Colten Boushie vigil at Windsor courthouse. Feb 13, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)Colten Boushie vigil at Windsor courthouse. Feb 13, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)
Windsor

Windsor Comes Together To Demand Justice For Indigenous Youth

Windsor joined other cities across Canada by holding a vigil and march Tuesday evening demanding justice for Colten Boushie.

The 22-year-old Indigenous man was killed in Saskatchewan in August of 2016 after being shot in the head by farmer Gerald Stanley, who was recently found not guilty of second-degree murder.

About 75 men and women of different ethnicities and ages attended the Windsor vigil, asking for a change in the way jurors are chosen in Canada because Stanley's jury was all white.

Colten Boushie vigil at Windsor courthouse. Feb 13, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)Colten Boushie vigil at Windsor courthouse. Feb 13, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)

Colten Boushie vigil at Windsor courthouse. Feb 13, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)Colten Boushie vigil at Windsor courthouse. Feb 13, 2018. (Photo by Paul Pedro)

Behdahbuhn Logan, who is from Walpole Island but lives in Windsor, spoke at the vigil and thought the not guilty verdict was a prank.

"That can't happen, not in Canada, not in our justice system. Then I thought about it and it's been happening for years, it's horrifying. They can let a man get away with murder," says Logan.

Logan says many Indigenous youths feel their life has no value.

"A lot of Indigenous people like myself, we don't feel we are included in society at all. Literally, we are erased every single day," she says.

Logan says Indigenous people are crying for help because they feel all alone dealing with poverty, abuse, as well as drug, alcohol and gambling addiction.

"We are facing a lot of things in society today and just noticing that there are youths that are being murdered is horrifying," Logan says.

Some say the jury process in Boushie's case was biased because the defence team excluded five potential jurors who appeared to be Indigenous.

Boushie was killed after he and four others drove onto Stanley's rural property. Stanley testified he never meant to shoot anyone and that the handgun he was holding went off accidentally.

Vigil organizer Beth Cook says Indigenous people also face injustice in Windsor pointing to the death of Steven Hill who was killed in April of 2017. Police believe he was struck by a vehicle but his killer hasn't been found.

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