City pushes back against violence at vigil for beaten teen
Community rallies around Noah Rabbani, who was attacked last weekend
When Charles Appiah found out his friend Noah Rabbani was in the ICU after taking a brutal beating from two men with a baseball bat, he couldn't keep the tears away.
"We started crying, and hoping and praying that he was OK," Appiah said, surrounded by friends and community members at a vigil for the 15-year-old on Sunday night, held in a park near the spot where he was attacked.
About 100 people gathered in the area of Rymal Road East and Fletcher Road, holding candles and signs, coming to show support for Rabbani's family. Two men jumped the Saltfeet Secondary student just last weekend, cracking his skull.
- Hamilton teen attacked with bat undergoes successful surgery
- Hamilton teen released from hospital after brutal attack
The suspects have not been caught. All they took was a backpack, with some books and a water bottle inside.
"He was at our house that night, and when we found out the next morning, it was heartbreaking in so many different ways," said Rabbani's friend Chelsea Appiah.
We are standing here today because we don't want violence. We don't want violence in our neighbourhoods, in our communities.- Salima Hafeez, Rabbani's aunt
"But the fact that we are here, and of all different races, shows that we are strong, and can get through this."
Some in Rabanni's family had questioned whether or not the incident may have been a hate crime, as Noah is of Muslim and Pakistani descent.
On Sunday night, Rabanni's aunt Salima Hafeez told the crowd her family has seen an avalanche of support from all over North America. A fund set up to help with the teen's medical expenses raised over $70,000 in just a few days, and the family has since shut it down, as the response is even greater than they anticipated.
Here's Noah's aunt Salima Hafeez speaking at tonight's vigil. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hamont?src=hash">#Hamont</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sc?src=hash">#sc</a> <a href="https://t.co/l9ZbfeiD0U">pic.twitter.com/l9ZbfeiD0U</a>
—@AdamCarterCBC"If anything, this is bringing us together as a community" Hafeez said while choking back tears, as supporters in the crowd cheered, "We're with you!"
"We are standing here today because we don't want violence. We don't want violence in our neighbourhoods, in our communities. We want safe communities for our children no matter where you live, no matter what colour you are, no matter what faith you believe in, no matter who you stand for."
Rabbani has been released from hospital, but faces a long road to recovery. His family says he has "good days and bad days," and is dealing with intense bouts of nausea, and still sometimes finds it difficult to speak.
Vigil organizers Candice Dunlop and Rabea Derdak told CBC News that rallying together in this way was both about supporting Rabbani's family, but also about showing that violence and hatred won't be tolerated in their neighbourhoods.
"You can't do something like this in our backyard and think it will be forgotten," Dunlop said.
