Talk:Kelly Marie Ellard

message: Look at this site at CTV: New trial..., now click on the video section.  Once the video screen pops up, go to full screen mode. Go around 0:40 seconds and you will hear a reporter asking Kelly Ellard(who is seen walking to court with her parents) "Kelly, did you kill Reena Virk?".  Ellard replies, "Obviously".  Could she be admitting to murder?  Or is the media twisting things around to make it sound like she confessed to the murder of Reena Virk?
I tried this video link and all I got was an ad for Discovery HD tv. Could be my player, I don't know.--Ibis3 14:30, 26 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Kelly Ellard admitting to murder? 

message: The question is whether Reena Virk's South Asian ethnicity adds or detracts from the article.  I believe that it adds to the context of the article, as there is scholarly evidence implicating race as a determinant in the case.  This includes a debate in the BC legislature on bullying in the school system wherein it's argued that race is a motivation in bullying crimes in BC, including the Virk case.
I've listed the evidence above, but I've reproduced it here:
*"Racism, Girl Violence and the Murder of Reena Virk" by Sheila Batacharya, Chapter 4 of Girls' Violence: Myths and Realities edited by Anne Worrall and Christine Alder  provides an extensive analysis of the role of race as a key determinant in Virk's case: I argue that the only way to understand the murder of Reena Virk, and the media coverage surrounding it, is to question the symbiotic functioning of racism, sexism, classism, ableism and heterosexism that created the context for ... this crime
*Here's a debate from the BC legislature that talks about bullying in the school system, and ties the Virk case to racism:   : Statement by L. Mayencourt: It is my hope that in this Legislature we'll have the opportunity to not just talk about racism, sexism and homophobia, but about what it means to a kid, what it means to a parent, what it means to ourselves and our society. Teachers have long lobbied all forms of government on this issue. Parents have come here and spoken to us. Human rights champions have said: "Damn it, you've got to make sure the Human Rights Code applies to kids too"
*A book review published in Canadian Review of American Studies of Rinaldo Walcott's Rude Necessity, a complilation of essays including Tess Chakkalakal’s "Reckless Eyeballing: Being Reena in Canada" that takes as its premise the racial motivations about the attack.  .  From the review: Tess Chakkalakal’s essay “Reckless Eyeballing: Being Reena in Canada” might also be seen to expose the perilous role that “foreigners” can be forced to play in Canada. Her essay focuses on the 1997 murder of Reena Virk, a South Asian teenager who lived in Victoria, BC. Chakkalakal draws attention to the numerous articles, commentary, and gossip that surrounded and informed the resulting criminal case, as well as the reported verbal abuse that Reena suffered from the teens who murdered her.
*Davina Bhandar, professor of Canadian studies at Trent University has spoken many times about the link of race to the Virk case (here's the link to a talk she gave at UVic) : 
*The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology recently published Brown Girls, White Worlds: Adolescence and the Making of Racialized Selves, by M. Rajiva (assistant professor of sociology and criminology at St. Mary's University), citation: The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 165-183, that talks about the role of race using the Virk case as one example.
*"Crimes of colour: Racialization and the Criminal Justice System in Canada" by Wendy Chan and Kiran Mirchandi:  pp. 76-77 talks about Yasmin Jiwani's opinion, and expands on erasure of race and its role in the case: Weeks later, he (Warren Glowatski) told his girlfriend that he had killed an "East Indian" girl whom he had never spoken to, in order to get back at other "East Indians" who had beaten him up  
*More from Mirchandi and E. Tastsoglou from Journal of Status in Political Economy (entitled Towards a diversity beyond tolerance): , regarding Kinesis: The author of this article notes that the explanations provided for the incident focused primarily on teen-girl violence and there was little acknowledgement of the fact that "Reena Virk died because of racism… The implicit message is that had she been white and thin, she would have fitted in and there would have been no reason for her to be killed."
*Even a Master's thesis from Carleton University from 1998 expounds on racism and the Virk case: .
*Transnational Migration And the Politics of Identity edited by Meenakshi Thapan (page 9) discusses racism and the Virk case: a gang of teenage boy and girls in Saanich, B.C. was at the centre of public attention for murdering fourteen-year old Reena Virk, an "overweight" "dark-skinned" girl of "East Indian" origin... All of these inviduated acts of hate made news, distancing the Canadian society at large from them" .
*Add to this Dr. Yasmin Jiwani's  body of literature:    , and I think the context of race is quite clear. -- Samir धर्म 03:57, 10 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I have to agree absolutely with Samir - I think he clinches the point when he stated that since racism was discussed in Canadian media and other circles as a possible influence/motive, that aspect should be briefly explained here. If FJ had simply argued that the article should not imply that KME was racist, I would have agreed with him. Also FJ: I request you to keep a cool head and not to break WP:POINT or WP:CIVIL. With some of your previous statements, Samir would be justified in claiming personal attacks from you. Rama's arrow 13:31, 10 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, it is my opinion that stating Virk's ethnicity does imply Ellard is a racist.  No rhyme or reason for it.  Every time a white commits a crime against a non-white race is the motive.  That's reverse discrimination.  Fighting for Justice 04:32, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

text: I agree with you on "reverse discrimination," but try to understand that it is a fact that many people "think/speculate/suspect" a racist motive. The article must include that some "authorities"  do suspect racism, "because <give reasons here, including note of victim's ethnicity>." There also must be references and preferably inline citations. The article, however, should also clarify that this is not proven or established. I certainly agree that no subtle hint or insinuation must be made - keep the language NPOV but don't resort to removing facts. Cheers, Rama's arrow 04:37, 12 October 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: All right, well, I will agree that Virk's ethnicity be included so long as it explains the crime was not a hate crime.  The way it was worded before, I believe, it did imply it was a hate crime committed by racist.  Fighting for Justice 04:42, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

text: Yes, I agree - no insinuations must be made. Also, the crime should be discussed here with proper references, preferably authoritative/scholarly ones. Rama's arrow 04:47, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

text: Clearly, ethnicity has been evaluated as a possible determinant and this should be included in this article.  It is unfortunate that Fighting for Justice has resorted to personal attacks and blind reverts in the absence of evidence.  This behaviour is unacceptable and, should it continue, I will ensure that this user's actions are appropriately reviewed by another administrator -- Samir धर्म 01:57, 30 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: RfC

message: (removed inappropriate comment per WP:BLP).
207.102.21.253 23:41, 18 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  POV