Edmonton Journal

STORY OF MAN’S SAD END WAS TINGED WITH RACISM

Citing Indigenous man’s criminal record diminished his demise, Rob Houle says.

-

When the news broke a week ago that the Edmonton Police Service was investigat­ing after a body was found at the Capital Paper Recycling facility, like many Indigenous readers I hoped that the individual who lost his life in such a horrific fashion was not Indigenous. However, knowing that nearly half of all homeless people in Edmonton are of Indigenous descent, I did not hold out hope for long.

The stark reality is that among those struggling to survive, and ultimately losing their lives on the streets, Indigenous people are overrepres­ented. So my heart sank when I read the article July 11 clarifying that the man who lost his life to tragic circumstan­ces was Lenny Bowman of Saskatchew­an’s Ahtakakoop Cree Nation. At the age of 35, still quite young, Bowman was subjected to one of the most horrific, fear-inducing and tragic deaths imaginable.

The piece paints a picture of a man struggling on the streets, but with many people who remembered him as a smiling, likable individual. This portrayal is derailed near the end of the piece by the deplorable and unnecessar­y inclusion of Bowman’s criminal history.

Like many responding on social media, I struggled to connect why his criminal history was relevant to his death. The Journal defended including the informatio­n with the weak argument that it may highlight why he was on the streets and why he died. This action only placed salt in a fresh wound. The article was revised to clarify his home nation, yet left the criminal history untouched.

As far as I can deduce, Lenny Bowman’s history with police forces and justice systems did not place him in the bin, fail to check the bin, lift the bin into the recycling truck or turn the switch that ultimately led to him being crushed. Including that history at the end of the article places a negative bookend on the life of Bowman.

The statement seems to contradict the earlier statements by people who knew, mourned and interacted with Lenny, painting a picture of a violent individual who is not worthy of mourning or sorrow. Just another lost soul.

But alas, this is nothing new to Indigenous people. We have just endured a similar portrayal on a national scale with the recent Gerald Stanley trial, a trial that infamously acquitted a white man of murdering an Indigenous youth with a pistol that seemed to fire on its own.

In that trial, victim Colten Boushie was portrayed as a criminal looking to steal and possibly harm Stanley. His history, along with those in his company, was used as a weapon. It seemed to outline the opinion that somehow the victims had this coming, were not worthy of human treatment and should have been better people to remain alive.

This is the narrative of Canada, and of western society that seeks to place Indigenous people as others, as opposed to humans. In this age of “reconcilia­tion” we expect better, and frankly media should be doing better.

However, given the defence offered by the Edmonton Journal it appears as though Indigenous people will not be afforded that luxury. This is an epidemic within the reporting of incidents involving people of colour, and there appears no light at the end of the tunnel for us. The only hope and encouragem­ent that has come of such reporting is the reaction of readers who are not black, Indigenous or people of colour and also see including the criminal history as tasteless.

Perhaps there is some hope that a better path forward can be found as long as those with a voice continue to speak for the voiceless. Until that happens, I will continue to teach my children and family members that they are valued in all aspects of their being, and that there is a wealth that Indigenous people have to offer. No matter the path you walk, you are a human being worthy of respect, even in tragic death.

This is the narrative of Canada ...

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada