Vigil marks one year since Boushie shooting death
- EFN Staff | August 10, 2017
The Regina Peace Fountain in front of City Hall was circled with lit candles to honour the life of Colten Boushie, who was fatally shot a year ago on a farm near Biggar, Saskatchewan. A candlelight vigil marked the anniversary of Boushie from the Red Pheasant First Nation who died at the age of 22. Farmer Gerald Stanley is charged with the death of Boushie who pled not guilty. Shortly after the news reached to the public, racism ignited across the province on social media against Indigenous peoples.
But the candlelight vigil wasn’t about resurfacing the racism from the Boushie shooting case, it was about remembering a young man’s life.
Robyn Pitawanakwat, a member of the Saskatchewan Coalition Against Racism, said the event was to honour the 22-year-old man’s life.
“We want the family to know that they have our support,” she said. “It’s a silent vigil, that’s what the family had asked for. They want to remember that Colten was a shy person and we want to honour that. There will be other times that we raise our fists and scream ‘Justice For Colten’ but tonight a silent and gentle remembering.”
Under 50 people attended the event with a diverse group of support from young and old. Pitawanakwat said it was great seeing a lot of new faces at the candlelight vigil. She hopes people will draw a larger support system for the family and Boushie’s community and to be engaged and invested in the upcoming Stanley trial which is set for January 29, 2018.
“The support is province-wide and its country-wide. They are people that value what Colten was to his family and his community,” she said.
Marcia Gordon from Regina attended the candlelight vigil to show support in justice for Colten.
“It is really a lot about racism,” she said. “[The shooting] shouldn’t have happened.”
Another candlelight vigil attendee Scarlett Gordon said she went to the event to help bring awareness to everybody on the underlying issue of racism.
“I feel this is going to bring a lot of awareness to everybody,” she said. “Just be more careful…and be safe when you’re going on other people’s property. It shouldn’t have happened. We should be safe wherever we go.”
The family of Boushie held a memorial feast on the Red Pheasant First Nation to also mark one year since his death. According to other news sources, over a 100-people attended the feast including his family, community members and members of the RCMP.