BACKGROUND

• INTRODUCTION: SKATIN NATION/STS’AILES • MMIWG AND ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS • AUNTY PUSHED OUT OF A WINDOW, COUSIN DOREENA TAKEN BY SERIAL KILLER TERRY ARNOLD, MISSING AUNT BELINDA WILLIAMS, MURDERED COUSIN TANYA HOLYK MURDERED BY SERIAL KILLER TANYA HOLYK MMIWG

• HUGE ISSUE IN OUR COUNTRY • RCMP CAME OUT WITH A NUMBER OF 1187 THAT ONLY DATES BACK TO 1980 • COMMUNITIES SAY IT’S WELL OVER 4000 SINCE THAT DATE • BC HAS A HIGHWAY CALLED THE FOR MMIWG ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE WAS CREATED TO ADDRESS SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, IMPROVE SAFETY FOR ABORIGINAL PEOPLE AND BUILD THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT (VPD) AND THE ABORIGINAL COMMUNITY THROUGH EDUCATION, AWARENESS AND OPEN DIALOGUE. WOMEN’S COORDINATOR

• WORK WITH FAMILIES OF MMIWG • WOMEN IN VIOLENT SITUATIONS • WOMEN IN THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE • DTES IS A NEIGHBOURHOOD IN VANCOUVER, BC • RUN DOWN, SRO’S, FENTYNAL CRISIS • KNOWN FOR ( DRUG USE, POVERTY, CRIME, MENTAL ILLNESS, SEX WORKERS, AND HOMELESSNESS. • TRY TO BUILD POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COMMUNITY AND POLICE FLAWS IN BOTH CASES • AUNTY BELINDA’S CASES • WENT MISSING IN 1978 BUT ISN’T LISTED AS MISSING UNTIL 2004 • FAMILY TRIED REPORTING HER SO MANY TIMES • BECAUSE SHE WASN’T A SEX WORKER OR DRUG ADDICT THEY STILL DIDN’T TAKE THE REPORT SERIOUSLY • TANYA • SANDY CAMERON SAID “TANYA WOULDN’T BE MISSING IF SHE HAD BEEN A BETTER PARENT,” “SHE’S PROBABLY IN MEXICO PARTYING” • CLOSED HER FILE 1 MONTH AFTER IT WAS OPENED MMIWG COALITION

THE COALITION ON MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS INITIALLY CAME TOGETHER IN RESPONSE TO THE MISSING WOMEN COMMISSION OF INQUIRY IN OVERSEEN BY COMMISSIONER WALLY OPPAL. UNFORTUNATELY THE GROUPS WHO FORMED THE COALITION WERE SHUT OUT OF THE INQUIRY; HOWEVER, THE COALITION CONTINUES TO MEET REGULARLY TO PURSUE JUSTICE FOR MURDERED AND MISSING INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS AND HAS GROWN IN NUMBER AND STRENGTH. WAVAW RAPE CRISIS CENTRE -INDIGENOUS COUNSELLOR -INDIGENOUS FOCUSING ORIENTED THERAPY ON COMPLEX TRAUMA -STARTED BY SHIRLEY TURCOTTE -A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE METHOD OF WORKING WITH CLIENTS WHO EXPERIENCE COMPLEX TRAUMA -BODY-CENTRED AND PERSON-CENTRED APPROACH TO HEALING -TRAUMA-INFORMED RESILIENCE

• BUTTERFLIES IN SPIRIT • 1ST PERFORMANCE • BLOCKED GEORGIA AND GRANVILLE OFF DURING THE WALLY OPPAL INQUIRY • AND US • COLOMBIA AND MEXICO

MOVEMENTS

• RED DRESS PROJECT-JAMIE BLACK • FEBRUARY 14TH WOMEN’S MEMORIAL MARCH • THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ATTEND THIS EVENT MY CHILDREN QUESTIONS?