Boushie family dreads prospect of Stanley’s trial
Alvin Baptiste doesn’t want to watch Gerald Stanley’s trial.
He doesn’t want to spend three weeks sitting in a crowded courtroom at the Battlefords Court of Queen’s Bench hearing about his nephew’s last hours alive.
But he will. Because since Colten Boushie was fatally shot in August 2016, his family has struggled. Baptiste said he has to go to court to give the rest of his family the strength and courage to go on.
“I’m just dreading to go through this,” Baptiste said. “It’s just reopening wounds over and over and we just can’t seem to heal ... I just don’t want to hear or see things and I’m trying to move forward in my life and leave this in the past, but I have to deal with it.”
Boushie, a resident of Red Pheasant
First Nation, was 22 on Aug. 9, 2016 when he and four friends drove onto Gerald Stanley’s farm in the Rural Municipality of Glenside after a day of drinking and swimming. There was a confrontation and Boushie was fatally shot. Stanley was charged with second-degree murder. His jury trial begins in the Town of Battleford next week.
Baptiste said he knows information coming out in the trial will be hard to hear. His sister, Boushie’s mother, is so emotional about the whole thing that she doesn’t know if she can bring herself to attend.
“She can’t heal, she can’t move forward because of this jury hanging over her head and she has suffered lots,” Baptiste said.
Boushie’s murder has been unusually high-profile because of how closely it is tied to conversations around race relations in Saskatchewan. Social media was filled with so many racist and hate-filled comments in the days after Boushie’s death that outgoing-Premier Brad Wall publicly implored people to “rise above intolerance” and the RCMP launched investigations into possible hate crimes (though no charges have been laid).
Baptiste said it seems that everyone is talking about this trial, especially in the Battleford area, where he lives.
“It’s a conversation piece in the coffee shop,” he said. “People are getting together and talking about this trial.”
Jury selection for Stanley’s trial takes place Monday, with the Crown’s opening arguments beginning the next day. The trial is scheduled to go until Feb. 15.
Both rooms of the Battlefords Court of Queen’s Bench have been set aside for the trial, with capacity to seat about 120 people.
Stanley’s past court appearances have drawn dozens of people who came to support Boushie’s family, some of whom waved posters outside the courtroom demanding justice for Boushie and decrying racism.
Baptiste said he expects similar crowds to show up and demonstrate during the trial.
And earlier this week, an administrator on a Facebook page called “Farmers with Firearms” posted a call from a group member for farmers to show up in support of Stanley.
‘As the trial begins for Gerald Stanley this week, I see many posts from aboriginals to fill the courtroom to show support for Colton (sic) Boushie. However, I haven’t seen one request from local farmers, neighbours or family to show support for Mr. Stanley. As a farmers wife, I believe what Gerald Stanley did, was to protect his family, however I think the courts will be pressured by Aboriginal presence to make an example of him,” the post read.
“I think it should be posted somewhere, anywhere, that farmers support Gerald Stanley and the ability to defend our property from armed, drunk and violent trespassers, regardless of race. I would like it to be asked for people to rally in support of protecting ones family that local farmers attend the trial as well. Thanks.’
Security around the Battleford courthouse will be increased for the duration of the trial in anticipation of large crowds and high emotions.
Speaking with reporters in Regina Wednesday, Premier Brad Wall said he hopes not to see a repeat of the “dangerous” commentary that circulated online immediately after Boushie’s death.
“Leadership at the federal and provincial levels can continue to — and must continue to — encourage people to avoid that sort of thing,” he said.
“This is going to be a difficult time for the province, but I believe we’re up to the test, I believe we’ll meet the challenge together and, notwithstanding how difficult it is, people need to respond with reason and with care.”
Any response from the provincial government will come from Wall’s successor; the leadership vote for the Saskatchewan Party is scheduled for Sat. Jan. 27, two days before jury selection begins for Stanley’s trial.