On August 9th, 2016, a 22-year-old Cree man from Red Pheasant First Nation by the name of Colten Boushie was fatally shot in the head on a Saskatchewan Farm by a Caucasian man named Gerald Stanley. Boushie and his friends were on their way back to the reserve after a day out at a river when their SUV got a flat tire. That’s when they ended up on Stanley’s farm and Boushie was fatally shot. Subsequently, Stanley was charged with Boushie’s murder.
An all-white jury found Stanley not guilty.
The verdict has sparked outrage across Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities alike across Canada, and has brought to the forefront discussions of race and systemic racism against Indigenous peoples. The fact that the jury was composed exclusively of Caucasian individuals, mixed with how the Canadian legal system and society as a whole has historically mistreated Indigenous people, led to this verdict sparking activists and civilians across the nation to speak up to demand the justice they feel Colten Boushie, his family, and his community were denied by a system that continuously fails to give Indigenous peoples fair and equitable treatment. This outrage led to activist movements both online and offline.
On social media, particularly on Twitter, the not-guilty verdict sparked an instant conversation and heated debates. The hashtag #JusticeforColten went viral shortly after the verdict was announced, with people voicing using it in their tweets to show their support for Boushie and his family, and to share their insights regarding the treatment of Indigenous people in Canada. Debates arose between those defending Stanley and the verdict reached by the jury and those maintaining that Boushie was denied justice in his death by pointing to Canada’s colonial roots and the country’s constant discrimination against Indigenous peoples. Notably, Prime Minister Trudeau, who was in the United States at the time the verdict was announced, tweeted out in support of Boushie’s family shortly after the verdict was announced. Similarly, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould tweeted that her thoughts were with the Boushie family and that the country must do better to bring justice to all Canadians, a goal she said she is committed to working towards.
Similarly, offline, Stanley’s acquittal led thousands of people gathering at vigils and protests to remember and mourn Colten Boushie, and to demand the system change. These gatherings took place all over the country, in different cities in Boushie’s home province of Saskatchewan, in Ottawa on Parliament Hill, and in Montreal, amongst other places. At these gatherings, Indigenous peoples often took center stage to share their thoughts, calling out Canada’s racism and standing together as a community that is tired of being overlooked by mainstream society. Boushie’s mother, Debbie Baptiste, spoke at a rally in Saskatchewan, saying, “The justice system needs to stop locking up our youths. All of our loved ones are in jail. White people — they run the court system. Enough. We’re going to fight back”. Many non-Indigenous Canadians also attended the rallies in solidarity with Indigenous peoples.
On February 13th, members of Boushie’s family, notably his mother, met with Prime Minister Trudeau in Ottawa to discuss necessary reforms to the Canadian Justice System to ensure that it ceases to treat Indigenous people as disposable and lesser than. Shortly thereafter, the Trudeau government announced plans to introduce a new legislative framework that would guarantee Indigenous rights are upheld. Time will tell what concrete and lasting effects Boushie’s death will have on the Canadian Justice System.
Information obtained from:
https://twitter.com/hashtag/justiceforcolten?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Ehashtag
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/colton-boushie-rally-calgary-1.4531101
https://globalnews.ca/news/4025875/justin-trudeau-indigneous-rights-legislation/
Images obtained from:
http://www.ckom.com/2017/08/09/colten-boushies-family-still-waiting-for-…
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/colton-boushie-rally-calgary-1.4531101