A Statement From The Family Of Mathios Arkangelo
Community Guidelines For Supporting Mathios and The Arkangelo Family
Our family is grateful and overwhelmed by the outpouring support for Mathios and our family. We are incredibly thankful to all the people and communities who have reached out during this difficult time. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all Edmontonians who have offered their condolences, support, and donations. Your kindness has been a tremendous source of comfort.
We would also like to specifically thank the Black community members who have been directly working on the ground with the family. Your support has been invaluable, and we appreciate that more Black communities are reaching out to offer their assistance.
For those who wish to make statements standing in solidarity with the family, please follow the guidelines & protocols below:
Who Was Mathios
Mathios was a 28-year-old Black youth from the South-Sudanese community with many dreams and ambitions before his life was tragically cut short by an unnamed and unidentified officer with the Edmonton Police Service. Mathios, was a son, father, spouse, brother, uncle, nephew, friend, and beloved by many many from the community he came from. In 2002, he immigrated to Canada with his mother and siblings to a small town within Alberta and in 2003, moved to Edmonton. Mathios leaves behind a 7-year-old son whom he loved dearly. Family meant everything to Mathios, and he worked tirelessly to provide for and protect his family, especially his son, his spouse, his siblings, and his mother.
Mathios had many dreams and aspirations. He was poetically talented and used music as an outlet to express himself. He was also an athlete and maintained a healthy lifestyle that balanced quality time with his family, particularly his son, with recording in the studio and staying healthy by going to the gym. Mathios truly valued family, attending every birthday and family event, spoiling his nieces and nephews, and cherishing every moment with his son.
Protocols For Supporting The Family:
No individual or group is authorized to represent our family in meetings with authority figures such as the Edmonton Police Service, City of Edmonton officials or any political representative without the family’s physical presence and consent which we are currently NOT doing.
We request that all communications and interactions regarding this manner be conducted directly with us ensuring that our voices are accurately heard and represented.
Community's Alignment with Calls for Justice
Our family is incredibly thankful for all the people standing in solidarity with us during this most difficult time. We deeply appreciate your prayers and support. We kindly want to outline what we are asking for so our community can stand with us in making unified request in our pursuit of justice and stand united behind the following requests:
A prompt and thorough investigation by ASIRT as they have been provided with all the evidence and witnesses.
The family asks that the unidentified officer involved be suspended while under ASIRT investigation to maintain the integrity of the process and ensure public trust of the administration of justice. Furthermore, we see it as crucial to protect the public from this unidentified officer.
The immediate release of the autopsy report. The report from our understanding is complete and we are dismayed that we will not be able to view this report for potentially up to a year from this tragedy.
Speaking truth to the facts shown in the 25 minute surveillance video of the whole interaction that day, which was the only interaction between Mathios and the Edmonton Police Service.
We encourage everyone to continue supporting our pursuit of justice in a peaceful and respectful manner.
The Personal Impact Of Mathios’s Murder
We hold space for members of our communities and Edmontonians to share how the murder of our family member that took place in our city has impacted your lives. By sharing your stories, we know we are not alone, and we can collectively highlight the widespread effects of this tragedy and strengthen our call for justice and accountability.
As for our family, the murder of Mathios has deeply impacted us in an unbearable way and forever affected our lives. Mathios’s seven-year-old son keeps asking when his father is coming home. His mother and siblings have not been able to sleep or eat since the tragic murder. Just to function, our family is in therapy. His spouse and brother struggle with even saying his name and coming to the reality that he will never be back. The entire family becomes paralyzed when a police vehicle drives by them fearing for their life.
Words are not sufficient to describe the immense harm and lasting mark that this tragedy has left on the hearts of many youth in our communities. It has shaken our sense of security and trust in the authorities meant to protect us. Mathios’s family, Edmonton’s Black community, and many Edmontonians are struggling to comprehend the senseless loss of Mathios.
Conclusion
Please continue to bring awareness to what happened to Mathios so it doesn’t happen to anyone else in our city and doesn’t get swept under the rug. Mathios was non-confrontational and compiled to everything and we strongly urge everyone to watch the full 25 minute surveillance video which shows the full and only interaction Mathios had with EPS that day.
Full 25 Minute Surveillance Video
Timeline of Mathios’s interaction with the Edmonton Police Service
Sincerely,
The Arkangelo Family
