Family of Chantel Moore says attack on Victoria police chief creates 'further division'
Family of a Vancouver Island Indigenous woman killed during a police wellness check in New Brunswick says the effort to seek justice has been overshadowed by a weekend attack on Victoria's police chief.
Chantel Moore's family and the chief say it's time to focus on Moore again.
A video statement issued yesterday by Moore's family and police Chief Del Manak follows the assault on Manak one day earlier.
A woman poured liquid on the chief as he was an invited guest at a memorial for Moore outside the British Columbia legislature.
Manak was not hurt and police say the suspect, who was not invited to the ceremony, was arrested, along with four others who interfered as police responded.
Hjalmer Wenstob, who speaks for Moore's family, says her mother is “disheartened” to see how the event to demand justice for Moore was undermined.
Wenstob says the family opposes violence and apologized to Manak in accordance with Nuu-chah-nulth traditions.
Meanwhile, Manak says it's time to refocus on work being done by Moore's family to prevent similar deaths.
Moore was killed in June 2020 in Edmonston, N.B., during a police wellness check.
The assault on Manak happened moments after he was recognized during a traditional blanketing ceremony Saturday to honour Moore and begin the healing process with police.
Wenstob says media reports focused only on the assault and the actions of a few people, rather than highlighting the work to find justice for Moore.
“Our family was disheartened further to see Chantal's name used to forward others' agendas and not in the direction of a better future,” Wenstob says in the statement.
“The event was planned and organized as a peaceful event. We cannot stand idly by and see the good work that has been done taken advantage of to create further division.”
Moore's family has made eight demands ranging from body cameras for all police officers to a better system of handling wellness checks, and acknowledgment and action to address racism and discrimination.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.