FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, May 11th, 2022

WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre Supports Call from Indigenous Leaders and Communities for the VPD to Pursue a Full Investigation into the Death of Chelsea Poorman 

(Vancouver, BC) — WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre supports calls to action for the Vancouver Police Department to conduct a full investigation into the death of Chelsea Poorman, and to be accountable to the harm that their inaction, and dismissal of this overt act of violence has caused Poorman’s family and community. 

Chelsea Poorman, a 24 year old member of the Kawacatoose First Nation in Saskatchewan, had been living in Vancouver for a short time when she went missing in September of 2020. After her remains were found at a vacant property on April 22, 2022, VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison claimed “we don’t believe this death is suspicious. When I say that, what I mean is, we do not believe that Chelsea was murdered, we don’t believe her death was caused by another person.”

“The VPD’s inaction not only leaves Chelsea’s family without closure and peace, but directly upholds the colonial violence that perpetuates harm to Indigenous communities” says WAVAW’s Executive Director, Dalya Israel. “The VPD’s longstanding history of ignoring the disproportionate rates of violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people must end. We support the calls from Chelsea’s family and Indigenous Leaders for the VPD to pursue a full investigation into Chelsea’s disappearance and death”.

“The news of Chelsea’s death and the ways that it has been reported impacts not only her family, but Indigenous communities across Turtle Island,” continues Dalya Israel. “Instead of outrage that another Indigenous woman has been murdered in their jurisdiction, the Vancouer Police Department is complicit in furthering the narrative that Two-Spirit people, women and girls are not sufficiently valuable in our society. If policing institutions such as the VPD want to hold any credibility or trust, they must do better at both acknowledging the systems of oppression that Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit live in, and commit to pursuing the justice that Chelsea, and the countless other MMIWG2S and their families and communities deserve”. 

WAVAW’s 24 hour Crisis & Information Line is available 7-days a week to support all survivors and self-identified family members of MMIWG2S who are once again shown how institutions such as the Vancouver Police Department continue to uphold colonialism and diminish Indigenous trauma. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our team of highly skilled and empathetic Victim Service Workers and Counsellors if you need support. 

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Media Contact
Dalya Israel
Executive Director, WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre
604-255-6228 x 224
dalya@salalsvsc.ca

WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre 24-hour Crisis & Information Line
National Toll-Free: 1-877-392-7583
Lower Mainland: 604-255-6344