The For the Children Caravan has departed Penticton and is on its way to Kamloops.
Members of the Penticton Indian Band, Osoyoos Indian Band and Lower Similkameen Indian Band left from the South Okanagan Events Centre shortly after 9 a.m on Saturday (June 26).
From there, they travel north along Highway 97 to join up with other members of the Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance, before traveling along Highway 1 to Kamloops.
At the departure of the caravan, dozens of non-Syilx members of the community lined Highway 97 to cheer the caravan on.
Shortly before the caravan left,Chiefs Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band and Greg Gabriel of the Penticton Indian Band jointly called for the residential schools to be treated as criminal investigations.
“I think the country has to make this a priority of investigation. That’s what I would like to see, a criminal investigation done on all the kids that died in residential schools,” said Louie. “It was outright murder in my estimation.
Chief Gabriel echoed Chief Louie’s words.
“There was no doubt that what happened was a criminal act, and has to be treated as a criminal act,” said Gabriel. “People across the country and within our communities are angry. We’re being challenged to make sure this gets addressed in a proper way.”
The caravan ends in Kamloops, where the members of the Okanagan Nation Alliance will hold a ceremony to pay their respects to the 215 children whose bodies were recently uncovered there.
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Members of Penticton’s Asian community showed up to support the For the Children Caravan. The caravan, made up of members of the Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance’s constituent First Nations, departed from Penticton on Saturday morning to head to the site of the Kamloops Residential School where 215 children’s bodies were uncovered. (Brennan Phillips - Western News)
The For the Children Caravan, made up of members of the Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance’s constituent First Nations, departed from Penticton on Saturday morning to head to the site of the Kamloops Residential School where 215 children’s bodies were uncovered. (Brennan Phillips - Western News)
Chiefs Clarence Louie, Keith Crow and Greg Gabriel of the Osoyoos, Lower Similkameen and Penticton Indian Bands respectively joined the caravan to Kamloops on Saturday, June 26. (Brennan Phillips - Western News)
The For the Children Caravan, made up of members of the Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance’s constituent First Nations, departed from Penticton on Saturday morning to head to the site of the Kamloops Residential School where 215 children’s bodies were uncovered. (Brennan Phillips - Western News)
Non-Syilx allies cheer and show their support on June 26. The For the Children Caravan, made up of members of the Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance’s constituent First Nations, departed from Penticton on Saturday morning to head to the site of the Kamloops Residential School where 215 children’s bodies were uncovered. (Brennan Phillips - Western News)
Non-Syilx allies cheer and show their support on June 26. The For the Children Caravan, made up of members of the Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance’s constituent First Nations, departed from Penticton on Saturday morning to head to the site of the Kamloops Residential School where 215 children’s bodies were uncovered. (Brennan Phillips - Western News)
The For the Children Caravan, made up of members of the Syilx Okanagan Nation Alliance’s constituent First Nations, departed from Penticton on Saturday morning to head to the site of the Kamloops Residential School where 215 children’s bodies were uncovered. (Brennan Phillips - Western News)
