Dignity blooms in murder's shadow

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On Aug. 14, Kathy King dedicated a garden to the memory of murdered women, those whose remains were found on Robert Pickton's pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C. and those whose lifeless bodies were callously dispatched to the fields and ditches surrounding Edmonton, Kathy's daughter among them. Cara King was found dead in a canola field in September 1997. Kathy wears Cara's picture on a pin fastened to her dress.

Tulips and irises and wild roses will grow in the memorial garden located behind Alex Taylor School. The garden will be a reminder of the tragedies that, in King's words, "cast a shadow over our society."

Along with the dedication came a proclamation from city hall that Aug. 14 was as a day of mourning in the city. King told the group gathered, many whose loved ones were lost to similar violence, that the garden was "a welcome step in restoring a dignity that was often denied in [the women's] lives and even in their deaths."

"They were our daughters, our sisters, our nieces, our cousins, our friends and, for some, even our mothers. They were part of a world many of us do not understand, a world where we could not follow."

Many of the victims were drug addicted or working as prostitutes, vulnerable on the streets of big cities.

Kate Quinn, executive director of the Prostitution Awareness and Action Foundation of Edmonton, said the group had gathered to mourn every year for the past five years. This year they wanted to do something special.

Quinn hopes that the family and friends of the murdered women will be able to find solace at the garden and that other cities will join them by planting their own memorial garden or having their own day of mourning.

"We hope that it provides [family members] with two kinds of comfort. One, the comfort of knowing there is a beautiful place and that their daughters are not forgotten. And also the comfort of knowing that the larger community of Edmonton cares and that they are not alone," said Quinn. "Often they feel so alone and so stigmatized by the rest of society and we want to uphold the dignity of each person who has been lost and the dignity of the family members and friends who are grieving for them."

Kathy Hamelin wasn't expecting the day to be so emotional. She lost two people to murder: both women's remains were found on Pickton's pig farm. Pickton is facing numerous counts of murder in a Vancouver court.

"I'll walk away feeling a little better and knowing that there are people who actually do care enough to try and do something about what's going on with the women, these young women, all the women who were victims. I don't know too many that haven't been touched in the Aboriginal community," said Hamelin. "There's been too many. We've lost way, way too many. Way too many for too long."

Elder Rose Martial blessed the garden. "It's very emotional because I know that it includes our women, our girls. And very, very emotional because a lot of our girls are taking the wrong path and we need to make them understand that it's not part of our culture to be on the street, to live that dangerous, risky lifestyle, and as an Elder I am very concerned. We would like to help in any way that they may want. They just have to ask and seek guidance from the Elders."

Martial said she would like to see a group of Elders organized to offer that guidance and support.