[IPSM] Canada.com's got it WRONG!

[Macdonald Stainsby]

They've updated:


Police end occupation, but natives remain

Jennifer Graham, Canadian Press
Published: Thursday, April 20, 2006

CALEDONIA, Ont. -- The thick black smoke of flaming tires marked a 
flashpoint of aboriginal angst Thursday after defiant native protesters 
pushed back a police effort to end the 52-day occupation of a southern 
Ontario housing development.

Supporters from across Canada were said to be descending on the 
construction site to show solidarity to the Six Nations members who took 
it over seven weeks ago, claiming the land was stolen from them more 
than two centuries before.

''There's people on their way from all over Canada and the United 
States,'' said protester and native supporter Dave Heatley, who used the 
Internet to contact native groups and reserves elsewhere in Canada in an 
effort to attract support.

''There's a few hundred people here now; I think as things progress, 
you'll see it swell to a lot more than what's here now. The longer 
they're here, the more people they're going to draw.''

Angry protesters used a large dump truck and a massive pile of blazing 
tires to block a road leading to the half-finished housing project, 
brazenly mocking police after a pre-dawn raid that was supposed to end 
the occupation.

One protester stood atop of the truck and yelled, ''What big men they 
are'' as he waved a red Mohawk flag. Many protesters wore bandannas over 
their faces.

The show of defiance took place after dozens of protesters were removed 
from the Douglas Creek Estates housing project in Caledonia, a quiet 
suburban community of about 10,000 about 25 kilometres south of Hamilton.

A judge granted an injunction in March to remove the occupiers, and 
police had been negotiating to have the natives leave the land 
peacefully throughout the dispute. Tensions mounted earlier this week 
when talks broke down.

There was a report that at least nine people were arrested Thursday as 
police moved in with ''overwhelming force'' at about 5 a.m.

The occupiers called in reinforcements and police were quickly forced to 
retreat.

A spokeswoman for the protesters, Janie Jamieson, said the confrontation 
was far from over and occupiers were bracing for another visit by police.

''We're prepared ... for however long it takes,'' said Jamieson.

''It's time Canada better stand up and take notice,'' said another 
protester. ''Everybody that is available is here.''

Ontario police Sgt. Dave Rektor refused to confirm any arrests.

Police action against aboriginals is an especially sensitive issue in 
Ontario where a standoff in 1995 in Ipperwash Provincial Park resulted 
in the death of protester Dudley George.

''They swarmed every which way, I couldn't even hazard a guess how many 
cops,'' said Clyde Powless, a protester who was on the scene when police 
moved in. Occupiers have been unarmed since the situation began, he added.

''We didn't have no weapons,'' he said. ''We're still hoping the 
politicians can do something, I'm not sure if they can, we hope they can.''

Neither the office of Premier Dalton McGuinty nor a spokesman for Native 
Affairs Minister David Ramsay would comment Thursday, calling the 
situation a police matter. On Wednesday, McGuinty said the province was 
committed to a peaceful resolution.

Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter called the situation an 
operational issue that's now in the hands of Ontario provincial police.

''We've obviously been concerned, and there have been negotiations 
ongoing for many, many days and weeks,'' Kwinter said.

''You're going to have to address your concerns to the OPP, they have 
made an operational decision that this was a time when they had to do 
something.''

Protesters said police were armed with Tasers, tear gas and pepper spray 
when they made their move on the occupation.

Protester Mike Desroches told Hamilton's CHCH television the 
confrontation by police happened ''incredibly quickly with overwhelming 
force.''

''The police just completely swarmed the territory,'' he said, adding 
that the officers entered the site with guns drawn.

''The police come in - without any warning, they come and raid our 
village - that's their tactic, they always come in when nobody's 
aware,'' Norma General, whose son Chad was among the arrested 
protesters, tearfully told CHCH.

The protest was reminiscent of the aboriginal occupation of Ipperwash 
Provincial Park, which resulted in the death of protester Dudley George 
from a police sniper's bullet.

The park was seized by First Nations protesters on Sept. 4, 1995, under 
the belief it was native territory that had never been properly surrendered.

Provincial police marched on the park two days later, and George was 
slain in the ensuing showdown.

George's death prompted accusations of police and government racism and 
an inquiry that is still ongoing.

Video from the scene Thursday showed a large crowd of police officers 
moving on foot toward some of the newly arrived protesters. But about 65 
protesters blocked the path of police and began walking toward the 
officers. Police then slowly retreated onto a dirt road.

Hundreds of residents lined the street leading to the occupation site to 
watch the drama unfold. Some took photos on their digital cameras. None 
would give their names, saying they owned businesses in the nearby town 
of Caledonia and feared for their livelihoods.

At least one Catholic school in the Caledonia area closed for the day at 
the request of police.

The protesters say the site was part of a large land grant back in 1784, 
but the provincial and federal governments say the land was surrendered 
in 1841 to help build a major highway.

The protest has irked local residents, 500 of whom turned out earlier 
this month for a rally to demand that authorities end the occupation.

A spokeswoman for federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has said 
the occupation is a provincial matter. The Ontario government said 
earlier this month that it wanted a negotiated end to the standoff.
© The Canadian Press 2006




shelly wrote:
>      Thursday » April 20 » 2006 
>         
>       Ontario provincial police move in; end native occupation of housing development
>               
>            
>             Canadian Press 
> 
> 
>       Thursday, April 20, 2006
> 
> 
>       CALEDONIA, Ont. (CP) - Ontario Provincial Police officers mounted a pre-dawn raid Thursday to evict aboriginal protesters who had been occupying a southwestern Ontario construction site for almost two months. 
> 
>       Since Feb. 28, dozens of Six Nations protesters had occupied the Douglas Creek Estates housing project southwest of Hamilton, which they say sits on native land. 
> 
>       Police moved "incredibly quickly with overwhelming force," just before 5 a.m., protester Mike Desroches told Hamilton TV station CHCH. 
> 
>       "The police just completely swarmed the territory." 
> 
>       Police had guns drawn and were armed with tear gas and Tasers, said Desroches, but there was no sign of a violent confrontation. 
> 
>       At least nine people were arrested, according to the CBC. 
> 
>       OPP Sgt. Dave Rektor told The Canadian Press that the operation was ongoing and there would be no official comment until a news media briefing, likely to be held Thursday afternoon. 
> 
>       Police vehicles were cruising the surrounding countryside looking for anyone who may have slipped away from the protest site during the night, according to CHCH. 
> 
>       At least 20 police officers were visible at the entrance to the construction site, where a campfire that had remained lit throughout the 52-day occupation was dying out. 
> 
>       Tensions rose on Tuesday after talks to end the dispute apparently broke down. 
> 
>       A judge granted an injunction in March to remove the occupiers, but police did not enforce it now. 
> 
>       "By the time anybody saw that they were coming, the police were all over the site and basically began arresting people," said Desroches. 
> 
>       The protesters argued that the site was part of a large land grant back in 1784, but the provincial and federal governments say the land was surrendered in 1841 to help build a major highway. 
> 
>       The protest has irked local residents, 500 of whom turned out earlier this month for a rally to demand that authorities end the occupation. 
> 
>       A spokeswoman for federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice has described the occupation as a provincial matter. 
> 
>       The Ontario government said earlier this month that it wanted a negotiated end to the standoff. 
> 
>       The standoff was reminiscent of the aboriginal occupation of Ipperwash Provincial Park, which resulted in the death of protester Dudley George from a police sniper's bullet. 
> 
>       The park was seized by First Nations protesters on Sept. 4, 1995, under the belief it was native territory that had never been properly surrendered. 
> 
>       Provincial police marched on the park two days later, and George was slain in the ensuing showdown. 
> 
>       George's death prompted accusations of police and government racism and an inquiry that is still ongoing. 
> 
>       © The Canadian Press 2006 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
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-- 
Macdonald Stainsby
http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
    --Bertholt Brecht.