The posting of 26 February 2020 below provides the background for the present post.
One might assume that even the most dedicated "protesters" would decide, during an emergency that is of a world wide scale, that blockading a road which brings in supplies to the Six Nations and Haldimand County communities would be suspended / cancelled. That is IF these individuals had any empathy, any remote concern for their fellow community members, they would do what is right. Nope.
At Six Nations they have declared a "community emergency" where all, including members of the elected and hereditary councils, are working together to help plan (see here), with the emphasis being on ensuring the health and well being of the elderly. At this point in time I hold all participants at the blockade guilty of crimes against the community, and they should be treated accordingly - as the pariahs they are!
Not being in the country, I called friends and relatives to check on the status of things there. Very very grim, as it is in the USA, with all schools, sporting events, restaurants shutting down etc. etc., and even my own return to Canada in question due to the possibility that the border will be closed at any time (as per the statements of both Prime Minister Trudeau and President Trump). It was not a surprise to me, knowing the participants at the blockade as I do, that the ............... s are still "manning the bastions" and keeping the "cause" (whatever that is) alive. Meanwhile seniors are dying and all people in the community risk getting very sick. Still, the beat goes on.
My contacts tell me that there has been traffic chaos in downtown Caledonia (which was inevitable - we have all seen it before during blockades of Argyle Street at Douglas Creek Estates). Ironically, the lack luster OPP have been giving $600 tickets to trucks that cross the Caledonia Bridge when the fact is that they are there is desperation or confusion caused by ...................... OPP inaction at the Highway 6 barricades. Even more concerning is the number of traffic accidents in the area. Some of these would appear to involve people having to navigate around the blockade in unfamiliar territory as they go to work or other venues. There have been a number of local traffic deaths, and it would be important to determine whether these were "blockade related". If so then these unprincipled protesters have blood on their hands, and should be treated accordingly.
The "protesters" are known, and they could be subject to community shunning. At any rate, they must pay the price for flaunting the law - to the fullest extent that the law will permit, or this will just keep happening over and over. In the opinion of the present author, who has assiduously tried to provide primarily factually correct data (along with the supporting documents or photographs), and largely avoided opinion - based statements in the vast majority of postings to this blog, the protesters should be arrested and jailed until such time as the corona virus pandemic makes it possible to bring them to Superior Court in Cayuga. Perhaps a little time to sit in a 4 x 8 cell will afford the opportunity to reflect on why they are there, and perhaps even induce an apology from a few that are in fact contrite about what they have done. Often a sincere apology goes a long way towards reducing the sentence of these offenders / perpetrators. For any of this to happen the OPP MUST DO THEIR DUTY!!
This is all deja vu, same behaviour seen off and on between 2006 - 2019. Now we can add 2020 to the list of years where these "activists" have held our community for ransom. When can those in Caledonia expect that the rule of law will apply to their corner of Haldimand County? How much can we be expected to tolerate? Is the ghost of Dudley George (Ipperwash) going to haunt us forever? Why do people from elsewhere chose to live in Caledonia? Why not live in an area where the rule of law is respected? My family has been here since day one (12 generations total), and my ancestors are buried here - so this is my aboriginal home, and I will not be pushed out for any reason!
Will hopefully be home very soon to offer more personal observations, and become directly involved at the ground level.
Update: 1) For an unstated reason, the blockade of the Highway 6 Caledonia bypass will be removed by the protesters on Friday 20 March 2020 - as are the OPP concrete barricades at each end - as reported in CBC News of 19 March 2020 seen here. Pathetically, the OPP thank people for their patience during the this extended interval. I, for one, have not been patient and the ONLY reason that this author has not been at the front lines is that being out of the country has posed something of an impediment towards meeting this goal.
2) As per an article in the Hamilton Spectator of 20 March 2020 the following statement (seen here) was issued by the protesters: "As a united collective and as a sign of good faith, we have agreed to remove the barricades on the bypass and relocate to Kanonhstaton — the protected place," read the demonstrators' Friday statement. In other words these criminals are heading back to the Douglas Creek Estates, the now desolate and tick infested property they stole in 2006. They do state that they have no immediate plans to blockade Argyle Street there (as has happened since 2006 more times than I can count). Apparently these vandals did damage to the Highway (they made fires there - apparently not with tires, a common practice, though), and a damage assessment and repairs need to be done, so the OPP cannot say at this time when the road will be opened to traffic.
3) As of 22 March 2020 Highway 6 is back to "normal" as per the article in The Sachem here. So no longer will trucks carrying hazardous material be forced to use dangerous side roads, and the traffic in Caledonia can return to "normal chaos". The vultures who perpetrated this abomination will, it would appear, again face zero consequences for their illegal actions causing so much distress to the community. We once again await another occasion where these predators will decide to pounce - it is as inevitable as spring following winter. After all they were bolstered by enablers, and there is was nothing administered (e.g., Court Order, OPP action, or even significant pressure from the general Six Nations community) to deter further action.
DY.
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