The collectiveâs actions have included, for instance, participating as a contingent in the July 1st walk in Winnipeg in the wake of the discovery of unmarked graves at residential school sites. When a First Nations man was violently arrested during the walk, members of Red River Echoes and other people successfully took action to de-arrest him. They subsequently arrived at the Manitoba legislature just as people were toppling statues of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II. Garand described the legislature grounds in that moment as a âeuphoric spaceâ to be in. Lavallee-Heckert elaborated, âIt was a moment of feeling, like, this is our land and weâre sovereign here and we can pull down statues of colonial figureheads. And thatâs our right to do that.â The collective knew immediately that they wanted to support their relatives who had taken that action, and so they started a fund to put towards bail and legal expenses. (The Crown has not yet made a decision about whether to lay charges.)
Lavallee-Heckert said, âOur ancestors were the last people to lead an armed resistance against the Canadian state. What a powerful legacy for us to live up to.â
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