Global Courant 2023-05-01 00:25:04
WARNING: This story contains graphic details
Chants by protesters emphasizing the value of an Ottawa woman’s life and calling for accountability for her death echoed through buildings in downtown Saskatoon Saturday afternoon.
“Hodan matters, black lives matter,” protesters echoed as they marched down 3rd Avenue from City Hall to the former site of the Lit Nightclub where Hodan Hashi died.
Hashi, 23, was involved in a fatal fight last November with Paige Theriault-Fisher, 22, at the nightclub above the Crazy Cactus Restaurant and Lounge.
Police originally charged Theriault-Fisher with second-degree manslaughter. That charge was reduced to manslaughter later that same day.
Earlier in April, the charges against Theriault-Fisher were stayed, meaning that legal proceedings were suspended temporarily or indefinitely, but that doesn’t mean the charges were dropped.
Protesters in Saskatoon were one of three cities across Canada — including Regina and Ottawa — to come together to demand justice.
“I think people are under the impression that justice is like a prison sentence or justice is like a life sentence or something. I don’t think justice is like any of those things because we are an abolitionist group,” said Delilah Kamuhanda , co-founder of Black Lives Matter YXE in Saskatoon.
“I think justice looks like now – for people like the accused or like the person involved in the case – I think it looks like everyone is being treated with those privileges.”
Organizers Ali Abukar, left, and Delilah Kamuhanda, center, speak at the gathering outside Saskatoon City Hall on Saturday. (Dyne Patterson/CBC)
Before the march began, organizers warned protesters to discuss the matter due to an ongoing $1 million civil lawsuit against Theriault-Fisher and at least one person uploading video of the incident.
Kamuhanda was hesitant to give her opinion on the matter, saying she thinks the “feelings of the community and the feelings of the family are that they would have liked more transparency on the matter and ultimately would like more communication…and then ultimately accountable for the life lost.”
‘Fatal Accident’ led to the death of Hashi: Crown
Videos of the fight were widely circulated on social media and show the two women wrestling on the dance floor at Lit Nightclub.
“People were taking up rather than intervening and that has had a huge impact on our community… and the trauma it caused,” said Ali Abukar, a black community member who helped organize the event.
Theriault-Fisher is repeatedly seen punching Hashi in the face and neck. Suddenly, a pool of blood appears under Hashi, which blooms all over the floor. The women are separated, then Hashi stands up and staggers a few steps before collapsing.
Prosecutors said the fight was mutual, no weapons were used and the fatal injury was accidental.
“During the fight, the two women went to the ground and, tragically, Hodan Hashi was cut by a broken glass lying on the floor. Based on the evidence, that cut was the mortal injury that caused Ms. Hashi’s death,” said the ministry. Justice Department said in a statement.
“After careful consideration, the Prosecutor’s Office has concluded that the fatal injury was the result of an accident; there is no reasonable prospect of conviction for manslaughter or any other criminal charge.”
LOOK | Family of Hodan Hashi speaks out on the decision of the prosecution:
The charges over Hodan Hashi’s death were “absolutely shocking,” the sister says
Shukri Hashi said she and her family did not expect charges against Paige Theriault-Fisher over her sister’s death to be dropped, adding that she believes race played a role in the outcome.
Abukar said the prosecutor’s decision has outraged the community.
“This deserves at least a lawsuit,” he said.
“This is just another reiteration of the lack of trust our community has in the justice system.”
Conflicting opinions about the role of race in decisions
While Theriault-Fisher’s lawyer, Sharon Fox, insists that nationality, colour, religion or creed played no role in the Crown’s decision, protesters disagree.
“When we look at similar cases, that’s definitely what we see: when the tables are turned, the outcomes are different,” Kamuhanda said.
“If you are someone who comes from a privileged place, you may not see the implications of race in the daily lives of marginalized and racialized people.”
Speaking the day after prosecutors said they would file for a stay of the proceedings, Theriault-Fisher said she regretted the events leading up to Hashi’s death and hopes “they can heal and move forward.”
LOOK | Paige Theriault-Fisher speaks of the incident after the manslaughter charges remained:
Saskatoon woman speaks out after being charged dead in nightclub
Paige Theriault-Fisher, 22, spoke to reporters on Wednesday, the day after Crown prosecutors announced that her charge of manslaughter of 23-year-old Hodan Hashi had been stayed in November.
Hashi’s family told CBC in mid-April that they will not accept her apology and cannot heal.
A read statement from the family was read in Regina and Saskatoon, calling the prosecution’s decision “horrific.”
“A precious and valuable life was taken from her family in a heartbreaking manner and it is the responsibility of those we trust in positions of power to hold the perpetrators to account fairly and without bias,” it said, as read by others.
Protesters marched down 3rd Avenue in Saskatoon chanting chants including “transparency now, accountability now,” “no justice, no peace,” and “Black lives matter, Hodan matters.” (Dyne Patterson/CBC)
A 2022 petition in favor of Hashi calls for an investigation into Theriault-Fisher’s past as evidence for legal matters and for the videos of Hashi’s death to be removed from devices.
Protesters also provided links to a pre-written document as part of an email campaign to the provincial Department of Justice, attributing, among other things, the swift decision to reduce charges to “institutional apathy for black people in Canada.”
