@Loukas
Ryerson was the architect of the Canadian residential school system. His statue got taken down in the wake of the finding of the initial unmarked graves from a residential school.

For many, many years survivors of the school system had spoken about their fellow classmates — sometimes family members — dying in the school system, in EXTREME numbers. Sometimes from abuse, sometimes neglect, sometimes illness.

Kids would be snatched from their homes, go away to school, and never return. The government and the churches covered it up.

That summer, a lot of statues of colonial heroes mysteriously fell over. There was a lot of whining as a result.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tk-eml%C3%BAps-te-secw%C3%A9pemc-215-children-former-kamloops-indian-residential-school-1.6043778

#215Children #ResidentialSchool

White people certainly have a lot of feelings about toppled statues. The last couple of weeks have seen article after article written about the subject (more on this later in the thread), culminating (one can only hope) in today's piece on Miguel's charges being dropped earlier this week.

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2023/01/26/protester-charged-in-toppling-of-sir-john-a-macdonald-statue-free-of-charges.html

Miguel is problematic for a variety of reasons, but selecting him out of the group of people present was very much a police grudge for his prominent presence at other actions. He was present at (but not involved in) the toppling of the Ryerson as well, plus a variety of other Indigenous-led actions that put him on police radar.

I am glad to see these charges dismissed, and saddened that his partner Barb passed away and did not get to see him vindicated on this front.

Here's to the other bullshit charges all going the same way.

1/2

#LandBack #BurnItAllDown #ResidentialSchools #215children #FuckThePolice #FuckShitlibs

They try to get rid of us but we are still here. This is a drawing I did the week I learned about the unmarked graves of 215 children at the “residential school” (crime scene) in Kamloops. Nuliajuk/Sedna, mother of the sea, is grieving in the image. https://theconversation.com/residential-school-system-recognized-as-genocide-in-canadas-house-of-commons-a-harbinger-of-change-196774? #genocide #ResidentialSchools #WeAreStillHere #MMIWG2S #215Children #CrimeScene #Sedna #Nuliajuk #KamloopsIndianResidentialSchool

They tried to get rid of us but we are still here. This is a drawing I did the week I learned about the unmarked graves of 215 children at the “residential school” (crime scene) in Kamloops. Nuliajuk/Sedna, mother of the sea, is grieving in the image. https://theconversation.com/residential-school-system-recognized-as-genocide-in-canadas-house-of-commons-a-harbinger-of-change-196774? #genocide #ResidentialSchools #WeAreStillHere #MMIWG2S #215Children #CrimeScene #Sedna #Nuliajuk #KamloopsIndianResidentialSchool

RT @KanahusFreedom@twitter.com

Video: Mohawk Gun Salute for #215children and all children of Indian Residential Schools https://youtu.be/zDcUhM5a3Qg

🐦🔗: https://twitter.com/KanahusFreedom/status/1415534205551906818

This was done in response to the discovery of the bodies of #215 children found buried in unmarked graves outside a residential school in Kamloops.

Witness testimony from survivors have claimed for years that unmarked grave sites existed outside residential schools across the country. The Canadian government has repeatedly refused to search for these sites, and fought all attempts to release school records. This site was found by accident.

#215children