Anti-Racism Protest in Châteauguay This Saturday

Four students from Gabrielle-Roy middle school in Châteauguay are organizing a peaceful protest as part of the movement created in the wake of American George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. Translation courtesy Amanda Bennett The event is planned between noon and 4 pm at the intersection of D’Anjou and Saint-Joseph in Châteauguay. “We will not block the streets, just the sidewalks and grass. We don’t want any problems with the police. It will be a peaceful protest with signs and music,” explained Jessika, 14, during an interview. The organizers say that they have not been the target of racism themselves. “Many of our friends are victims of racism and we want it to stop, ’the teenager said. Châteauguay Police have been informed of the event. The organizers are asking participants to respect social distancing and wear masks. At the Same Time as Graduation at Billings Update: Billings’ Motorized Graduation Postponed to Sunday The protest coincides with the drive-by graduation ceremony for grade 11 students at Howard S. Billings High School which will be taking place nearby, between 10 am and 2 pm. A decision that disappointed Deborah Henry, a grandmother of children with diverse ethnocultural origins who is a proponent of racial equality. “Billings graduates are very attached to the ceremony that marks the end of their high school years. I would be very disappointed if parents weren’t able to parade through Châteauguay in their decorated cars. Why not postpone the protest to Sunday? That way we could observe both of these important events in Châteauguay,” she wrote to the paper. Protest organizers stated that they were not aware of Billings’ graduation ceremony when they announced their event. “Too many people know about it already, if we changed the date it could lead to two protests,” Jessika mentioned.