The Reconciliation Action Group (RAG) is looking for answers from the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) regarding allegations of an Indigenous youth falling victim to an instance of a violent hate crime at St. Timothy School on Sept. 21.
In a press release sent out by RAG, it outlined that one of the group member’s children, who is part of the Métis Nation of Alberta, was the target of a life-threatening attack by a group of teenage males– allegedly in relation to his mother’s activism.
“From what we know so far, we believe the victim was targeted for our member’s outspoken anti-racist activist work advocating for Indigenous rights and for being Indigenous,” the release read. “Her [the mother’s] name was mentioned by the offenders during the attack. This incident took place at St. Timothy school in Cochrane, AB, overseen by the Calgary Catholic School District.
“The victim is left bruised, battered, and sore with severe mental and emotional trauma that will remain with him for life. The family is traumatized by this hate fueled attack on their child and do not feel safe in their community.”
According to the group’s release, it also outlined that the school’s vice-principal witnessed the event take place, but refused to intervene, adding that the school failed to properly intervene, provide a safe space for students, alert the proper authorities, provide the proper and necessary care to the victim, and inform the victim’s family.
Sahtu Dene and co-founder of RAG, Michelle Robinson, said in cases of hate crimes towards the Indigenous community very little is done to help drive meaningful change.
“So, for us as Indigenous people, very rarely does the Alberta Human Rights Commission ever work with us on tangible issues that are of hate,” Robinson said. “And very rarely do you see the Calgary Police, the RCMP, or any Alberta-based police do any time of hate crime investigation when it comes to Indigenous people, yet we face daily violence and endure daily racism against Indigenous people.
“And racism against Indigenous people has been so normalized that people don’t recognize it as a hate crime.”
Robinson said the group is asking members of the community to write letters on behalf of their organization to the CCSD for a meaningful solution for the victim and to support the family as they recover from the trauma of the event.
“We have yet to see systemic changes in any major institutions be it justice, policing, education in this case, and we need to start seeing some substantial changes in order to really protect indigenous people,” Robinson said.
Robinson said first and foremost, the lack of action from the school and authorities left the family feeling vulnerable and unsafe.
“I’m hoping over the course of this situation as the victim starts to heal, that they’ll be able to start advocating for that type of apology from the police, attackers, school board, and specifically the vice-principal that apparently witnessed the event,” Robinson said. “There’s a lot to unpack there, but I think when you’re in that moment of trauma and immediate violence, first and foremost is safety.
“I mean at this rate, they may have to consider moving to a different place if the child doesn’t feel safe enough to go back to school, then the family has to look for other options.”
Robinson said that all marginalized groups have been recently targets of both violence and hate, and that this recent attack is not an isolated incident.
“This is one of the many families that I know who have gone through similar issues, and unfortunately none of the non-Indigenous led school boards have been able to tackle this in a meaningful way,” Robinson said.
When asked about the current state of the investigation, RCMP Media Officer, Cpl. Gina Slaney stated that Cochrane RCMP are actively investigating this allegation of assault.
When The Eagle reached out to the CCSD for comment about the incident, a representative provided the following response.
“CCSD takes all accusations of this manner very seriously. School administration is working with the students/families involved to conduct their own investigation into this situation, which varies greatly from the description provided by the family. Cochrane RCMP has been notified and is also investigating,” the statement read. “CCSD is proud of St. Timothy Junior/Senior High School where the community lives and learns in our Catholic Faith, so that students centered in Christ realize their full potential. CCSD is also proud of the work that St. Timothy is doing regarding truth and reconciliation.”
