70 Collier Street was the site of a vigil for a young man who lived and died over 2,900 kilometres away, and some folks in Barrie wanted his family to know that they cared.
City Hall was opened last night at 7 p.m. for close to 50 people who gathered with candles in hand and peace in their hearts for Colten Boushie, the 22-year-old Indigenous man who was fatally shot back in August of 2016 by local Saskatchewan farmer Gerald Stanley.
Brandon Rhèal Amyot was one of the organizers for last night’s vigil and says when he and the other organizers saw nothing happening in their community they knew they had to do something.
“When I saw nothing of action happening here in Barrie, where we have a large Indigenous community, I had to act especially with the close proximity to Beausoleil Island and all they face there,” said Amyot. “For myself personally I think about the fact that when Colten was killed he was about the same age as I am now.”
The now nationally infamous incident occurred in Saskatchewan’s Glenside municipality at Stanley’s farm.
Boushie and four friends entered Stanley’s property and what happened from then until an unarmed Boushie was shot in the head is known really only to those who were there. Stanley maintains that the group were going to steal from him and his gun accidently went off while Boushie’s friends say they were looking for help after getting a flat tire.
When Stanley was acquitted of all charges on Feb. 9, tensions and tears boiled over to Indigenous people throughout Canada who wanted answers as to why and how this could happen in 2018.
“I think what really has people upset besides obviously the killing of an unarmed man, is the way it was handled from the start,” said Amyot. “The jury that found Stanley not guilty was made up entirely of visibly non-Indigenous people and the rhetoric before the trial and during it was very one-sided. I am of Mohawk background with my family being Kahnawá:ke, Quebec, so I am very invested in these issues, but looking around here tonight it is warming to the heart to see so many non-Indigenous people with signs and candles in hand. We need this; we need unity.”
The ceremony was attended by acting-Mayor Sergio Morales who also spoke during ceremony.
“When any event like this affects members of our community to such significance it is very important to come gather in this civic space; as I said earlier it says right before you walk in that this is your city hall,” said Morales. “These people here today feel passionately about the ruling and about someone being unarmed yet shot in the head. Tonight we had some healing through open dialogue and peaceful understanding.”
The event was attended by many who are not only upset with the ruling but with that fact that Stanley also has a GoFundMe page set up for him to cover court costs that, in eight days, has raised $196,218 of its $200,000 goal. Some in attendance spoke of the act of being paid for a scalp clearly being around nowadays.
Vicki Monague is a citizen of Beausoleil First Nation and also lived in Saskatchewan for a time. The 36-year-old says that while Barrie is certainly not facing the exact same struggles as its western Canada counter-parts, there is a great opportunity to help in the city.
“In Saskatchewan there tends to be a lot more unresolved trauma over residential schools and also much more poverty in First Nations communities, said Monague. “Out there they are struggling more I find with land issues too while here it isn’t as bad here for that. They also have a really big division between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities out there and First Nations are treated very differently there. Tonight’s vigil is important because we have a little more of an opportunity to create relationships with the non-native community and we tend to work together more. I remember having to deal with acts of racism in school here and truthfully I do see some change, but we have to keep at it.”
For more information on Days of Action for Colten Boushie and other Indigenous matters, check out the website www.idlenomore.com
For more education on local Indigenous issues, stop in at the Barrie Native Friendship Centre at 175 Bayfield Street.
