Highway of Tears ‘Cleansing the Highway’ Walk Draws to a Close
Images from today’s final leg of the ‘Cleansing the Highway Walk.’ Family members hold pictures of missing and murdered loved ones – photos 250News
Prince George, B.C. – The cleansing the highway walk – an over 700 km journey from Prince Rupert to Prince George to raise awareness to the many missing and murdered women along the so called ‘Highway of Tears’ – has finally drawn to a close today at Lheidl T’enneh Memorial Park.
It lasted three weeks and included the participation of many of the family members who lost loved ones along the highway and featured a series of forums in communities along the route.
Brenda Wilson, who’s sister Ramona Lisa Wilson was murdered 22 years ago, is pleased with how things turned out.
Brenda Wilson with husband Clarence John
“We got tons of support all the way from Prince Rupert to Prince George. People had luncheons and suppers for us so it was just an outpouring of support from so many in the communities.”
She says the walk also allowed them to provide affected families with valuable support – support in many cases they didn’t know was available to them.
“So we’ve left them with a tool kit in each of the communities (13 in all) to ensure they know what to do if somebody should go missing or is murdered.”
Another goal of the walk was to raise awareness surrounding the transportation needs of the region.
In light of that goal she admitted she was pleased with the provincial government’s pledge last week to have a transit link in place by the end of this year.
“I’m really happy but at the same time I’m skeptical because we’ve had promises before but until things are in place, that’s the only time that I’m going to start feeling comfortable in accepting those ideas.”
According to police 18 woman have gone missing or been murdered along the route though Wilson estimates that number is much higher.
“There’s no estimation because as we went through these communities more of these stories started coming through,” she says.
“Stories about different individuals that were reported missing but nothing ever came out of it. It wasn’t continued. Not the way the policies are put in place today, where the follow-up continues so these cases need to be addressed.”
Comments
Glad there finally is transit to take.
This will be awesome to have transit in place so people can get safely to work now.
Wow that’s quite a walk, almost 20 miles a day, after all the forums, lunches and suppers. A big deserved well done for all!!
where is the focus for finding the killer(s) ? Following statistics it shoukd be focused on the aboriginals themselves as statistics have proven that aboriginals are killed by other aboriginals more often.
But if you would start looking where the stats point the aboriginals would scream racial profiling.. A cant win situation that we keep funding.
For any murder, the majoity of “solved” cases indicate the murder victim knew his or her killer.
But these are all “unsolved missing and murdered women cases, and the cases where the murder is random, where there is on connection between the perpetrator and the victim, those are the cases that are hardest to solve, ask any RCMP officer.
Factoid: Serial killers are predominantly white.
Factoid, 80% of the cases solved.
Factoid: 100% of the Highway of Tears missing and murdered women cases NOT SOLVED!
False JGalt, check your factoids
Give you few hints: Cody Legebokoff, Bobby Jack Fowler and Garry Taylor Handlen.
oh give it a rest, its like saying 99 out of 100 murder cases solved, one case not thus 100% not solved.
Who says I am Aboriginal? Maybe I am a gay, niqab wearing, female Muslim who happens to be married to an Aboriginal man, and got tired of reading all the racist, homophobic, zenophobic, and bigoted comments on here?
Wait a minute… maybe I am a gay, niqab wearing female Muslim, who has not come out yet, but is still married to an Aboriginal man? But does that explain our six children? oh well something to ponder.
I have a job , I pay taxes ,, I pay to own a car and make it to work safe everyday for the last 35 years . you cant ??? WHY NOT ? …. the rest of us pay for those that choose the free ride, glad to help out ..and you are welcome , doubt you give *** because you feel self entitled most of you. that’s okay don’t *** on me for having an opinion. For those of you that fit the give me give me more because we deserve , I say get with the times , get a job , be proud.
Stop living 30 years in the past monkey; times have changed and so have the Aboriginal people, did you know more Aboriginal people living in Kamloops have a post secondary degree than non-aboriginals?
“About half of Aboriginal people in Kamloops have completed postsecondary education.
Nearly half of Aboriginal men (48%) and more than half of Aboriginal women (61%) aged 25 to 64 had completed postsecondary education compared to 58% of their non-Aboriginal counterparts.”
www .statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-638-x/2010004/article/11083-eng.htm
This is probably happening here in Prince George as well. Yet racist attitudes and sterotypes will persist for those who are closed minded.
If there doing so well why do they need so much help from the government?(our taxpayer money)
was a comment for everyone who wants a free ride any race
Can anyone ride this free transportation paid by taxpayer dollars? Or do you have to be an aboriginal female?
It is not free, they are working out a fee structure, will be like other transit – some can buy a annual pass. Problem is most hitchhikers have no cash or do not want to part with what little they have, that is why they are hitching in the first place.
That, plus I think they prefer to travel on their own schedule and not plan ahead and take scheduled transit.
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