Protest against racism goes inside city hall
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/06/2020 (2074 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A large group of protesters streamed inside Winnipeg’s city council building Friday afternoon, shouting “No justice, no peace!” as they filled the stairs and the second floor.
Hoisting signs, the Justice 4 Black Lives Winnipeg protesters screamed multiple chants inside the building, including “Abolish the police!” and “Black Lives Matter!”
The demonstration began around 3:40 p.m., with the group moving outside the building about 25 minutes later.
The council meeting that was underway when the demonstration started was paused.
A series of pop-up protests have taken place around the city this week, in support of Justice 4 Black Lives’ call to defund and abolish the Winnipeg Police Service. More than 69,000 people have signed the group’s online petition in support of that goal.
Dino Corriette said he joined Friday’s demonstration to support racial equality.
“I believe in the cause,” he said, adding he believes those involved had a right to enter city hall since it’s a public building, despite ongoing pandemic restrictions.
“This was impressive that they got inside,” said Corriette.
“They got to see the people who are not listening to them face to face.”
Jason Shaw, Winnipeg assistant chief of emergency management, said civic officials noticed social media posts that indicated the group would go to city hall Friday, but did not expect people to enter the council building.
“We had measures taken beforehand to make sure that the safety of everyone in the building was taken care of,” said Shaw. Asked to elaborate, he said: “It wouldn’t be prudent for me to give you the police tactical or our tactical (moves) to be able to keep people safe.”
Currently, the public is only allowed to enter city hall if they’ve scheduled an appointment with an elected official or registered to appear as a delegate, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @joyanne_pursaga
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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Sexual assault alleged
JAYDA HOPE, one of the Justice 4 Black Lives Winnipeg organizers, alleged on Twitter she had been sexually assaulted by a city hall security guard during a demonstration Friday.
“I repeatedly pushed this man off of me, and when I told him not to touch my chest, he smiled and continued to do it,” she tweeted. Hope declined to comment further.
A city spokesperson wrote in an email to the Free Press: “We take these allegations seriously and are working to determine what happened during this afternoon’s protest.”
— staff
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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History
Updated on Friday, June 26, 2020 9:45 PM CDT: Error page fixed.
Updated on Friday, June 26, 2020 10:42 PM CDT: Fact box added.