Williams Lake RCMP have been invited to wear pins to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Annual Awareness Day, May 5.
The pins feature a red dress with Indigenous designs created by artist Satsi Naziel who lives in Prince George.
Cariboo Friendship Society (CFS) executive director Rosanna McGregor presented the pins to RCMP members at the detachment on Thursday, April 21.
She said the design is being used by the Aboriginal Housing Management Association, of which the CFS is affiliated with.
Inside the red dress design there are three homes along the middle, which McGregor said fits well because housing is an integral part of all the work CFS does.
“Whether it’s a health determinant that’s tied to housing or the social well being of the people we are working with, the transition house or the emergency shelter - it’s all tied to housing.”
Aside from the pins, the CFS is doing a campaign to distribute red dress stickers that businesses and organizations can display in a window to indicate it is a safe space.
“We are working with the downtown business association to ensure as many places as possible are displaying the stickers,” McGregor said. “When the people we work see the stickers with will know this is a comfortable space, that this is a safe haven, that this is somewhere they can be OK.”
Officer in Charge Darren Dodge told her he would love to display one of the decals at the detachment.
McGregor also invited the RCMP to attend an event CFS is hosting at the Stampede Grounds parking lot upper level to honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Awareness Day on Thursday, May 5 at 1 p.m.
“We will have a sacred fire and the intent is to allow people to either put a tobacco tie into the fire, or they can write a message to a loved one on a red paper and put it into the fire and burn it. The smoke will go to the Creator or your loved ones. The same with bad thoughts. If you want to get rid of them — away they go.”
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