The Organizers of the Summer 2017 Caledonia Blockade - Professional Protesters and Those Awarded Large Settlements

Throughout the whole ordeal of the August 10th to September 5th 2017 blockade of Argyle Street South in Caledona, I thought about the organizers who were there most every day, and kept asking myself, "How are these people able to show up every day to a protest?  Don't they have jobs that require their presence?  Of course some of the older ones may have been retired or independently wealthy, and some may have been funded by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council (HCCC).

Professional Protesters:  It is a well known fact, as I have blogged about time and time again since 2013, that the HCCC has bilked millions of dollars from the green energy corporations such as Samsung by convincing them that they had treaty rights (there is no treaty that covers Six Nations, as I have spoken about time and time again with postings of the original documents), and that there is unsurrendered land in the Haldimand Tract (again, I have shown that this is a false assumption by using the documentation signed by the Chiefs in Council), and that they are the legitimate government of the Six Nations people (this false assertion was at the root of the recent protest).  No one outside this group at Six Nations appears to know where the money went.  The HCCC have never opened their books to the Community (which has been but another thorny issue here abouts).  They could have used some of the millions of dollars to pay the protesters to keep vigil at the barricades.

The Settlement:  However, one of my relatives reminded me that a protest organizer is likely still living off the avails of a "settlement" with a hospital in Hamilton - one that was very controversial.  As is often the case, instead of dragging the matter through Court, the hospital provided an undisclosed sum in a "settlement".  Virtually all of us working in the system believed this person had bilked "the system", and in the process ruined the careers of a number of health care professionals.  I guess this person to this day has been able to live with themselves, and not worry too much about the considerable collateral damage.

Who is this person?  I am not going to open myself to litigation by an individual who would drag anyone through the Courts until they cried "uncle".  What I will do is cite "redacted" facts, those that I recall, those that likely can be verified by an inquisitive reporter who has the backing of media conglomerates.

My point in all this is to expose the background of the parties orchestrating the unconscionable acts which have had such a negative impact on Caledonia.

Here is what I recall, assisted by the recall of my relative.  While working as a health care provider in what is today the Hamilton Health Sciences system, a group of 7 hospitals and partner facilities "offering specialty care to people throughout the entire life cycle" (click here), I became familiar with one of the protest organizers.

Although the matter was covered extensively in The Hamilton Spectator and on CHCH TV news, since this occurred in the early 1990s, in the days before the Internet as we know it today, google searches are going to be unproductive.  The data resides in the archival files of the Spectator on microfilm, and in the minds of many of us who were working in the health system in Hamilton at the time.

To keep the information in this posting on point, I will simply list the most important details in the sequence they occurred:

1)  The person brought their aged mother to a hospital in Hamilton with symptoms of cardiac failure.

2)  During the mother's stay, the family (led by the 2017 "protester") claimed that the hospital was "racist" since the hospital was unable to provide a "translator" for the mother who allegedly only spoke Onondaga.  Of course Onondaga is a dead / dying language at Six Nations and so the demand was unreasonable.  Also to the best of my knowledge the mother spoke English; and it occurred to me at the time that if there was a concern, why did the person or other members of the family not assist here.

3)  The mother, died of cardiac failure; but the family believed that the death was caused by a Tylenol allergy.

4)  The family initiated a law suit, where, during the inquest experts testified that there had been no documented cases of "Tylenol allergy".  Also the family claimed that their mother did not speak English and did not understand that the nurse was telling her she was being given Tylenol - which if true would be highly important.  However my relative was one of the nurses who gave the patient Tylenol (there was a doctor's order), and claims that the patient understood what she was given, and responded in the affirmative when asked if it helped any with her pain.

5)  Then, as now, it is often best for those institutions or corporations accused of anything, especially when the "race card" is in play, to simply "settle" and avoid further litigation.

6)  The family received a massive "out of Court" settlement.

7)  Blame (since there needs to be a scapegoat) was ascribed to the nurse who happened to be on shift at the time the mother died.

8)  There was massive fallout within the system including resignations of excellent health care professionals who were dragged through this "no win" situation.

Hence, it is likely that the protest organizer is still living comfortably on the funds obtained from the hospital, and would have ample time to orchestrate protests.

The above is based on memory (of two persons) and if there are errors, I apologize in advance, and will be pleased to make any necessary corrections.  I have not, nor will I, name the person or family discussed here.

DY