Brian Bowman urges Winnipeggers to reach out to Rinelle Harper and family
Mayor lauds parents' response to violence
Winnipeg's new mayor was emotional as he described how he has reached out to the family of teenager Rinelle Harper, who was the victim of a brutal assault last weekend that has drawn the attention of the city and beyond.
Brian Bowman said late Thursday he commended the girl's parents, Julie and Caesar Harper, for "their strength and their courage in their comments to the media."
Rinelle Harper, 16, was attacked twice and left for dead by the Assiniboine River last weekend.
Her parents struggled to hold back their sobs Thursday as they told reporters Rinelle is "a fighter, she's a hero to everyone."
Bowman said he spoke to the teen's mother and father after their news conference this afternoon.
"To see the strength that they're showing is something that a lot of Winnipeggers can take their cue from," he said. "At the end of the day this was a brutal attack on a young girl and I want to express my thoughts and prayers on behalf of my wife Tracy and I and on behalf of all Winnipeggers to the family at this time."
Bowman praised the Harpers' response to the brutal attack on their daughter.
"To appear before the media and make the comments that they made today, not base on hate, which as a parent, I think a lot of us would, that would be the first instinct," he said. "And this really speaks to the need for Winnipeg to come together."
Bowman made the late afternoon comments after MKO Grand Chief David Harper, a distant relative of the teen who was also at the parents' news conference, called on the mayor to open the doors to city hall to hear the concerns of First Nations people.
"For us First Nations to be able to go talk to him and say look, these are the things we need to change, because almost every First Nation community brings its economy to the city of Winnipeg - our children are here, our kids go to school here, there's a lot of concerns we go through," David Harper said.
Bowman paid tribute to the calls for an end to the cycle of violence, after messages on social media have called for retaliation against the two accused, saying Winnipeggers should send messages of support to Rinelle's parents, family and friends.
"Go to social media. Do what you can to reach out and let them know that what's happened to this young girl should offend all Winnipeggers. And it does," he said.