PEACE WALK PROTESTS DRUGS

They're taking a stand against drugs, a peaceful stand.

The River Spirit Empowerment Society is hosting its first ever peace
walk at Skwah First Nations this Saturday with the intention of
wiping out the drugs on the reserve.

"Our community is tired of the drugs," said society member Lisa
Williams. "We want zero tolerance for drugs and violence. We're
trying to stand up against the drugs."

A peace walk is a non-violent protest in which participants march for
a distance to raise awareness for a specific cause. The River Spirit
Empowerment Society - formed by the Williams family - started
organizing the Skwah First Nations Peace Walk after several community
members started dying off because of drugs.

"We've lost a lot of our youth to drugs," said Williams. "We need to
put a stop to the drugs on the reserve. It's getting out of hand.
It's affecting our kids."

And it won't stop until more and more people take a stand, said Williams.

The society has approached the RCMP, Skwah chief and council, elders,
youth groups and schools to support the walk. It hopes to attract as
many people as it can, both reserve members and non-reserve members.

"We've gotten a good response from the elders, they're really proud
of us that we're taking this step," said Williams. "They're very glad
this is happening; that someone else is standing up.

"Everyone should be concerned about the drugs because they're not
just in the First Nations communities, they're everywhere," said Williams.

The Skwah First Nations Peace Walk is on Saturday, March 21 at 1 p.m.
starting in the parking lot of the Skwah First Nations reserve
located at the end of Wellington Avenue.