‘We are human, not trash’: memorial protest at Portage and Main

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This article was published 07/04/2023 (910 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hundreds of grief-stricken demonstrators shut down Portage Avenue and Main Street before marching to Winnipeg police headquarters in an emotional protest Friday evening over the death of an Indigenous mother of four this week.

Linda Mary Beardy, 33, was found dead at the Brady Road landfill on Monday afternoon, sparking widespread outrage.

The Winnipeg Police Service homicide unit took over the investigation, calling her death suspicious. On Thursday, police Chief Danny Smyth said detectives were satisfied the case was not a homicide.

At 5 p.m. Friday, more than 500 protesters formed a wide circle around a smaller drum circle in the centre of the intersection, blocking roads for more than an hour as sage burned, chanting Beardy’s name, “No justice, no peace” and “We are human, not trash.”

The demonstrators called for an independent investigation into Beardy’s death.

“It’s been a very difficult time for the family,” cousin Ryan Beardy told the crowd of mourners, many of whom held signs with photographs of Beardy.

“In an Indigenous worldview, we’re all related… we are all affected by this.”

Police chief Smyth said investigators had viewed surveillance tape showing Beardy, who was originally from Lake St. Martin First Nation, leaving a store on the 2200 block of Pembina Highway and entering a garbage bin, which had an open top, just before 11:15 a.m. Monday.

Shortly after 2 p.m., a commercial truck picked up the bin and emptied it into the back of the vehicle before driving to the Brady dump, where Beardy was found, Smyth told reporters. He said an autopsy showed injuries consistent with her body falling into the truck from the bin.

Family of Beardy have said they are not satisfied with the investigation and have called for an independent probe into their loved one’s death.

“We do not feel that they treated us respectfully and we felt intimidated. We also believe that they have not been transparent in the dissemination of information,” the family said in a statement Thursday.

“Our trust has been eroded and we feel this impacts the investigation.”

One of her sisters, Lucy Beardy, told the CBC she plans to file a complaint with the province’s Law Enforcement Review Agency.

Police did not comment Friday on the concerns of the family and the leadership of Lake St. Martin First Nation, who have questioned the investigation’s validity.

Demonstrators called for the landfill to be shuttered and searched for potential victims of foul play.

Family members spoke tearfully at the centre of Portage and Main, before supporters lined up to offer their condolences.

The demonstrators, led by Beardy’s family, then marched down Main Street to Winnipeg police headquarters on Graham Avenue.

Beardy was the youngest of five sisters, who “fiercely” supported each other, and she was in constant contact with family, her relatives said.

A protester or protesters smashed a window of the police building as other demonstrators banged on the glass before taping placards to the windows.

Organizers quickly denounced the vandalism, telling demonstrators the protest was to be a peaceful one.

Gerry Shingoose, an elder who helped organize the demonstration, said the event was meant to support the family.

“It’s to bring justice to Linda Beardy,” said Shingoose.

“It’s about Linda Beardy and her family — we want to walk with them, let them know that the community cares for them.”

She said society’s systems failed Beardy.

“We’re sacred. We’re not trash,” said Shingoose.

Beardy’s death drew national attention, coming 10 months after the partial remains of an Indigenous woman, Rebecca Contois, were found at the Brady landfill last June.

Police believe Contois and three other Indigenous women, whose remains have not been found, were slain by an alleged serial killer in early 2022.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca