Friends and family of an Indigenous man found dead in a St. Catharines home are planning a march in his honour tomorrow night.
The Justice for Johnny Cronkwright March will start at 6 p.m. in front of the St. Catharines police station on Welland Ave., with people marching to 23 Raymond Street.
Organizers of the event say it is meant to create awareness, and will be a peaceful event.
The body of 32-year-old Johnathon Cronkwright was found inside the home on Raymond Street on Saturday March 9th after a civilian-led search party demanded to be let inside the cluttered home.
At that point, he had not been seen by family or friends, for nine days.
It's not clear how long his body was inside the home, and eye witnesses say he was covered in debris in an attempt to hide the body.
Police say the home on Raymond Street is known to them, and area residents call it a 'drug house.'
Cronkwright's family and friends have expressed frustration over how police handled the case, saying officers were told he was inside, but a search wasn't conducted.
Some say the lack of response is a race issue, saying if Cronkwright was white and not Indigenous, there would have been a different outcome.
The march planned for tomorrow night follows a similar march that was held the evening of March 12th.
Hundreds gathered in front of the Raymond Street paying tribute to Cronkwright, on what would have been his 33rd birthday.
Family say while Cronkwright had struggled with addiction, he was on the right path, and he deserved better.
Niagara Regional Police say they did not search the home because they needed evidence a criminal offence had taken place for a search warrant to be issued.
No charges have been laid, and police say the investigation continues.
"This is still an active investigation. We believe there are persons who have information who have yet to make effort to communicate with police. We ask that they reach out to investigators. We ask anyone with information to contact our detectives at 905-688-4111, option 3, ext. 1009358."