The mother of a young Indigenous man who was shot dead in 2016 vowed on Saturday to âfight backâ after his shooter was acquitted.
"White people -- they run the court system,â said Debbie Baptiste at a rally in North Battleford, Sask., one day after farmer Gerald Stanley was found not guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Batisteâs son, Colten Boushie.
âEnough,â she said. âWe're going to fight back ... Enough killing our people.â
Stanleyâs lawyers had argued that his gun went off accidentally, killing the 22-year-old man in a "freak accident."
Baptiste said she believes it wasnât an accident.
"Go to hell, Gerald Stanley,â she said. âThat's where you belong."
The rally in North Battleford was one of dozens of âDay of Actionâ protests that were organized across Canada after Fridayâs verdict, by groups Indigenous Joint Action Coalition and Idle No More.
More than a dozen gatherings took place, from Vancouver to Edmonton to Halifax.
Bobby Cameron, Saskatchewan regional chief for the Assembly of First Nations, told Âéśš´ŤĂ˝ Channel on Saturday evening that the nationwide solidarity âmeant a lot to us.â
âWe feel betrayed. We feel let down,â he said of the verdict. âWhat if that was your child?â
He added, âWhat would you do, and what would you expect justice to do?â
Cameron said he wants to see justice reform, including around how juries are selected, so that Indigenous people can get âa fair and equitable trial.â Concerns have been raised about an apparent lack of diversity on the jury, which did not have any jurors from visible minorities, including the Indigenous community.
âIs that so much to ask?â he added. âFor all those out there, we want to thank you and we continue to ask for peaceful demonstrations.â
A rally held at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on Saturday saw dozens gather in solidarity for Boushieâs family, while Indigenous leaders spoke about injustices against the community. Attendees prayed, sang and drummed, holding signs reading âracist juryâ and âracist verdict.â
One person held a poster reading âJustice for Tina Fontaine,â an Indigenous girl whose body was found in 2014.
Some attendees spoke about growing weary of what they called injustice against Indigenous people.
âSomething thatâs so overtly racist, something thatâs so overtly murder-with-impunity, should be an outrage to everyone, but somehow itâs not,â artist Shandra Spears Bombay told CP24âs Arda Zakarian.
âEverybody mattersâ
More rallies were underway across Canada Saturday, including gatherings in Ottawa, Regina, Vancouver, Victoria, Penticton, and a number of First Nations communities, including the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Manitoba and the Nipissing First Nation.
Events are planned for Sunday and Monday in Kitchener-Waterloo, London, and Calgary.
At a rally in Ottawa, 8-year-old Mariposa Horsley stood with her family holding a sign reading "Everybody matters."
"I have a best friend who is Inuit. Her mother is actually a throat singer," she told the Canadian Press. "I thought it would be nice to come because I don't think we should be against people just because of the colour of their skin. It's not fair."
âBring drums and signs,â advised for a gathering at the Court of Queenâs Bench of Saskatchewan on Saturday.
One user on the page pleaded for attendees to âdocument the hurtâ on social media.
âTake pictures of signs, posters, placards, slogans, and speakers. Take pictures of the crowd. Post them with comments. Make the event last long after today,â
Some offered rides to those in need, encouraged people to arrive early to make posters, and others said they would bring extra winter clothing for people gathering.
On Twitter, the hashtag â#JusticeForColtenBoushieâ was trending in Canada.
Trudeau: âWe have to do betterâ
and also responded to the verdict on Saturday.
Speaking in California, Trudeau directly addressed Canadaâs Indigenous community.
"I'm not going to comment on the process that led us to this point today, but I am going to say we have come to this point as a country far too many times," he said.
"Indigenous people across this country are angry, they're heartbroken, and I know Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians alike know that we have to do better."
Saskatchewan MP Georgina Jolibois joined the chorus of politicians and Indigenous leaders speaking out against the verdict.
"As Indigenous people, we give each other support when we're hurting. And that's why I'm here," she told CP in Ottawa.
Jolibois said she and other Indigenous leaders would like to see an inquiry into what happened called.
The Crown has not ruled out an appeal.
With files from The Canadian Press
â Linsay Martens (@docmartens11)
We are here for Coltenâs family. We stand in solidarity. â¤ď¸ â
â Miyo Pimatsowin (@MiyoPimatsowin)
Several hundred gathered on short notice in Saskatoon to demand
â Jesse Donovan â (@JesseDonovanLaw)
â here for dafonte (@DesmondCole)
in Toronto
â KDubs (@listentohoratio)
Racism in our court system is alive and well in Canada 2018. We need to do better.
â Sheila Colla (@SheilaColla)
People over property.
â Doppelganger (@doppelkyceter)