Hundreds mark Red Dress Day in Calgary and Edmonton | Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

In Calgary, participants shared their stories and tied red ribbons to trees along Memorial Drive to recognize all of the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ+ people.

Deborah Green Gopher co-hosted the event. His sister, Eleanor (Laney) Ewenin was murdered in 1982 in Calgary when she was just 23 years old.

We want to create a safe and loving place to come together and honor them. Some stories are hard to hear, but we’re here to support each other, she says.

Red ribbons carry the memories and spirits of our loved onesshe adds.

A temporary monument has been unveiled in honor of Joey English, 25, who was found dead in June 2016.

Event co-organizer Yvonne Henderson explained that late Wednesday, employees of Carmacks Maintenance Services had banned volunteers from putting on red dresses along Memorial Drive.

According to her, the red dresses were hung on the trees, but they were later removed by the employees of Carmacks and thrown in the trash.

They told us it was illegalsaid Yvonne Henderson.

When I asked them why it was illegal. I explained to them what we were doing and not to touch the dresses and that we were going to pick them up.

” This is proof that for many people, everything we say, what we have experienced does not count. »

Yvonne Henderson believes this incident highlights why Red Dress Day events must continue to take place.

In Canada, there are many false words of reconciliationshe notes frustrated, but what is needed now are concrete actions to replace all the false empty promises.

” We need non-aboriginal people to come forward. We need them to take gestures and actions to replace false and empty words. »

The company Carmacks said he was aware of the incident and that a full investigation would take place.

According to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Indigenous women are 16 times more likely to be killed or go missing than non-Indigenous women.

In Alberta, a joint task force submitted a final report to the province in January with 113 recommendations. The province says they are still under review.

Walk in downtown Edmonton

Hundreds of people also marched through downtown Edmonton to mark Red Dress Day.

Rey Wright wanted to highlight the memory of two friends, Leah Germain and Roxanne Thiara.

They were labeled by the media as prostitutes, but they were much more than that. They took care of me when I was homeless, she said.

Kiyana Gagne has opened up about her cousin Jeremy Nattress, who was killed in 2016 in a hotel without charges ever being filed.

I don’t think I can walk around safely. That if anything happens to me, I will get justice. That’s why I’m here today. To make sure that changes, I have so much family and I don’t want them to go through this. I want them to know it’s a thing of the past and we’re moving ondid she say.