Five months after the police shooting death of Jared Lowndes in Campbell River, advocates are hoping to keep his memory from becoming another statistic.
Every month on the 8th, LowndesB次元官网网址� family and supporters are posting an action item to justiceforjared.org to advocate for stopping police killings, disarming police, B次元官网网址渁lways onB次元官网网址� body cams, ending the use of police dogs and transforming the IIO (Independent Investigations Office).
The website is being supported by Pivot Legal Society, a Vancouver-based legal advocacy group that works with marginalized people to B次元官网网址渃hallenge legislation, policies, and practices that undermine human rights, intensify poverty, and perpetuate stigma.B次元官网网址� The website was set up to help keep LowndesB次元官网网址� name from becoming another statistic.
B次元官网网址淥nce people are lost to police violence, often the story disappears into government or IIO bureaucracy where people arenB次元官网网址檛 able to get regular updates and a lot of information is embargoed,B次元官网网址� said Meenakshi Mannoe, criminalization and policing campaigner for Pivot. B次元官网网址淔or Laura (Holland, LowndesB次元官网网址� mother), I think itB次元官网网址檚 important that the name Jared Lowndes stays out there, that people donB次元官网网址檛 forget and so that he doesnB次元官网网址檛 become a statistic.B次元官网网址�
Actions posted so far on the website include a letter writing campaign to the Attorney General and the IIO asking for Indigenous involvement in the investigation, asking to stop the use of police dogs, and a campaign to hang banners at various locations around the province.
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for a response to the letter writing campaign. At the time, IIO head Ronald MacDonald said that while some of the requests were beyond the scope of the IIO, B次元官网网址渢here are still lessons to be learned and things to be changed. Of course as society changes, all institutions need to change. These kinds of recommendations are helpful for those reasons.B次元官网网址�
However, LowndesB次元官网网址� family and supporters believe more should be done.
B次元官网网址淚 have a lot of cynicism about the involvement of the IIO becauseB次元官网网址� they almost want to be rewarded for doing what is effectively the minimum to expect from an oversight body thatB次元官网网址檚 tasked with investigating police-involved incidents and harm reduction. A public report?B次元官网网址� said Mannoe.
to draw attention to the use of police dogs in these situations. Mannoe said that B次元官网网址渆ffectively, these dogs are trained to be used as weapons.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚f you are actually concerned about animal wellfare, the continuous use of dogs this way is at odds with that,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淔ollowing JaredB次元官网网址檚 death, it has become clear that dogs shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be used as weapons in this way. ItB次元官网网址檚 a risk to the animal as well as the people involved.B次元官网网址�
Jan. 8 will mark six months since LowndesB次元官网网址� death. While Mannoe did not know what was planned for the January action item, she did say that the actions would persist to ensure that victims of police violence are not forgotten.
B次元官网网址淭here are disproportionate rates of Indigenous people being killed by police across Canada. Even within the last year, there have been a number of Indigenous people killed on Vancouver Island alone,B次元官网网址� Mannoe said. B次元官网网址淲hat (Holland has) often said to me is that this isnB次元官网网址檛 just about Jared, but all of the Jareds, all of the people who have been lostB次元官网网址� by police violence.B次元官网网址�
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marc.kitteringham@campbellrivermirror.com
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