[Indigsol] IPSMO's Newsletter: May 31st-June 8th

[Indigenous Peoples' Solidarity Movement -Ottawa]

IPSMO’s Newsletter: May 31st-June 8th

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Meetings:

1) Next General Meeting, Tuesday, June 2 at 6pm
2) Native Women and Two-Spirited People’s Struggles Working Group Meeting,
   Sunday, June 6 at 2pm
3) Anti-Uranium/Nuclear Art Show on May 31, 2009 at Maberly Hall at 2pm
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Events:

4) Upping the Anti Journal Launch,
   Panel Discussion: Algonquins Defend the Forest,
   Tuesday, June 9th at 7pm
5) Anti-Olympics Speaking Tour Coming to Ottawa, Saturday, June 13th at 2pm
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Announcements/Articles:

6) Dominion now paying for articles: Call for pitches
7) Strangers Scour the Land: The search for Maisy and Shannon
8) Support John Moore in his campaign for justice

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1) Next IPSMO GM

General Meeting
Tuesday, June 2 at 6pm
Exile Infoshop
256 Bank St.
This location is not wheelchair accessible
ipsmo at riseup.net
http://ipsmo.wordpress.com

This is a meeting where our 4 working groups report back, and we discuss
anything else that relates to our organizing.
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2) Next NWTPS WG meeting

Working Group Meeting
Sunday, June 6 at 2pm
Exile Infoshop
256 Bank St.
This location is not wheelchair accessible
ipsmo at riseup.net
http://ipsmo.wordpress.com

	This working group organizes in solidarity with native women and
two-spirited people’s struggles.  One of our focuses is opposing violence
towards native women and two-spirited people.
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3) Anti-Uranium/Nuclear Art Show on May 31, 2009 at Maberly Hall at 2pm

Sunday, May 31st at 2pm
Maberley Hall, Maberley
Bus Leaves Ottawa at 1pm
Returns at 6pm
Costs $50
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4) Upping the Anti Journal Launch, Panel Discussion: Algonquins Defend the
Forest

Tuesday, June 9th at 7pm
Exile Infoshop
256 Bank St.
This location is not wheelchair accessible
ipsmo at riseup.net
http://ipsmo.wordpress.com

UPPING THE ANTI #8 Launch
Panel Discussion: Algonquins Defend the Forest

Norman Matchewan, Barriere Lake Youth Spokesperson
Martin Lukacs, Barriere Lake Solidarity Collective, Montreal
Matt Kristjansson, Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa
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5)    Anti-Olympic Speaking Tour Coming to Ottawa, Saturday, June 13th, at
2pm

Anti-Olympics Speaking Tour
Christian from Vancouver/Montreal will be speaking

Saturday, June 13th at 2pm
Exile Infoshop
256 Bank St.
613 237 9270
FREE!
mattm-b at resist.ca

The ongoing struggle against the 2010 Olympic games, instigated in 2003,
is one of the major links between the defense of the earth and support for
basic struggles for rights in BC. These Olympic games will accelerate the
process of devastation.

The Olympics are but another facet of the capitalist, colonialist,
patriarchal and imperialist war that is destroying the earth and our
communities, especially indigenous communities.

This often obscured fact is very evident to us.

Corporate sponsors, the elite and mass media are united to promote the
games, which are too often used to justify domination everywhere.

This is why we are mobilizing to stop them, just like we are mobilizing to
put an end to exploitation everywhere.

Tournée anti-olympiques a Ottawa, Samedi, Le 13 de Juin

Samedi, Le 13 de Juin a 14h00
256 Bank St.
613 237 9270
GRATUIT!
mattm-b at resist.ca

La campagne des luttes contre les Olympiques de 2010 qui dure depuis 2003
et continue est en ce moment au BC un des principaux liens dans la
continuité de la défense de la terre et du vivant en général. Ces
Olympiques accélèrent tous les processus de dévastation.

Les Olympiques ne sont qu’un autre événement de la guerre capitaliste,
colonialiste, patriarcale, impérialiste
 qui ne cesse de détruire la
terre, la majorité d’entre nous et particulièrement nos camarades
indigènes.

Cette réalité pourtant si évidente nous est constamment cachée.

Des compagnies commanditaires des Olympiques aux médias de masse, les
élites s’unissent pour promouvoir ces “jeux” qui ne sont qu’un important
moment de la restructuration constante de la domination partout.

C’est pourquoi nous nous mobilisons pour les arrêter comme nous le faisons
pour mettre fin à ce monde d’exploitation généralisée.
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6) Dominion now paying for articles: Call for pitches


The Dominion / Media Co-op has a budget to pay two contributors each month.

Pitches are welcome from anyone, but priority goes to those who have
previously contributed.

We are actively looking for pitches on the following topics (but all pitches
with a Canadian angle are considered):

  - 2010 Olympics
  - Canadian intervention in Somalia
  - Hydro developments in northern Quebec and Manitoba
  - The economic crisis in Canada
  - Gender issues in Canada
  - Non-governmental organizations
  - Tar sands
  - Stories about grassroots organizing
  - Other underreported topics

To pitch an article, send us less than 200 words outlining a) the topic you
will cover, b) who you will interview or what sources you will consult, and
c) one line bio of yourself, a link to your previous work (if applicable)
and an indication of where you researched/are writing the story..

The Dominion / Media Co-op currently pays a flat rate of $100 for pitches
that are accepted. Articles are either 800 or 1600 words.

We consider pitches at the beginning of the month. The deadline for
articles, in any case, is the 15th of each month.

Send your pitch to: info at mediacoop.ca

--The Editors
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7)   Strangers Scour the Land: The search for Maisy and Shannon

http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/2694
By Maya Rolbin-Ghanie

Both are from *Kitigan Zibi*, an Algonquin reserve adjacent to Maniwaki.

Since September, neither the *Kitigan Zibi* Police Services nor the
Securite du Qubec has collected any evidence pertaining to the whereabouts
of the two girls.

The Dominion: All Stories -
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/index.rdf<http://www.dominionpaper.ca/index

Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

http://missingjustice.mvmnt.ca
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8) Support John Moore in his campaign for justice

John Moore is an Ojibway man from Serpent River First Nation who spent 10
years (from 1978 to 1988) in Millhaven Penitentiary for a murder he did
not commit. John Moore was convicted of 2nd degree murder in 1978 under a
law which was later repealed in 1987. The same evidence for which he spent
time in jail would no longer stand up in a court of law.

Institutionalized racism was a key factor leading to his false conviction
by an all-white jury. His wrongful conviction continues to follow him
today as he reports to a parole office on a monthly basis
And must be granted permission to leave the city of Sudbury. This is
impeding his freedom of movement and capacity to find meaningful work.
John has repeatedly asked for a review of his case, and  now  for a
pardon, but these requests have been ignored. He is now taking his
struggle for justice to Ottawa on June 10th.

Innocent Aboriginal Man Seeking Judicial Review for Wrongful Conviction

John Moore, an Ojibway man from Serpent River First Nation, spent 10 years
(from 1978 to 1988) in Millhaven, for a murder he did not commit. John
Moore is asking the Justice Department to review his
unconstitutional 2nd degree murder conviction.

After being sentence in 1978, the law under which he was tried was
repealed in 1987. “If he were to go to trial today on exactly the same
facts and evidence, the murder charge would never get past the stage of a
preliminary inquiry. He wouldn’t even have to stand on it today”, said
lawyer Glenn Sandberg.

John Moore has petitioned the federal justice department several times to
clear his name in the 1978 murder of a Sault Ste. Marie taxi cab driver
(Regina versus Moore). Court records show Moore was not present at the
crime scene, yet he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for second degree
murder because, the Crown argued, he spoke to the two killers about the
premeditated crime before it happened.

At the time of his conviction, Canadian law held that even though there
was evidence to show Moore was not at the murder scene but in fact with
other people, he could be found guilty of the crime because, on an
objective standard, he ought to have known the crime could have happened.

Moore argues that his conviction was a case of guilt by association.  Not
only an association with the men who actually took a man’s life, but
judicial prejudice that come with being a native man in a non-native
justice system. “There is no doubt in my mind that I was convicted because
of racism,” said Moore, who was tried by an all-white jury.

Although Moore has exhausted all his avenues of appeal, there is a section
in the Criminal Code, which gives special powers to the Minister of
Justice to order an appeal or a new trial in special circumstances.

Considering that several people convicted of murder were later found to be
innocent - David Milgaard, Donald Marshall, Guy Paul Morin – the justice
department should review cases such as Moore’s.

Despite his release from prison, Moore stresses that punishment continues
with the stigmatization of a conviction of murder charge. He continues to
serve a sentence of life of parole reporting to officers
On a monthly basis and asking permission to leave the city of Sudbury to
return home. While he was in jail, Moore also lost several important
people in his life, including a son, his father, and grandmother. 
Further, he faces inability to find meaningful work due to his conviction.

For more information on John’s struggle go to
http://homepages.cambrianc.on.ca/gbcooper/johnmoore/

More Background Information

The facts of the case are fairly simple.  John was not at the scene of the
crime, did not know in advance that there was going to be a crime, and did
not know after the fact that a crime had been committed.

The Crime On the evening of the murder, John Moore was with his
brother-in-law, Richard Nichols.  Mr. Nichols agreed to give two men, Mr.
Gordon Stevens and Mr. Terrance Hogan a ride to downtown Sault Ste. Marie,
where the two men were dropped off.  Mr. Moore and Richard Nichols went
looking for parties and were seen together throughout the evening by a
number of people.  At approximately 4:00 a.m. the next morning, they met
the two men they had given a ride to at a house party.  Sometime between
the time of their being dropped off downtown and their chance meeting at
The party, Mr. Hogan and Mr. Stevens robbed and killed a cab driver, Don
Lanthier.

The First Trial The first court case took place in 1979.  Mr. Moore was
charged with first degree murder along with both Mr.. Stevens and Mr.
Hogan.  What is really interesting about this is Mr. Nichols, who was with
Mr. Moore for most of the evening, had all charges against him dropped. 
He was the only "white man" in the quartet that was originally charged
with the crime, and he was the only one let off without a trial in return
for his testimony against his three co-accused.  Mr. Moore was convicted
on
The evidence presented against him by the Crown Attorney on the charge of
second degree murder.  He won his appeal  and a new trial was ordered for
September 20, 1982.  At this time he was charged with second degree
murder.

The Second Trial In the second trial, lots of information obtained from
the witnesses against Mr. Moore in the first trial was denied or forgotten
by the witnesses. Also,  information was disallowed by the judge of the
case that had been allowed in the first trial.  For example, Officer
Burns' notes from the day of the arrest were disallowed, as they had too
many missing and garbled pieces to be considered as true evidence.  The
three main witnesses, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Hogan and Officer Burns,  in the
case against Mr. Moore basically changed their stories so much as to be
almost a different story altogether.  Mr. Hogan's memory was so bad that
he couldn't remember making statements even after they were read back
To him.  Mr. Nichol's story was so inconsistent that the judge said, "I
think what Mr. Douglas is trying to do, for our benefit, is to go over and
see whether this is -- I think, under these circumstances, all of
Us would like to know when we were getting the straight story and when we
were getting something that was deliberately left out, and when we were
getting something that was a cover-up.

We've got so many statements, and so many stories, he seemed to me,
according to the evidence that came in , he agreed to everything anybody
would put to him.  It would assist all of us if we knew what he says he
believes to be the truth."  This was said in regards to Mr. Nichols
testimony, after he had been testifying for some time.  He changed his
story from the first trial to the second so much, and so often that
The Crown, the Judge and the Defense had trouble deciding whose witness he
was.

The reason John was charged with murder was not because he was at the
scene, which he wasn't, but rather was because the Crown Attorney had a
theory.  The Crown's theory was not that John had committed the murder,
but rather that he had masterminded the plan in which the cab driver
Was killed.  The theory was that Mr. Gordon Stevens and Mr. Terrance Hogan
weren't intelligent enough to come up with the idea of robbing and killing
Mr. Lanthier on their own, they needed help.  As a matter of
fact, the theory was that Mr. Lanthier was killed because he was dating
Mr. Stevens' ex-girlfriend. Whether this is true or not is irrelevant, as
neither of  these two men put Mr. Moore at the scene of the crime on
the night of the murder.  They also did not indicate that Mr. Moore was in
any way involved in the planning of the death of Mr. Lanthier.

Although there were other witnesses against Mr. Moore, these three were
the main witnesses against Mr. Moore, the only ones who could say anything
about what was seen, done, or said in regards to this crime.  As soon as
there testimony became unbelievable, Mr. Moore and his attorney both
believed they had the Crown's case beat.  Despite the judge's directions
to the jury, who were all of white heritage, and despite the Crown's
inability to present a case against Mr. Moore that put him at the scene or
in charge of the planning of the crime, he still found himself convicted
of murder for a second time.

The Appeal Mr. Moore's appeal of his second conviction was denied all the
way through the criminal justice system, and was denied a hearing by the
Supreme Court of Canada.