Camp aims to shine light on justice for Indigenous kids
Prescott Demas is no stranger to camping out in the name of justice.
In 2016, he was among those who tented on Albert Street, in front of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada’s (INAC) Regina headquarters, in a months-long protest.
Now, he is among those set up just north of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building.
Justice for Our Indigenous Children is their theme, joining in solidarity with camps in Calgary and Winnipeg, which are in response to recent not guilty verdicts in the deaths of two Indigenous young people, 15-year-old Tina Fontaine and 22-year-old Colten Boushie.
On a clear and sunny Wednesday afternoon, Demas and a few others gathered around a fire pit.
Demas said he hopes people will stop by the camp and participate in a conversation to reconcile some differences.
“I’d like to open up that dialogue and have people to come in and just to understand something that maybe they haven’t looked at before,” said Demas. “Maybe we can swap stories and maybe you can see what I see.”
Demas has experienced poverty, imprisonment, having three daughters grow up in the child welfare system, and negative stereotypes by police and citizens on the streets of Regina. These are symptoms of a colonial system he says Indigenous people do not fit into.
“This is about bringing awareness to what Aboriginals face and how we have to deal with the system,” said Demas.
“We lose our children to the system, we lose them to violence — and if we get a day in court, there is no justice,” camp organizer Richelle Dubois stated in a news release. “We will camp until they can prove real changes are happening.”
In May 2015, Dubois’ 14-yearold son Haven Dubois was found face down in a shallow creek in east Regina. The Regina Police Service ruled out foul play; the coroner’s office ruled his death accidental. A photo of Haven was on a poster at the camp, along with the words, “What happened? My life matters.”
The family is seeking a police and coroner’s investigation, in addition to an ombudsman investigation that was announced in November.
The camp, which began setting up Wednesday with room for a teepee to be erected, is not legally allowed to run around the clock. Wascana Centre Authority is working with the group on proper permits to remain during the daytime.