Crystal Taman Sveinson | Did the Death of a Loving Mother and Wife At The Hands of Drunk Winnipeg Police Officer Really Lead to the Abolition of the East St. Paul Police Force?

Girl, You Haven't Heard??

Crystal Sveinson was a 40-year-old mother and wife who was struck and killed by drunk driver Derek Harvey-Zenk (Who later legally changed his named to HarveyMordenZenk) in the early hours of Feburary 25th, 2005. At the time of the crash, Derek was a constable with the Winnipeg Police Service and was good friends with East. St. Paul police chief at the time, Harry Bakema. Derek was covered and protected by the East St. Paul police service, the Winnipeg Police Service and essentially all parties who were involved in the initial investigation. The cover-up was so immense that Derek ended up only receiving two years of house arrest for driving drunk, killing an innocent woman, and injuring another. The lack of accountability in his initial ‘prosecution’ by special prosecutor and defense lawyer Marty Minuk, led to the Taman Inquiry which would eventually lead to the abolition of the East St. Paul and later lead to the creation of the Manitoban Independent Investigation Unit. In this episode we discuss the events leading up to the crash, the crash itself, the role all parties played in delaying accountability and justice for Crystal’s family, as well as the results of the inquiry. We also discuss how this case proves that the Province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg understand what abolition is, and they understand how to carry it out swiftly as the East St. Paul police service was disbanded and abolished within years of Crystal’s death following the Taman Inquiry.

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