Twenty years ago, on Dec. 6, 1989, a man who will continue in my mind to go unnamed as a matter of principle, burst into the École Polytechnique de Montréal brandishing a gun and knife and hunted for women.
The 25-year-old man shot 28 people before killing himself. He began his attack by entering a classroom at the university, where he separated the male and female students. After claiming that he was “fighting feminism,” he shot all nine women in the room, killing six. He then moved through corridors, the cafeteria and another classroom, specifically targeting women to shoot. He killed 14 women and injured four men and 10 women in just under 20 minutes before turning the gun on himself.
Every year since this senseless attack, media have gone to great lengths to bring awareness not only to the event, but also to violence against women. What has honestly frustrated me during this time is that the media have drawn attention to the only man to die in this attack-the cowardly attacker himself-but, in pursuit of a succinct news story and sound bite, the slain women are usually referred to as a group. Disappointing.
That seems to be what the media does. We popularize the one who’s done the crime, but have no real clue as to who the people victims are. From Robert Pickton and Jeffery Dahmer to the Boston Strangler and Jack the Ripper, the criminal gains fame and notoriety, yet the victim is destined to fade away into obscurity. But there are some who are working to ensure that doesn’t happen.
When I went to AUGUSTANA last week I noticed names erected on the lamp post on the lane way to the main campus. I encourage you to take the time to drive (or even better walk), the main road and read those names. Just in case you can’t, here are the names you’ll see.
•Geneviève Bergeron (born 1968), civil engineering student
•Hélène Colgan (born 1966), mechanical engineering student
•Nathalie Croteau (born 1966), mechanical engineering student
•Barbara Daigneault (born 1967), mechanical engineering student
•Anne-Marie Edward (born 1968), chemical engineering student
•Maud Haviernick (born 1960), materials engineering student
•Maryse Laganière (born 1964), budget clerk in the school’s finance department
•Maryse Leclair (born 1966), materials engineering student
•Anne-Marie Lemay (born 1967), mechanical engineering student
•Sonia Pelletier (born 1961), mechanical engineering student
•Michèle Richard (born 1968), materials engineering student
•Annie St-Arneault (born 1966), mechanical engineering student
•Annie Turcotte (born 1969), materials engineering student
•Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (born 1958), nursing student
I hope that on this 20th anniversary, the tragic end of 14 promising lives helps others to realize the sacrifice these women unknowingly made toward equality, sensitivity and the advancement of women’s rights. May we always remember them.
(I have to credit Wikipedia for some of the materials in this column - especially the description of the chain of events on Dec. 6 - some things are just written right.)
