Friends honour murder victim

January 9, 2007

Friends honour murder victimWoman slain in New Orleans was active in Halifax peace groupBy CLARE MELLOR Staff Reporter Groups of young and old sat around chatting in the January sun in front of the Halifax North Public Library on Sunday as the collective Food Not Bombs dished up a steaming hot vegan curry. It was just the kind of scene that would have been appreciated by humanitarians Helen Hill and Paul Gailiunas, who were instrumental in starting Food Not Bombs in Halifax, says Caleb Latreille, one of the roughly 30 volunteer members of the group in Halifax. Now marking its 10th year in Halifax, the group provides hot vegan meals to the homeless and other members of the public three times a week. "I really can’t imagine what this group would be like, or if it would even be here, if it wasn’t for them," said Mr. Latreille, who credits the couple with motivating him to

be part of the group. "They were part of Food Not Bombs from Day 1. . . . I feel like they did more for this community and to welcome me into this community than anyone else I’ve met in this town." Mr. Latreille and countless other friends of the couple are still in shock over the killing of Ms. Hill, an award-winning filmmaker-animator who lived in Halifax with her husband in the 1990s. Dr. Gailiunas, a Halifax-born family doctor, survived the Thursday morning attack at the couple’s Marigny home in New Orleans but was shot three times. Police found him clutching the couple’s two-year-old son, who was uninjured. Prior to the birth of Food Not Bombs in Halifax, the couple co-ordinated another group in the city that provided food to the homeless, according to Mr. Latreille. After the couple left Halifax in 2000, Mr. Latreille visited them in New Orleans in 2003 where they were also running Food Not Bombs. "I

remember the way (Helen) would talk with every kid in the neighbourhood, who would go ring their doorbell 10 times a day and be like, ‘Hi Helen, how’s it going?’ and she would just give them apples and stuff all day long." Also on Sunday in Halifax, about 50 to 75 friends of the couple gathered at a Brunswick Street home at noon for a vegan brunch in memory of Ms. Hill. Gatherings have also taken place in Los Angeles, New York and New Orleans. At the Halifax gathering, musicians, animators, filmmakers and others shared memories, hugs and tears over a menu of vegan scrambled eggs, chickpea patties, fruit salad, vegan cookies and soy drinks. "I think everyone is in shock but I think everyone is starting to deal with it the way Helen would have wanted us to, which is to be together and talk to each other and give each other love and support," said Lee Anne Gillan, a friend of the couple. The event was organized by Siloen Daley

and Jennifer Reynolds, former Halifax roommates of the couple. They said Ms. Hill loved gatherings and a brunch seemed like the natural thing to do in her memory. "They always brought people together in the neighbourhood and inspired people to do events together and think about the food they ate," said Ms. Daley. Ms. Reynolds said she is grateful that she spent some time with Helen and her husband recently. "I was in New Orleans in November and I saw them and it was really great because I hadn’t seen them for a number of years. I had dinner at the house and got to meet their son. "New Orleans is definitely a city on the edge. . . . They were really committed to coming back to that city (after hurricane Katrina) and making it better." Ms. Daley, an animator, said that Ms. Hill left an indelible mark on the Halifax film community with her unique approach to animation. "She did experimental animation. She

showed people how to take something of themselves and make art out of it. "She set up teaching (animation) at the (Atlantic) filmmakers co-operative. Her first class, I took it and a bunch of people who are here were in that first class. She inspired us. . . . Some of her students started teaching their own classes and making their own animation." Halifax friends of the couple are working on other events in memory of Ms. Hill throughout the week. Details were not available Sunday. Ms. Hill’s funeral is being held Wednesday in her hometown of Columbia, S.C. More information can be found at helenhill.org, a website that has been set up in her memory. ( cmellor) Peter H

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