The Big Picture In A Post-Verdict World

Once again, an excellent article Trisha. I completely understand where you are coming from in this piece. I was also a foster kid, shuffled around exposed to great violence, substance abuse etc. I remember the shelters, the midnite trips to a neighbors the ineffectual attitudes of the police who would never cart the abuser away, instead insist us kids and mom leave the house. I am convinced had we been treated with respect, been protected from violent and recurring assaults, had a safe place to go when trouble erupted, been treated DECENTLY by neighbours, teachers etc our young lives would have been much better and perhaps no one would have found selling their bodies to be a valid way to make a living.

This is a societal problem. The fault ultimately lies with Pickton and his "clan" (cuz come on how many of us actually believe he acted alone right?) But it is all our responsibilities to ensure our neighbors, friends and relatives are okay.

As for blaming the families as some have been doing, thats so lazy! Especially when considering how many of these women came out of the foster care system, and whose families were restricted from spending time with their children for whatever reasons.
I don't hold my biological family responsible for the things that happened to me while I was in care. I blame my caretakers and the social services people who placed me in a dangerous, impoverished, isolated home and then failed to check on me regularly. Thats who I blame in my particular situation.

Plus, a number of women who've been murdered on the DTES, were deeply loved by those who took them in. It's the system that is broken, and it's the system of taking care of our neediest children that needs to be scrutinized.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. I firmly believe that. These women were raised by Canadian society, government and individual's. We are all to blame after all this is our society made up through our labour, laws and history.

I'd like to now turn my attention to Wayne Leng. Mr. Leng has been a constant source of strength for me. We've never met but have corresponded and I did get a chance to chat with him recently. It was through his diligent documentation of all things related to the DTES and the Pickton trial that the public got a chance to learn what was actually happening with the investigation. IMHO it was due Mr. Lengs hard work with missingpeople and missingpeices and media that this case got the public attention it deserved.

When I was being stalked, hounded and hacked for speaking out against violence against women and children, out of my small online group of friends, it was him who thought to help me out and cheer me up. I am quite grateful for all his small kindnesses.

Its funny you know, people who speak as though Sarah was victimized by Wayne must be wearing rose coloured glasses because they were equally on the DTES. Birds of a feather draw together and it could be as easily stated what kind of friend was she to him? Like Been there said, A good friend does not help keep someone sick. When people do drugs together, they do them TOGETHER, its not like anyone forced anyone to it.

Anyway I could go on and on and on, but I have to get to work, so off I go.
But Trisha, once again dang good writing. Orato is very fortunate to have found you!

Hazel.

I have to speak up on behalf of Wayne Leng, I will be the first to admit I am not his best friend nor am I his confessor. However during the final portion of the trial I did get to meet him, listen to his stories and in fact remain in contact with him to this day.
I found him to be a soft spoken man who is passionate about seeing Sarah DeVries killer brought to justice.
I cannot speak to his past, I can only speak to who I met and I must say I met a man who truly cared for Sarah, who walked with her through a lot of her issues and who has close contact with her family ,close enough that he does in fact vacation with them.
It was also a relative of one of the murdered women who paid for him to fly up here for the end of trial, Lori-Ann Ellis funded his trip up here on behalf of herself, Judy Trimble, Rick & Lynn Frey, Marilyn Kraft and Lilliane Beaudoin and Ella.
I will not speak to how he met Sarah for I do not know, but if you are assuming he was a john I will say this, if I can work through life to become a "former" prostitute I sincerely believe men deserve the same chance and in fact they too can become "former" johns.
However he met her, he loved her.
A lot.
He has poured a lot of time into the missing women's website, as well as other on-line groups for the families of the murdered women and if her family has embraced him, who are you to judge who he was to her if you were not intimately part of the relationship?