Calls for justice, police transparency mount at Winnipeg rally for Afolabi Opaso
CBC
Femi Ajiboye proudly wore pink — his best friend's favourite colour — to Union Station.
Ajiboye was among dozens of people that gathered Saturday at the Winnipeg railway station, the starting point for a rally in support of Afolabi Opaso, a 19-year-old international student at the University of Manitoba who was fatally shot by police on New Year's Eve.
Many supporters held up signs pleading for justice for Opaso.
Known by his friends as Zigi Pink, Opaso was "always dancing, always happy," Ajiboye told CBC News.
"Any time I seen him — I come to his house or he comes to my house — he was... always happy to be around," he said.
Ajiboye didn't find out about Opaso's death until five days later. He said it broke his heart knowing his former roommate had been killed.
"It has affected me a lot because personally I've never lost someone I know, or that I've been this close to," Ajiboye said. "He's going to be missed."
"It's going to be really tough to survive this year without him."
Despite the pain he's going through, Ajiboye was appreciative of the support for Opaso on Saturday, as well as a vigil for him on Jan. 12.
"It shows that there is a community here in Canada…they're out to support him and they love [him]," Ajiboye said.
Yemilo Audu also attended the rally, which worked its way east down Broadway Avenue before finishing on the steps of the Manitoba Legislature.
She didn't know Opaso, but knew he was a member of Winnipeg's Nigerian community. She said his death has been difficult for the community to deal with.
"It does open our eyes, especially since it's something that has hit us closer than usual. But it's definitely a time for grief for all of us," Audu said. "There's definitely a challenge in how we move forward as a community, but I think at the very least, all of us are united in the front of just pain, sadness and grief."
WATCH / Supporters gather, rally in support of 19-year-old killed by police:
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