Fort Smith residents report being chased away for trying to pay their respects to the 215 children found at a former residential school site in Kamloops, B.C.

Briann Debbie Gagnon said when she went to place shoes on the steps of the Catholic Church a man who appeared to be watching nearby told her to put the shoes back in her vehicle. The man complained to Gagnon about having to clean up after SA国际影视传媒渢he drunks that hang out there,SA国际影视传媒� and argued about who would clean the shoes up afterwards. Gagnon said she would be happy to later take the shoes off the church steps in order to honour the children found on residential school grounds.

SA国际影视传媒淚 never thought ISA国际影视传媒檇 ever see this type of ignorance or behavior from someone,SA国际影视传媒� Gagnon said, SA国际影视传媒渨hen we should all be uniting together and healing.SA国际影视传媒�

Gagnon tried to give the man her contact information to confirm she would pick up the shows in a few days but the man proceeded to throw the shoes in the garbage.

As a family member of residential school survivors Gagnon said the manSA国际影视传媒檚 actions were powerful. SA国际影视传媒淩acism is and has been very much alive,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淭his type of behavior makes it so no one can move forward and start healing.SA国际影视传媒�

Father Cornerius Ngureukwem is the priest at the Fort Smith Catholic Church.

When he became aware of what had happened he said he retrieved the shoes from the garbage and re-placed them on the steps. HeSA国际影视传媒檚 apologized to all who have reached out on the incident and said he would be holding a mass in the childrenSA国际影视传媒檚 honour on Tuesday night.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a painful thing that happened and we really need to feel sorry about whatSA国际影视传媒檚 going on,SA国际影视传媒� he said, adding that shoes, toys and teddy bears are continuing to adorn the church steps following the incident on June 1.

Ann Lepine, a resident of Fort Smith, called the events SA国际影视传媒渄isturbingSA国际影视传媒� and SA国际影视传媒渄isheartening.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淓verything is rectified now, but the fact that someone did this is wrong,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

Lepine reiterated the profound impact that residential schools continue to have on the country and on Fort Smith, which has a mostly Indigenous population.

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 so disheartening that aboriginal people are still dealing with stuff like that,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

SA国际影视传媒淗ow could you do that to a population, a big population of Canada, mourning the loss of these 215 kids? They could have been someoneSA国际影视传媒檚 aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, Kokum, Nimosom. They had families.SA国际影视传媒�