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“We have to be heard,” she said.

Friends and family members of Justin Struthers, 29, who died in December 2017 from suicide after first seeking help at the Goderich hospital for mental illness, took a dramatic step to call attention to his plight. They made signs with autopsy photos of Struthers’ battered face.

“They’re not getting the help they need in here,” father Glen Struthers said.

His wife, Judy, added: “And we’re not going away. I’ll be here every weekend if I have to be.”

London lawyer Kevin Egan, who has launched a $325-million class action lawsuit against the province over conditions at the jail, joined the grieving families Sunday.

“It’s an opportunity for everyone to get together and share in the pain that people are going through . . . and also to speak with one voice about the injustices that are going on behind the four walls of EMDC with a view of putting some pressure on those with power to make the changes that are necessary,” Egan said.

Other grievances expressed Sunday included long waits for autopsy results, conflicting messages from police and the coroner’s office, rumours from inside the jail and years-long waits for a coroner’s inquest.

Many of those in attendance at the afternoon rally first met in April at a meeting Egan arranged at his office.

“I knew that everyone was suffering alone and I wanted them to understand that they weren’t alone. Out of that meeting grew today and I’m hoping to see similar events until changes are made,” Egan said.

We're not alone and we're going to be heard Janice Pigeau, whose son, James, 32, died in January

Prior to the demonstration, Pigeau and her husband, Roger, opened up their south-end home, where the demonstsators painted names on the 13 crosses – 12 white and one pink to represent the sole woman to die at EMDC.

Sporting shirts with the names of their loves ones, the group sipped coffee and munched on Timbits as they swapped stories, both happy and sad, about their deceased family members.

“A shared load is a lighter load,” Pigeau said.

dcarruthers@postmedia.com

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