In the previous blog posting I noted the illegal and immoral actions taken by protesters from the Haudenosaunee Hereditary Chiefs Council (HCCC) that began on 11 August. Argyle Street South is still blockaded with the same piece of metal debris and a few concrete blocks, sometimes with protesters present and sometimes with none is sight. Inertia, failure to do due diligence, incompetence, fear, political correctness ("Natives" are always victims, correct?) appear to have frozen our constabulary and converted them (the Ontario Provincial Police - OPP) into impotent watchers who are in effect, by their actions or non - actions, supporting the illegal blockade.
This blog posting is in essence an update from the previous one, adding new information, and sometimes highlighting what has already been said or migrating the add on info here.
What have the Federal Government officials done to help resolve the matter?: Nothing.
What have the Provincial Government officials done to help resolve the matter?: Nothing, although MPP Toby Barrett has always been supportive of Caledonia but the Government in power is Liberal and he is Conservative. The Liberals have shown an unconscionable lack of concern with anything to do with Caledonia.
What have Haldimand officials done to help resolve the matter?: The perspective of the Councillor for Caledonia, Craig Grice, is seen in an article entitled, Protest has 'nothing to do with Caledonia whatsoever': Haldimand councillor, in the The Sachem see here. The Haldimand Mayor, Ken Hewitt, is justifiably at the end of his rope, as reflected in the 29 August 2017 Hamilton Spectator article, "Mayor vents anger at protestors, OPP over Caledonia blockade" - click here. Another even more strongly worded article, "Community frustrated over standoff: mayor" is found in the Brantford Expositor (29 August 2017) - click here. I have great respect for both of these gentlemen, and if there was anything possible within their power that they could do, that barrier would have been gone within a few days.
What has Six Nations done to help resolve the matter?: In short, nothing but spin their wheels. A response of the Six Nations Elected Council is found in an article entitled, Blockade: Meeting sought, in the Brantford Expositor - to view click here. A further illustration of how Caledonia's woes are not noticed by SNEC can be seen here: The Sachem, 15 August 2017, "Elected council wants to meet with Confederacy" - click here. For an update on the Court proceedings related to farming the Burtch lands see, "Burtch land dispute heard in Brantford courtroom: Six Nations Elected Council seeking injunction against farmer" (The Sachem, 21 August 2017) - click here.
Importantly, in the last article above is a very important quote, namely, "The HCCC ........... were initially involved in the Burtch land negotiations, but left the process before it was completed". Since this information comes from the legal proceedings, it appears that the facts indicate that even though it was the HCCC, not SNEC, who abandoned any dealings with the Ontario Government, yet they (HCCC) irrationally expect that the Government should assign them ownership. They are a group with no legal standing at Six Nations, and apparently who were not involved in the agreement process (except to walk away) - in other words made no deal with the Ontario Government yet blame Ontario for giving the land to the proper authorities at Six Nations. Their perspective of course is patently absurd, it makes absolutely no sense, but should this surprise anyone who has followed the circus surrounding the DCE site since 2006? I think not. HCCC left the table and has zero rights in the matter - they were only there as a courtesy anyway.
Today the HCCC sent a spokesperson to relay the following message found in an article entitled, "Indigenous protesters 'still standing strong' in Caledonia", 29 August 2017, the Hamilton Spectator (click here). The spokesperson said, "We ask again for the public's patience as we work on some very complicated issues" she read from a statement. "Public's patience" - you have GOT TO BE KIDDING, that was lost in 2006! What a complete and absolute lack of awareness and concern about the mess they have created, all of their own doing, and not a hint of any concerns about Caledonia - which is simply being used as a whipping boy in the HCCC game of browbeating the Elected Council.
Who is suffering?: While the matter is largely an extremely annoying inconvenience, there are some who are impacted more. Clearly those who reside closest to the site (old DCE property) are in harms way. Hopefully they won't need emergency services since it would be impossible to get to West Haldimand Hospital in Hagersville without detours. Since a major artery has been blocked for 2 weeks now, businesses in Caledonia are now beginning to suffer since those from the south have to go around Caledonia rather than through Caledonia. This is grossly unfair and Six Nations do not in the slightest give a rats a**. The economic effect on Caledonia is profiled in a CHCH TV segment found here. I will say it now and I will say it again, there must be consequences to Six Nations for their unconscionable behaviour. A red line has been crossed, and there is no room for any kumbaya. I am guessing that the local illegal Six Nations smoke shops have NOT suffered.
Solutions: These clowns MUST BE REMOVED BY THE OPP. If those who we pay to enforce the laws do decide to act, please do it late at night, and preferably in the rain. There is no shelter anywhere near the site. The last building standing from the Douglas Creek Estates was recently trashed and has been removed. If you block 6th Line at the Rez, and also the junction of Argyle Street South and Highway 6 Caledonia Bypass, reinforcements will not be able to pour down from the Rez - it is simply not geographically feasible especially since they torched the Stirling Street bridge in 2006, and there is no access from there or anywhere else across the railway tracks. These simple measures will bring a much better outcome relative to 2006. Of course this is another "Cashedonia" a la 2006 and a great deal of overtime money is available to willing officers - surely they would not put the gravy train before duty .........................
Our local police (OPP) have to date shirked their duty and refused to act to protect Caledonia and enforce the law, one law for all citizens. Therefore I ask, Mayor Hewitt and Council, if you know that the OPP will continue to treat our crisis as a simple "peaceful protest", we are beat, so please BRING IN THE CANADIAN FORCES since anarchy rules, the criminals are in charge, and there is no end in sight. This will send the correct message to these perpetrators with whom there is no negotiation (it has been tried ad nauseum since 2006 and the best outcome is extortion, as with the Burtch property). Only force will work, that much is crystal clear.
What other choices do we have - status quo is not an option. Will those who have courage stand up for the law and be compelled to form a Haldimand Militia and do our own policing? This is of course the worse of all options. However, as a citizen, I am not prepared to suffer under the weight of these illegal acts perpetrated by vandals and thugs any longer. The rule of law has once again sunk beneath the surface.
So what is it, OPP action or Canadian Forces intervention. The factionalism at Six Nations will never go away so there is no expectation that the blockade will ever go away. After all they can leave it without any persons there all night and the OPP will allow the trash to remain blocking the road.
There is an old Yiddish expression which captures the essence of what / who we are dealing with here, one I learned from my professors who hailed from New York City, but which so aptly fits in Caledonia, summer, 2017 - mashugana.
DY
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