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As Rinelle Harper recovers in hospital, after surviving not one but two vicious attacks allegedly intended to leave her dead on the shores of a Winnipeg river, one word has risen to the surface in the vocal and emotional fallout: community.
The concept of “community” was echoed again and again on Thursday as her family spoke publicly about the dangers faced by First Nations youth.
“We have to have an open mind and an open heart to be able to listen to the cries of the women, the cries of these young girls out on the street today,” said MKO Grand Chief David Harper. “It is high time now we need a paradigm shift.”
“We have a new mayor in town, he’s gotta be able to open those doors for us First Nations to be able to go talk to him, to be able to say ‘look, these are the things that we need changed,’” Harper said. “Almost every First Nation community brings their economy into the city of Winnipeg. Our children are here, our kids go to school here and there are a lot of concerns.”
Harper urged Premier Greg Selinger, Justice Minister James Allum, Mayor Brian Bowman and city councillors “to sit down with First Nations.
“We gotta be able to have that dialogue and move forward,” Harper said. “We want to have a safe community.”
Many first nations rely on Winnipeg as a place to send their children for an education, said Marcel Colomb First Nation Chief Andrew Colomb.
“I think it’s very important we understand the reasons why our children are here,” Colomb said. “We need to establish safety for our children that are here.”
Bowman spoke with Rinelle’s parents on Thursday afternoon and assured them that Winnipeggers are outraged and disgusted by what happened to their daughter.
“It is really on Winnipeggers now to speak up and reach out with words of support and encouragement for Rinelle in her recovery.”
He pledged to work with the Winnipeg Police Board, community groups and members of the city’s aboriginal community to do whatever the city can to make Winnipeg safer for everybody.
Agencies/Canadajournal
