Tragedy affects all of us

Every Saskatchewan resident should read the Globe and Mail article, The Night Colten Boushie Died (Oct. 21).

It puts a human face and life to the story of Boushie, the young man who was remembered as kind and thoughtful, who was trying to understand the experience of his people, and who dreamt of some day going to college. The article also puts into searing relief the pain and grief of his mother.

Like others, I was appalled to read of how the RCMP treated her, how they searched her home without permission. When she collapsed in grief and shock, police reportedly asked her whether she had been drinking and told her to “get yourself together.” As others have noted, a non-indigenous mother whose son who had just been killed likely would not have been treated this way.

Boushie’s family is also very poor. According to the Globe story, the Red Pheasant Reserve’s unemployment rate is six times higher than in surrounding communities, and households there have an average income less than one-third of incomes elsewhere in the census division.

The response of some farmers who have called for vigilante justice and taken up arms in defence of their property should be considered in the light of these facts. The stridency of their reaction, their seeming placement of property over human life, and their indifference to the loss of Boushie in particular reveal the ugliness at the heart of racism.

Our provincial, federal and First Nations leaders should be demanding an end to racism, but they also should be working to address the poverty on reserves and alleviate the disparities in wealth that ultimately demean us all.

Whatever account of the killing is ultimately believed, Boushie’s death is a profound tragedy not only for his family, but also for the family of the accused, Gerald Stanley, and for us all. Wanda Wiegers, Saskatoon