Vigil held for Toronto woman who fell from balcony
They came to Dundonald Park on Sunday afternoon by the hundreds, nearly all wearing masks and scrupulously following physical distancing rules. It was part-vigil, part-rally for Regis Korchinski-Paquet, the 29-year-old Toronto woman who fell to her death from an apartment balcony Wednesday night after a confrontation with police.
They carried signs that read “Justice for Regis” and “No Justice, No Peace.” They chanted “black lives matter” and “silence is violence.”
“I just wanted to be here to say her name,” said one woman who works in the mental health field but did not want her name to be used. “I want to remind black women that our mental health and our stories — despite having to carry the burden of protecting everyone — our lives are worthy of protection as well. ”
Sunday’s rally came after a night of chaos and violence in the United States, where protesters clashed with police in cities across the country, angered by the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. The location of Ottawa’s hastily organized rally was kept under wraps until the last minute, and organizers made it known that they would not be speaking to journalists and urged those attending not to take photos or post to social media.
Several Ottawa police officers watched from across Somerset Street but did not approach the rally. There was a brief flurry when a man yelled “white lives matter” at the crowd, but two police officers defused the situation.
Unlike the U.S. demonstrations, the Ottawa gathering was peaceful and well-organized.
Another Black Lives Matter rally for Korchinski-Paquet and Floyd is planned for Friday afternoon in front of the U.S. Embassy on Sussex Drive. bcrawford@postmedia.com Twitter.com/getBAC