Victims of police violence form group to assist grieving families

VANCOUVER – Two grieving parents are working with the B.C. Civil Liberties Association to form a support group for the families and friends of those killed or seriously injured by police.

An invitation-only meeting is planned for this fall in Vancouver.

Al Wright’s son, Alvin, was shot and killed by a Langley RCMP officer in 2010, and Wright says it’s important for relatives to support each other while trying to prevent similar deaths in future.

Wright has joined forces with Linda Bush, mother of Ian Bush, the 22-year-old shot to death inside the Houston RCMP detachment in 2007.

BCCLA organizers say members from across the country are welcome, but the new group will be based in B.C. because the province has the highest rate of police-involved deaths in Canada.

Wright says he never thought he would be a member of such a group, but he decided he had to help others in similar circumstances because victims don’t know where to turn or who to trust when a police-involved death occurs.