Windsor residents hold vigil after Colten Boushie verdict - Action News
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Windsor

Windsor residents hold vigil after Colten Boushie verdict

More than a dozen people gathered at Jackson Park over the weekend to vent their frustrations at the verdict in the court case concerning the death of Colten Boushie.

'We just wanted to send our prayers to that young man and his family,' says vigil organizer

A flyer for a Windsor vigil following the Colten Boushie verdict included a sketch of the 22-year-old. (Giniwdewewin Kwe/Facebook)

More than a dozenpeople gathered at Jackson Park over the weekend to vent their frustrations at the verdict in thecourt case concerningthe death of Colten Boushie.

Boushie, 22, was shot and killed after heand four othersfrom the Red Pheasant Cree Nation drove onto Gerald Stanley's rural property in Saskatchewan in August, 2016.

On Friday, Stanley, who was charged with second-degree murder in Boushie's death, was found not guilty after a jury trial.

Gerald Stanley, right, was found not guilty in the death of Colten Boushie. (Colten Boushie/Facebook and Liam Richards/Canadian Press)

"What happened Friday in Saskatchewan really weighs heavily on a lot of our hearts in the First Nation's community," said Beth Cook, who organized the vigil. "We just wanted to send our prayers to that young man and his family."

Kelly Kiyoshk led a prayer and dance during the vigil. The Indigenous man says he's outraged at the racism that still exists in the country.

"We don't matter in that system," he said. "To us, the feeling is Native lives don't matter."

"Just because the calendar has a bigger number on it doesn't mean the mentality has changed," addedKiyoshk, who said he has felt racismin Windsor.

Arrangements are being made for a second prayer vigil, which would take place Tuesday afternoon, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the court house.