Vancouver mourns in candlelight after Lapu Lapu festival tragedy
One of Vancouver’s busy intersections was one of the quietest places in the city this past weekend during a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Lapu Lapu Day festival tragedy.
Hundreds turned out over several hours to pay their respects to the 11 people who died and the dozens more injured when a driver plowed an SUV into crowds celebrating at the annual block party in the Sunset on Fraser neighbourhood.
The Luksang Bayan Candlelight Vigil on the corner of East 41st Avenue and Fraser Street was just blocks from where the incident occurred near John Oliver Secondary School. It was just one of many community gatherings planned in Vancouver and around the region to support those devastated by the tragedy.
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
- You might also like:
- How to support Vancouver's Filipino community after the Lapu Lapu festival tragedy
- New Westminster school counsellor among victims of Lapu Lapu Day tragedy
- Ukraine president shares solidarity with Vancouver after festival tragedy
“I grew up very close to the affected area, and it rocks many of us to the core to see the safety of our home neighbourhoods crack and our neighbours harmed,” said SW, who attended another community vigil at Kensington Community Centre, to Daily Hive.
“In Filipino culture, we have very robust grieving processes where the entire villages visit the mourning homes, where the doors are open to all visitors. Vancouver has been showing up for the Filipino community like we do when others mourn. It was important for me to see the love that came with grieving in these spaces and to reclaim a sense of safety.”
The City of Vancouver, Filipino B.C., and other Filipino community organizers hosted the gathering at Kensington Community Centre, which drew a huge crowd wanting to remember those lost and irrevocably changed by the tragedy. Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Mark Carney were also in attendance on Sunday.
Daily Hive
SW/Submitted
At the growing memorial on Fraser Street, the stream of people bringing flowers ebbed and flowed. Sometimes, one person would step forward in front of a sea of people. At others, a sombre procession would come forward with bouquets and candles, holding each other’s hands and arms for support.
It was very quiet, except for the sounds of passing cars and the sniffles of people in the crowd. Volunteers moved throughout the gathering with boxes of tissues and granola bars.
The gathering continued to grow throughout Sunday afternoon and into the night, nearly spilling out onto 41st Avenue. The stationed Vancouver Police officer ripped down the yellow caution tape and asked everyone to move further onto Fraser Street so as not to impede traffic.
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
Around the same time on Sunday afternoon, police named the male suspect in their custody and announced that he had been charged with at least eight counts of second-degree murder.
VPD stated that victims ranged in age from five to 65 years old, and that some remain unidentified. They also emphasized that the mass-casualty incident was not a terrorist attack.
In a press conference on Sunday morning, Vancouver Police Interim Chief Steve Rai began by stating that the tragic event that took place the previous evening was the “darkest day in our city’s history.”
Daniel Chai/Daily Hive
Additional gatherings are planned for Monday and Tuesday night to allow the community to come together in grief and healing.
“All I can say is, togetherness — or kapwa, as we call it — is the most important thing our city needs,” added SW. “We don’t need to be alone in our suffering, and right now, more than ever, our city needs to see that and demand it from our local leaders.”
With files from Kenneth Chan and Simran Singh