A large crowd gathered in downtown Victoria demanding justice for a Vancouver Island woman on Saturday.
Family, friends, supporters, and politicians gathered at the B.C. legislature demanding justice for Chantel Moore.
The 26-year-old was shot and killed by a police officer in Edmundston, N.B., after officers attended her apartment for a wellness check on June 4.
“I’m here to keep her name alive and to let our government now that I’m not going away,” said Chantel’s mother, Martha Martin, during the rally.
Moore, a mother of a young daughter, grew up in Nanaimo and Port Alberni on the Tseshaht First Nation, had recently moved to New Brunswick.
The Edmundston Police Force have claimed that Moore was carrying a knife and came towards an officer before she was shot and killed – something her family disputes.
“They arrived at my door at 2:30 in the morning asking for her address because they were concerned about her well being because they thought she was being stalked,” said Chantel’s mom, recounting the night her daughter died. “At 4:19 they came back to knock on my door to tell me that she had been shot.”
Saturday’s rally at the legislature also featured speeches from politicians and prominent members in the community and looked like a sea of yellow and gold, as supporters wore yellow clothing, held up yellow signs.
Many supporters also wore shirts displaying a picture of Chantel and the phrase, “Stay golden, peeps” written above.
“This is a phrase that Chantel used,” said Courtney-Alberni MP Gord Johns. “She would always tell people to ‘stay golden’ so we’re honouring her and using her words.”
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The crowd not only called for justice but demanded answers and change.
“We need to keep the shooting of Chantel Moore in the public eye, so we want to periodically gather people to remind them of the injustice and senselessness of the shooting,” said Judith Sayers, president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.
Speakers also called on the federal government to recognize and address systemic police brutality across the country.
“We want to see action,” said Johns. “That they’re gonna not let this happen again we need independent investigating officers that are Indigenous when there has been violence a the hands of police.”
Among the crowd, was Victoria Police Chief Del Manak, who met with Chantel’s mother yesterday to hear her story.
“To listen, first hand what they’re going through helps me take some of this into my organization to make sure we are understanding, empathetic, and that we are able to review what our policies are when we’re responding to similar calls,” said Chief Manak.
Meanwhile, those outraged by the death of Chantel, say they’ll continue to gather.
“I’m going to fight for justice for my daughter because her life matters and a wellness check should not have turned into a fatal shooting,” said Martin.
The rally comes after hundreds of people gathered at the legislature in June to demand justice and action in the wake of Moore’s death.
Rebecca Lawrence
