Caledonia, June 9-11, 2006
I just received the following message in an email from a friend. Since I am a notorious hater of chain letters, I figured it more appropriate to post it here.
This will also serve as an important test of the extent of government interference in public blogging sites, since both Canada and the United States are notorious for media control when it comes to Native issues. I am hoping that inserting this paragraph in here will make this a little too obvious to delete, and thus allow this post to survive, but we shall see what happens.
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The email message is as follows:
Update, Grand River June 9, 2006
First of all I have to tell you that I am experiencing a great deal of interference with getting this e-mail out. I am sending it directly to MNN first, and I will try to send out individually because every time I attempt to send it out to all, it comes back undeliverable. Sorry for the delay.
Update from Grand River
Today has been a day of unrest at the land reclamation site. While I won't go into great detail on what has happened today as a press release is being prepared, it is suffice to say that the intimidation tactics and pressure from the outside has worked to the point that 1000 opp officers are being dispatched to the area surrounding the reclamation site, and the Caledonia residents are up in arms, demanding the removal of our people from the site, and even going so far as to setting up a barricade on the recently opened plank road (argyle street) leading into Caledonia. It is important for all of you to understand that the intimidation tactics leading up to day were constant..... including army helicopters and others flying overhead all hours of the day and night; including hovering overhead between 2 and 4 in the morning with their lights off , and then on occasion, shining high powered lights down onto the people on the site. This has been going on constantly. Our people are being faced daily with people driving by, hollering racial remarks including "go home you f'n Indians", "get a job", "your gonna die" etc. Garbage is constantly being thrown at us, and besides the "flipping of the bird" there have been times where firecrackers are being thrown out the window toward us. These incidents however, are not followed up on by the opp because they are not breaking any laws.
today a united states border patrol vehicle was retrieved with high powered surveillance equipment in it. The first story from the opp was that the "A.T.F. Officer" was just visiting friends in the neighbourhood and was taking pictures "kinda like a tourist", when spotted just down from the the front line barricade and then followed to the back door of the reclamation
site. then later when we questioned further what the United States ATF was doing snooping around taking pictures of our people with the opp riding in the back with them, they changed the story saying that they had been invited in by the opp. Our question as to what they were doing there, what is their mandate, and the fact that obviously these people have gotten high government official clearance to be so far out of their jurisdiction was unanswered by the opp representatives. an opp officer was hospitalized as a result of this incident, and a ch tv. Newsperson/cameraman had to get stitches as a result of a previous run in with our people. This situation is not good.
What needs to be understood is that the incidents of today, are a direct result of the constant intimidation tactics of the opp and others of the military, the continued racial discrimination being shown, not by us, but by the Caledonia people, including the recent blocking of our children from using the arena for lacrosse games; the back tracking by the provincial government at the negotiating table; all of which lead up to the ultimate goal of the government. To justify stopping the talks at the negotiating table. From what we have been told at the fire tonight, this is the position of the government at this point. Canada does not want to deal with the Onkwehonweh people because they know we are absolutely right in our position with respect to the land, our sovereignty and upholding our Law. The violence that occurred is not something that we are proud of, but it is something that we completely understand knowing and understanding the underhanded and direct attempts at inciting the action required to justify another attack against our people, and to make it look like we are uncontrollable. Why else have they been playing the "terrorists in Canada in court in Brampton" back to back with the "six nations land reclamation in Caledonia" on all of the news stations Canada with the help of corporate media, is making sure the mental brainwashing of its citizens against the Onkwehonweh people continues. How convenient that CHTV 11 was there even before this all started. How coincidently that the couple who sparked the violence with their racial attacks drove straight to the Canadian Tire parking lot, and how convenient that a "by-stander" happened to have a video camera across the road at tim hortons video taping the whole scene and directly reporting to CHML radio who happens to be co-owned by chtv 11. Was it a co-incidence! or were these people already on standby knowing that a story was about to break. It is unfortunate that our people fell for it, and in hindsight we can all wish it didn't happen, but the reality is, unless you are in the situation, dealing with the constant mental emotional and physical intimidation of the corrupt bureaucRATS; and the racial violence that has been directed at our people on a constant basis, none of us can truly say how we would have responded if in the situation ourselves.
The potential for violence occurring on the site in the next little while is tremendous. The Caledonia people are wanting to come in to take us out. The opp are maintaining a line between the Caledonia residents and the reclamation site. It is unknown how long this is going to continue. Our people need to be on alert. Again, we are on the site unarmed, we are trying to maintain the peace, and we are keeping the people toward the inner perimeter of the site. I will forward further updates as soon as I get them. Please forward to others.
Stay Strong and keep the Peace.
Hazel
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For the purposes of counterbalance as well as an inside view of how the media can be manipulated, I now enclose the following excerpt from the CBC News website at
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/06/10/caledonia.html----------------------------------------
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OPP officer hurt, U.S. Border Patrol swarmed in Caledonia clash
Last Updated Sat, 10 Jun 2006 22:27:27 EDT
CBC News
Ontario Provincial Police plan to arrest seven more people after an OPP officer was hurt and a U.S. Border Patrol car was swarmed in Caledonia, a police official said Saturday.
Tension between native protesters, townspeople and police continued through the night. (CBC)
"The OPP investigated three violent altercations that took place within an hour of each other in the south end of Caledonia," OPP Deputy Commissioner Maurice Pilon told reporters.
He said the first confrontation was just before noon on Friday and involved an elderly couple visiting from Simcoe.
Two camera operators from Hamilton-based CH Television said native protesters attacked them and demanded their video footage as they tried talking to the couple in front of a Canadian Tire store.
Incident involves auto theft
"One [camera operator] was swarmed, assaulted and had his camera stolen," Pilon said.
"The third incident involved the theft of a motor vehicle, which was swarmed, its occupants forcibly removed and [the] vehicle taken. An OPP officer [was] deliberately driven at by the stolen vehicle. Other officers at the scene, fortunately, pulled him to safety," Pilon said.
That vehicle was later identified as belonging to the U.S. Border Patrol. Members of that group were visiting the area to observe how provincial police were handling the standoff.
The officer was treated and released. The stolen border patrol vehicle was later recovered.
Three people were arrested Friday night on charges of breaching the peace, but police hope to make more arrests on charges that include attempted murder, robbery, intimidation and assault causing bodily harm.
Debbie Walker, a managing producer at CH Television, said one of the camera operators was taken to hospital Friday with cuts and bruises to his head. A second camera operator also suffered minor injuries after he was kicked and punched.
Nick Garbutt needed a couple of stitches to close a head wound. His colleague, Ken MacKay, accompanied him to hospital, but did not require treatment.
MacKay alleged that he asked for protection from OPP officers standing nearby but they did nothing to help.
Pilon defended his officers and said: "Our members have been here for 102 days now. I think they have performed admirably under trying circumstances."
Insults thrown around
The conflict continued late into the night as dozens of natives and non-natives hurled insults at each other over a schoolyard fence. Townspeople also directed their anger at police, accusing them of being one-sided after finding out that two non-native residents were among those arrested.
The three-month standoff began Feb. 28 when a small group of Six Nations protesters from the Grand River Territory reserve moved on to a construction site in the town, southwest of Hamilton, claiming the land belongs to them.
Since then, there has been an abortive OPP raid to clear the site in April, a subsequent blockade of a major artery into town; strained relations between native and non-native protesters that led to a standoff down the road, and finally a period of calm after the protesters took down their blockade and moved back on to the construction site.
Native protesters still occupy that land.
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As you can see from the two different reports, it is definitely agreed that the US Border Patrol was in fact present at the Caledonia site, which is located at least 50 miles away from the nearest part of the US border, at Niagara Falls.
But WHY?
The most logical reason for the OPP collaborating with the US Department of Homeland Security when dealing with native issues is that they share a common goal in regards to dealing with Natives. What could that possibly be? This is a definite cause for concern for Natives across North America, as it shows a clearly-defined line in the sand, so to speak.
Native people are considered "the enemy" by the governments of Canada and the United States, as we are the only people who can legally challenge the legitimacy of their governments. Should we ever stand up on our feet strongly and proud, as true independent nations once again, America and Canada will collapse, along with their politcal, financial, and social infrastructure.
But all the problems that the colonists may have as a result of us regaining our freedom is not our problem. When you squat on stolen land, you always have to be prepared for the day eventually coming when you will receive an eviction notice.
How ironic that the squatter governments try to evict the landlords. It sure will be interesting to see how they react when our time finally comes. Demographics clearly show that we WILL reclaim our lost continents, as we have the highest population growth.
If the Canadians and Americans had any foresight, they would start negotiating the boundaries of the "guest reservations" that they will inevitably have to live in. But if they do not wish to acknowledge the inevitable, then they shall just have to accept whatever scraps we toss them. What goes around, comes around.
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