Since 1970, there have been many murders and disappearances on the “Highway of Tears” in British Columbia, Canada, a 725 kilometre (450 mi) corridor of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert.
According to Wikipedia:
“The phrase, ‘Highway of Tears’ was coined in 1998, by Florence Naziel, during a vigil held in Terrace, British Columbia, who was thinking of all families crying over their loved ones (four murdered and two missing women).
“There are a disproportionately high number of Indigenous women on the list of victims.
“Proposed explanations for the years-long endurance of the crimes and the limited progress in identifying culprits include systemic racism, poverty, drug abuse, widespread domestic violence, disconnection with traditional culture and disruption of the family unit through the foster care system and Canadian Indian residential school system.
“Poverty in particular leads to low rates of car ownership and mobility; thus, hitchhiking is often the only way for many to travel vast distances to see family or go to work, school, or seek medical treatment.
“Another factor leading to abductions and murders is that the area is largely isolated and remote, with soft soil in many areas and carnivorous scavengers to carry away human remains; these factors precipitate violent attacks, as perpetrators feel a sense of impunity, privacy, and the ability to easily carry out their crimes and hide evidence.”
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On Kathy C. Wesley’s Facebook, September 6th, 2020:
“This crest pole is to remember and acknowledge the many Indigenous girls, women, boys and men who went missing or murdered along the Highway 16 corridor from Prince Rupert to Prince George. There was even a family that went missing. This pole went up yesterday on Kitsumkalum land. It was carved and painted by Mike Dangeli and the cedar came from one of Kitsumkalum’s Culturally Modified Tree’s (CMT).
For a list of victims and more information, including a government email issue, see:
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