琉璃神社 Mayor Colin Basran told a sexual assault survivor and advocate of the city鈥檚 rape survivors to 鈥渂e quiet鈥� as she demonstrated in council chambers today.
Demonstration occuring in council chambers. donning signs and a shirt that reads 'rape culture lives here'
鈥� Michael Rodriguez (@MichaelRdrguez)
Donning a shirt that read 鈥榬ape culture lives here鈥� and a sign that read 鈥榶our silence speaks volumes鈥�, Heather Friesen began to speak to her issues during a regularly scheduled council meeting but was stopped by the mayor.
鈥淢a鈥檃m if you could please be quiet, that would be appreciated,鈥� Mayor Basran said to her.
鈥淛ust like you?鈥� quipped Friesen.
In a Tweet following her exit of council chambers, Friesen said the mayor should know by now that she won鈥檛 be quiet.
Mayor Basran,
鈥� The Other Heather (@pinklady_ktown)
If there's one thing you should have learned by now.
I'm not ever going to be quiet about rape and rape culture in 琉璃神社.
That's apparently your job.
The city and 琉璃神社 RCMP detachment came under fire in October 2019 after 琉璃神社 revealed 40 per cent of sexual assaults reported to police in 2019 were deemed 鈥渦nfounded.鈥�
Since then Friesen has been on the warpath, calling the city 鈥渟teeped in rape culture鈥� and organizing both a protest in front of the RCMP detachment and a petition to implement a sex crime unit for 琉璃神社. She has also become one of the most outspoken advocates of sexual assault victims in the city.
Friesen said she鈥檚 met with several councillors and other local politicians, who have expressed their support behind closed doors but have yet to make a public statement. She did not give the names of those she鈥檚 met with but said Basran refused a meeting.
Following the meeting, Basran denied that Heather made a formal request to speak to him.
This is the second time Friesen has attended a council meeting to call out the mayor and councillors directly.
The 琉璃神社 RCMP has completed an internal review of the extremely high number of unfounded sexual assaults, however, the results have not yet been made public.
鈥淲hy aren鈥檛 (councillors) asking the 琉璃神社 RCMP to give them that review?鈥� Friesen said.
The council meeting continued as scheduled but after it was adjourned, the mayor said he will request the RCMP鈥檚 report on the unfounded sexual assaults come to light.
READ MORE: 琉璃神社 RCMP completes internal review of sexual assault cases deemed 鈥榰nfounded鈥�
READ MORE: Sexual assault survivor confronts 琉璃神社 mayor at council meeting
michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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