Supporters of Frank Paul, an aboriginal man who froze to death in a Vancouver alley, held a ceremony in his honour on Sunday, commemorating the 11th anniversary of his death.
Paul died on December 6th, 1998 just hours after he was dragged, unconscious and soaking wet, from the Vancouver Police Department drunk tank and left in a lane on the Downtown Eastside.
Kat Norris, founder of the Indigenous Action Movement says Paul's death has changed the way Vancouverites view the city's native population.
"People look at people down here a little differently," Norris said. "That they do have family, people that care about them."
An interim report, the result of a government inquiry into Paul's death, was released in March.
The 500-page report, titled "Alone and Cold," recommends systemic changes in the way Vancouver treats its aboriginal, homeless, addicted and mentally ill citizens.
It found Paul was a victim of indifference and a botched police investigation into his death.
But United Native Nations president David Dennis says he has seen little action taken since the report was released.
"I can find absolutely no record of the government even sitting down, consulting with organizations, appointing officials to look after this," Dennis said.
"They're failing."
David Eby of the BC Civil Liberties Association said that while issues of police accountability and internal investigations remain, Paul's death was a significant turning point.
"I would say that Frank Paul's death represented the beginning of the end of that system," Eby said.
During the inquiry, Crown prosecutors were asked to explain why the officers involved in Paul's death were never charged, but the decision was appealed.
The matter remains before the courts.
With a report from Sarah Galashan and files from The Canadian Press
