Alina Dyatlova's video: The Unsolved Death of Verna Simard: MMIWG

Verna Shabaquay, who went by the last name Simard, was a 50-year-old mother of five who loved. She died in front of Vancouver’s Regent Hotel on the evening of September 16, 2011. She had fallen from the hotel’s sixth floor. The circumstances of her death are eerily similar to those of Ashley Machiskinic, who died in the same way a year earlier. Vancouver police initially treated Verna's case as suspicious, but later concluded the investigation after determining the case did not involve foul play. Canadian Crime Stoppers: https://www.canadiancrimestoppers.org/home Video on addiction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUyvAasAbZI Video about Ashley M: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_ie8Y0f7dM THANK YOU FOR WATCHING - LET'S CONNECT: Instagram - @bigkatdaddy Twitter - @alinabalinaa THE JUSTICE CARD PLAYLIST:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa-oMP3ATLx14PKWlyKS7i_qunGQrZ00t Disclaimer: As a white, able-bodied CIS woman, I acknowledge my privilege and I am using it to spread awareness about the on-going societal and institutionalized violence towards racialized groups, with a direct focus on Indigenous Peoples. I am actively working on challenging my internalized racism and biases by rejecting the narrative that was taught and absorbed by me as a result of white-washed education and prominent stereotypes in our media, social life, etc. This video is published in solidarity with the on-going activism of Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island, specifically the work that they have been doing towards dismantling systems of oppression (de-colonization of institutions). I have created The Justice Card so we can learn more about historic and ongoing impacts of colonization and how those colonial notions survive and thrive within our most “sacred” institutions. I also discuss various Canadian news stories and current events (think, social justice) that you may have missed because they weren’t striking enough to circulate via social media. Let’s challenge our white privilege and work through our white fragility together so we can effectively show up and do the work that is required of us. Systemic violence is rooted in white supremacy and has been flowing through our institutions for centuries, always wearing a new mask - a new face to fit the social climate of “today”. The work ahead of us is not easy, and will be difficult, awkward at times. As white folk, we benefit from these systems whether we realize it or not, and it is our job to dismantle it - piece by piece; we must acknowledge that the actions and inactions of our ancestors further solidified racial biases, discrimination and oppression. Link to Resources, Accounts to Follow and More: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GrdqBKsBv-qYQJkTQDl84ydnCX4HgY6w88bDEmOnK9s/edit?usp=sharing