AMC Grand Chief Joins Red River Search Effort

WINNIPEG – The issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women is a serious concern for Assembly of Manitoba Chief Derek Nepinak. On September 9 2014, the AMC Grand Chief was in Thunder Bay to speak and to walk the full walk of the Full Moon Memory Walk.

Today, Grand Chief Derek Nepinak of the AMC, along with two staff members from the AMC will be launching a search boat and joining the dragging effort being launched on the Red River.

“It is important that we focus on the good hearts of the people that are demonstrating their love for our people and our community in this effort. We cannot focus all of our energy on chasing governments who are not willing to take appropriate steps towards resolution and closure for our families. To focus on the immediate needs of an inquiry into the unknowns, which this effort on the Red River is, we are demonstrating that inquiries into the fate of our murdered and missing loved ones need not be viewed as academic or political exercises, but rather real efforts by people to bring immediate tangible outcomes for the health of our families and community. It is on this basis that I fully support this community driven initiative.” stated Grand Chief Nepinak.

“Furthermore, I would encourage other families and communities living in the cities across the country to organize similar efforts to search for their missing loved ones, because its going to have to be us who do this, no one else will” the Grand Chief added.

“This is how the change is going to happen,” added Grand Chief Nepinak. “People and families taking personal responsibility for our community. Its not going to be the police who do this kind of searching, nor any government officials. Its gonna have to be our people demonstrating their love for one another, love for our community. Thats who is making the difference. Its this expression of love and caring that will reshape the way Canadian society looks at us. A new standard will be set and will be respected and it will help break the old patterns that created this genocide. It is the love we have that must be nurtured; not anger, not hatred. Focus on the good hearts and the love from the people who care, not on the indifference of those that don’t”.