A Sister Still Missing
Over 300 people congregated at the Legion Hall in Kahnawake on June 18 to remember their stolen sister, Tiffany Morrison, who went missing on that day in 2006.
Originally the memoriam had been planned as a candlelight vigil and march through the streets of the community however heavy rain put the march and candlelight activities off until June 20.
Instead, community members and activist packed the legion hall to listen to the family and police talk about Morrison’s disappearance and her case.
Morrison, who was 24 when she went missing, was last seen leaving a bar in nearby LaSalle. She got into a taxi with another Kahnawake resident who has told local law enforcement that this was the last time he saw Morrison as after he got out of the cab she continued on. Unfortunately, the cab driver who drove the two passengers to Kahnawake has not come forward.
“We were not able to locate the specific taxi driver that drove her that night, there are three taxi drivers who work in that area. We have approached all three companies and they don’t know which driver it was. We are looking at a couple of hundred drivers, many who work part-time. They don’t know who was working that day,” said Officer Edward Stacy of the Kahnawake Peacekeepers. Stacy has followed Morrison’s case since her disappearance, which was classified a criminal investigation since day one.
According to her sister, Melanie Morrison, Tiffany was a devoted mother to her then four-year-old daughter and had just completed an entrepreneurial course with the intention of ironically starting her own taxi company.
“My sister has missed two birthdays and almost a third one now. My heart breaks for my niece,” said Melanie Morrison.
During the service Melanie Morrison took the stage to not only describe what this tragedy has been like for the family but also update the community on the case.
Though no new information has emerged on her sister, the community has rallied together and acquired a donation of a billboard space for one month just outside of the community. The billboard company Pattinson will be donating the space which normally cost $3,800 for 30 days. The family is looking for more donations to keep the missing persons announcement up for subsequent months.
The hope is that by seeing the billboard daily, individuals who may have information on Morrison’s disappearance might come forward.
“I think the worst part is the not knowing for my parents and for them to be wondering where she is. With all of these stories in the media about people being held captive for years and years, there is a lot of frustration in not knowing or what the next step is in finding her,” said Melanie Morrison.
Ellen Gabriel, president of Quebec Native Women Inc, was present at the event just as she has attended just about every event for missing and murdered within the province in conjunction with the Native Women’s Association of Canada. NWAC has its own specialized department devoted to Canada’s over 520 missing and/or murdered Aboriginal women. Many of the group’s members were also in attendance in solidarity with the Morrison family.
Gabriel said that she was really happy to see the outpouring of support for the family as even the Chief of Police was in attendance at the event. While she is glad to see that progress has been made when it comes to awareness for missing and murdered Aboriginal women, she still believes that it is not enough. She even commented that it seems the radical feminism of the ’60s and ’70s never happened in light of these kinds of situations. She suggested that more be done in terms of prevention amongst the youth and also in terms of changing opinions about Aboriginal women.
“We would like to do some sensitization with some of the older police officers; I think that it is badly needed because the discrimination and stereotypes that we see come from these officers who have their own opinions of us. They will give flippant answers to family members who report loved ones missing and say she’s gone off partying simply because she is an Aboriginal woman so she must be a partier instead of thinking that she has been kidnapped,” said Gabriel.
The Morrison family and the Kahnawake Peacekeepers have asked that anyone with information on the disappearance of Morrison contact Ed Stacey at 450-632-6505.