing shelter to homeless people and teaching native culture, therapy and clean living to troubled residents who were sent to live there by the courts while their criminal charges were pending.

Instead, police say it became in effect a Manitoba Warriors clubhouse, a state that was unknown by Manitoba judges who let accused people stay there.

Police say that not a single homeless person was ever allowed to stay at the facility, despite their contract calling for 1,200 beds annually. Places such at the Salvation Army would occasionally call over on cold nights to see if they could send some of their overflow but were always turned down.

"It was like, sorry, unless you’re a friend of the Manitoba Warriors, you’re not staying here. If you’re just some cold homeless guy, beat it," said Det. Wes Law. He and Det.-Sgt. Roger Penner sat down with the Free Press this week for an exclusive look at what became known as "Project Octopus."

"This was a multimillion-dollar corporation, over the course of its lifespan, being run by the Manitoba Warriors," said Jewell. "The Manitoba Warriors were using Paa Pii Wak to further their criminal enterprise."

He cites the case of William Pangman, the longtime president of the Manitoba Warriors street gang, who walked into the lobby of the Winnipeg Remand Centre on May 15, 2008.

It was a familiar place for Pangman, who had left the facility exactly three weeks earlier after being granted bail on a string of violent gun-related offences that include a drive-by shooting.

The desk clerk appeared on surveillance video to be surprised to see Pangman, who was carrying identification that showed him to be an employee of the government-funded Paa Pii Wak halfway house.

She had no choice but to give Pangman what he’d come for — Manitoba Warriors associate Michael Ednie, who had been released on bail earlier that day with a condition that he be taken under the care of a Paa Pii Wak representative.

Several months later, Ednie allegedly fled Paa Pii Wak — the breach wasn’t reported to police — and committed a violent sexual assault. Pangman would also be re-arrested in June 2008, after a high-speed police chase during rush hour in which guns were allegedly tossed from a vehicle.

"It is unbelievable taxpayers of Manitoba are paying for a gang member to act as a bail supervisor (on a fellow gang member)," said Jewell.

The police investigation began last year following a tip from the RCMP and included several days and nights of undercover surveillance.

"The slogan here is it’s supposed to be a sharing of spirits… it’s more like the gathering of (expletive) gangs," one former Paa Pii Wak resident, caught on a police phone tap, is overheard saying to his girlfriend.

The man, who spent some time in the facility in 2007, was later charged with first-degree murder along with two co-accused with whom he’d spent time inside the facility. The trio is accused of beating a man to death in the core area.

"I met so many bad influences in there, people picking on me, saying they’re out of gangs when they’re not. I put myself in there to be a better person. But the only person trying in that house was me. That place is supposed to be a place of change. It’s not," says the accused killer. He also tells his girlfriend that residents like him were told to sign documents claiming they had taken treatment and programming when in fact nothing was done.

Jewell noted Manitoba Warriors members had installed four surveillance cameras outside the property in what they believe was an attempt to watch out for police.

Police could only find one example of a staff member calling to report a resident was breaching their bail conditions. Yet, dozens of examples were found where breaches were not only overlooked but covered up, either by allegedly fudging log entries and even one case where police say a phone call was faked to make it look like an AWOL gang member had just found a job (He hadn’t — he was actually in police custody at the time)

Police also uncovered evidence of Paa Pii Wak staff members drinking on the job and regularly observed young women coming and going from the facility at all hours and often carrying alcohol.

"It’s clear to us there were lots of women, lots of drinking and partying going on," said Jewell.

Penner said there don’t appear to be any success stories out of Paa Pii Wak.

"Everyone who has been sent there is back in jail," he said.

www.mikeoncrime.com

Findings from "Project Octopus"

THE following incidents and allegations were uncovered by Winnipeg police during "Project Octopus."

Surveillance — Dec. 10, 2008

• Police see several women coming and going from Paa Pii Wak during the evening hours, including one clearly bringing alcohol into the facility.
• Police observe a man leaving the facility, obviously drunk. He is not a resident.
• Police arrest a drunk woman leaving the facility who is wanted on an outstanding warrant.

Surveillance — Dec. 11, 2008

• Police observe a resident of Paa Pii Wak who is under a 24-hour curfew leave the facility, alone. They take no action at this time, not wanting to blow their cover.
• Police see a man leaving Paa Pii Wak with six empty king cans of beer, then return a short time later with three new ones. He is not a resident.
• Police see a woman and man pull up to the facility. The man is a known cocaine dealer. He goes inside and returns five minutes later. Police stop the vehicle as it leaves and arrest the woman on a warrant. She is found with $200 cash, which police believe is from recent drug sales.
• Police see two other women, clearly drunk, leave the facility late at night.

Surveillance — Dec. 16, 2008

• Police stop a vehicle leaving Paa Pii Wak containing two residents who are under a 24-hour curfew. One is serving a conditional sentence for dangerous driving causing death, the other is pending on criminal charges. Both are arrested.
• Police speak with a Paa Pii Wak staff member, who claims one of the men is out looking for a job. He doesn’t realize the man is now in police custody and allegedly fakes a phone conversation after which he informs police the man has just found work.

Personal visit — Jan. 7, 2009

• Police go inside Paa Pii Wak to do curfew checks. Brad Ferland identifies himself as the evening shift supervisor. Police learn there are existing warrants out for his arrest and believe he is intoxicated. He is arrested. They later learn Ferland is being paid $16/hour and making about $1,000 biweekly working as a supervisor at the halfway house while a fugitive from the law.
• A man identified as the "midnight relief" to Ferland is on the premises and heavily intoxicated, according to police.
• Police find two young women hiding in a closet in one of the upstairs rooms.

Key suspect — William Pangman

• Longtime leader of the Manitoba Warriors street gang.
• Charged September 2007 with firing a gun outside a Winnipeg hotel.
• Charged October 2007 following pursuit, allegedly wearing body armour.
• Released on bail April 24, 2008 with conditions to gain employment at Paa Pii Wak. Became a paid "support worker."
• Gets fellow gang member Michael Ednie out of the Winnipeg Remand Centre on May 15, 2008, after judge says Ednie can to go Paa Pii Wak.
• Re-arrested June 2, 2008 for allegedly breaching his curfew following traffic stop at 1:45 a.m. Police say he tried to claim he was out working for Paa Pii Wak and should be exempted. He is later released on bail by a judge.
• Re-arrested June 28, 2008 on new weapons charges. Police say a vehicle shot up a house on Dorothy Street during rush-hour traffic. Pangman and others inside the home allegedly gave chase, then allegedly threw guns from the vehicle as police pursued them.