Getting Nasty In Caledonia

[Im going home Donny]

yeah well apparently Canada is slightly(mabey lots) racist, very ignorant and well alotta full of shit.

I find people getting worked up over tire fires ammusing(not really)....yet I don't hear anyone freaking out over free trade deals, much larger pollution issues, massive social issues, pollution by huge corps, smog, oil, war. etetet....but a bunch of natives getting pissed off that per usual they're people are taking it up the ass and instead of looking at the issue as a whole people start lambasting the tire fires....whatever.

[MarcO]

yeah well apparently Canada is slightly(mabey lots) racist, very ignorant and well alotta full of shit.

Cheap shot. Racism is everywhere. Whoever said the Canada didn't have racism? Way to generalize, nice work.

I find people getting worked up over tire fires ammusing(not really)....yet I don't hear anyone freaking out over free trade deals, much larger pollution issues, massive social issues, pollution by huge corps, smog, oil, war. etetet....but a bunch of natives getting pissed off that per usual they're people are taking it up the ass and instead of looking at the issue as a whole people start lambasting the tire fires....whatever.

I find that dismissing people's concerns by enumerating the many other things you think they should be concerned about ammusing (not really). You don't hear anyone getting worked up about the other things you listed? Listen harder then and stop making assumptions.

[Im going home Donny]

oh I was listening but thanks for for telling me off.

I guess Im just sick of Canadians holier than thou

attitudes when as far as I can tell we are rife with problems that are only getting worse by the year.

Also I don't think that by saying Canada has huge issues with racism is a cheap shot....we do, its a problem and just because its a problem everywhere doesn't mean it ought not be addressed.

WTF.

Edited April 24, 2006 by Guest

[DevO]

Here are some pictures:

http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?eventthumbs?event=0D2B000S

[Birdy]

it's like an ongoing brutal example of what happens when you don't communicate effectively... i think both sides should be ashamed of how they are dealing with the situation.. looking to be confrontational, instead of even attempting to talk things out.

just goes to show how much people really do get fired up about private property... we've all got a little American in us when it comes to this. there's a native group down around these parts who have been trying to lay claim to some extremely profitable farm land in the area... i do believe that their claim has been denied and deemed to be false, but for awhile tensions were high. "NOT FOR SALE" signs were posted all over the area. and a few certain farmers who did sell were immediately outcasted and talked down upon come 8 o'clock coffee hour at timmies.

[edger]

FYI, in case anyone is the KW area is interested:

Recent events in Caledonia have been a disgusting display of racism, colonialism and ineptitude on the part of all three levels of government.

Recent remarks by residents of the town show an appalling disregard for the rights of First Nations.

LET US STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE SIX NATIONS AS THEY STRUGGLE FOR LAND THAT IS RIGHTLY THEIRS AND TELL CANADIANS THAT WE WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS OPPRESSION.

A meeting will be held to discuss and organize how members of the Waterloo community can best support our brothers and sisters of the Six Nations on

Tuesday, May 2 at 4:00pm in the WPIRG Office

Rm. 2139, Student Life Centre, UW.

People are encouraged to come with ideas and be ready to brainstorm. For more information, email: Colin Phillips, cr2phillips@uwaterloo.ca

[Esau]

Come on people, we all know generalizations are reserved for the white trash that shuffles around at the festival of friends and people who attend pro-pot rallies.

[bradm]

Things looked like they were cooling off, then heated up again:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/05/22/caledonia-blockade.html

Tempers reached the boiling point just a few hours after what had seemed to be a breakthrough in a five-week standoff over the construction of a subdivision on land the aboriginal protesters claim is their land.

Barricades that the Six Nations protesters had erected on April 20 on Highway 6 came down as planned early Monday.

However, traffic was still being impeded because several dozen non-aboriginal protesters had set up a human barricade of their own.

That led to a scuffle between native and non-native demonstrators. Six Nations members then rushed to set up a new barrier.

The non-native blockade began Friday night, as part of a weekly demonstration by members of the community frustrated about the barricade that has been in place for almost five weeks.

So the people that were ticked off about a barricade protested by...setting up a blockade...

Aloha,

Brad

[Lazlo]

Pretty much. The natives removed their blockade several days ago but the OPP have kept the road closed. The white folk were just to slow to notice.

Dumb crackers.

[RayRay]

Looks like thing are heating up again, the power is out in parts of Caledonia due to the alleged burning down of a hydro station. I'm sure a state of emergency will be soon to follow. I just find it so sad that things had to reach this level before anyone would take notice.

[MarcO]

there was a state of emergency declared in Caledonia last night.

[edger]

I am sad. The footage on tv was pretty nasty. It appears that there are lots of violent honky tonk youth that are looking for an excuse to bash some heads in. I wonder how many of them have actually done their homework and know what they are fighting about?

[secondtube]

that goes for both sides edger.

[teetervillestation]

the power is out all over the place. people missing work - hospital in simcoe had to cancel elective surguries, tim hortons is closed. and last night it was so dark in my house that it was hard to find the bathroom. but eventually, i did. (fingers crossed!)

[Freak By Night]

If Mike Harris was still premier, this crisis would have been over months ago.

Now, before anyone starts bashing me, I hated Harris as much as anyone. I think he should be hung by the short and curlies for what happenned at Ipperwash.

I'm just stating a fact. Harris would have sent the cops into Caledonia with all guns blazing.

[teetervillestation]

You know, politicians at the top take the heat for a lot of shit. especially conservative politicians (on a extremely left leaning forum).

Often folks like Mike Harris are characterized as evil/inhumane/etc. for events that happen while they are in charge.

The inquiry into Dudly Georges death heard testimony from over 100 witnesses - testimony from both natives and OPP. The conclusion was that Harris never authorized any use of force. The shooting was the responsibility of the police, not the government.

Remember we live in a small country with a very accessible political system. Most people who hold office in Canada (regardless of their political affiliation) are not evil monsters who sit around inventing up ways to screw us, they are just normal people (neighbours-fathers -mothers) who are doing the best they can to govern and make decisions that will benefit the country.

[edger]

that goes for both sides edger.

Fair enough, and I definitely agree. Although I imagine that the consequences or implications of the said conflict (amongst others) are probably more apparent within the day to day lives of Native peoples. So many have probably "done their homework" whether they wanted to or not.

That is not to disregard the inconveniences and frustration that is being faced by non-native local residences. However, I would be interested to know how many have even bothered to give a fleeting moment's worth of consideration to the systemic forces at work here... before waving their fists at their opponents. And really... how many of their day-to-day lives are framed by oppressive forces?...

But hey, I realize that I'm just making sweeping accusations

[edger]

I'm saddened to hear that this situation is escalating even further.

I don't know all of the details but according to the local news, a group of natives attacked two camera men, as OPP stood by doing nothing. Apparently this was instigated after the news crew was filming the natives yelling at a couple in a car that were "failing to mind their own business"

Worse yet, the older man who had been driving that car is reportedly in the hospital after suffering from a heart attack

This is not good. I fear for what may come...

[bradm]

Local camera crew claims assault at Caledonia site

Aloha,

Brad

[edger]

Hmm. The report given on CH Hamilton was much more "sensational" than that contained in your link...

[bradm]

According to

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2006/10/13/caledonia-rally.html

Despite opposition from both provincial and local governments, a group of protesters from an outside community plans to go ahead with a scheduled rally at the site of a simmering native land dispute in Caledonia, Ont.

Aloha,

Brad

[briguy]

What the article fails to point out is that the two Richmond Hill people organizing the protest are white supremacists with close ties to KKK endorsed groups south of the border. Check out the fear they're spreading on their website caledoniawakeupcall.com, and they're friends with these folks homelandsecurityus.com, which is run by Douglas J. Hagmann, a very evil man.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Thanks for those links. Much can be gathered about them too by what they think is funny.

www.caledoniawakeupcall.com/humour.html

[bokonon]

I'm just wondering how these people think the natives are not being just. They're just using land that is theirs. I met the Six Nations treaty keeper and he has all the documents that show a large portion of southern ontario is all theirs, legally. If the natives want to keep that one small piece of land from being developed because it is environmentally sensitive then I say all the power to them and they have every right to be on the so called Douglas Creek Estates. I really don't understand what the march organizers are saying, or what their stake is in it. They legally own their property and are allowed to occupy it. They also have no stake in the area and just want to protest against natives in general. All they are looking for is media attention to promote their viewpoint.