A personal note
I wrote a previous entry about the stand off and it seems things are escalating there now with the town's people.
Last night there was a "town meeting" after which an angry mob of up to 500 marched to within a few hundred feet of the Native barricade. The yelled at police that stood between them and the natives. The yelled racial slurs at the 100 or so natives at the barricade. They demanded that the police remove the barricade. You know what this reminds me of. The lynchings of natives and black people in American history. Angry mobs then too had *insert red neck accent here*"meetins" and then marched in to jails and forceabley removed minority prisoners. Beating and dragging them to the nearest tall trees. Then they were strung up. Left to struggle and die. This was done without reason and with little proof of guilt. Only the mob mentality of "we are more deserving then them".
I challenge the media to interview the town's people. Ask them the pointed questions: Do you know what the natives are protesting? Do you know what the natives are fighting for? Are you racist?
I have been a victim of and an observer of the racism that is directed at native people. It has happened in Alberta and it has happened here. This is a nation wide problem and it is ignored by the masses. It needs to be addressed. No mob such as the one last night would stand infront of a synagogue, temple or a black people's parish and yell such racist remarks. That obvious racial attack would be forbidden....but go after the red skins. It's okay, they don't count. It's not a hate crime if it's a drunkin indian is it?
I blame this on the media too. They're very much putting the spin on this that the natives are wrong. They did not print that women and children were pepper sprayed when the OPP went in, they did not print that a lone female was taken to the ground by 5 OPP officers (all men), they did not print that the occupiers of the land were mostly elder females, and they did not print the racial comments that that mob used last night. What they did print is ONLY pictures of young virile native warriors with masks on their faces. Afterall isn't that more dramatic, who cares if it doesn't show the WHOLE picture.
Can you tell I am PISSED OFF? If you couldn't, I'm sure you can now. I am angry and I am scared. Scared for the indians down there fighting for and protecting their rights. Because even after those barricades are gone...the racism and ignorance lives on. Those 500 rednecks will still live next door and will still control most of the amentities and shopping venues that the natives may NEED to use.
This ripple effect has indeed come as far as toronto. My dad received a Native Pride hat for Christmas last year. I bought it at pow wow and figured he'd like it. It was a beautiful piece of work for a baseball hat. Well before the last few weeks no one pretty much paid attention to his hat. Now in the last week people have begun to stare and give dirty looks when they see it on him. The negativity grows on.....and it makes me sad. Very sad.
*Disclaimer: I am not a drunk. I do not do drugs. I am not on welfare. I work full time and am raising my own children.*
Last night there was a "town meeting" after which an angry mob of up to 500 marched to within a few hundred feet of the Native barricade. The yelled at police that stood between them and the natives. The yelled racial slurs at the 100 or so natives at the barricade. They demanded that the police remove the barricade. You know what this reminds me of. The lynchings of natives and black people in American history. Angry mobs then too had *insert red neck accent here*
I challenge the media to interview the town's people. Ask them the pointed questions: Do you know what the natives are protesting? Do you know what the natives are fighting for? Are you racist?
I have been a victim of and an observer of the racism that is directed at native people. It has happened in Alberta and it has happened here. This is a nation wide problem and it is ignored by the masses. It needs to be addressed. No mob such as the one last night would stand infront of a synagogue, temple or a black people's parish and yell such racist remarks. That obvious racial attack would be forbidden....but go after the red skins. It's okay, they don't count. It's not a hate crime if it's a drunkin indian is it?
I blame this on the media too. They're very much putting the spin on this that the natives are wrong. They did not print that women and children were pepper sprayed when the OPP went in, they did not print that a lone female was taken to the ground by 5 OPP officers (all men), they did not print that the occupiers of the land were mostly elder females, and they did not print the racial comments that that mob used last night. What they did print is ONLY pictures of young virile native warriors with masks on their faces. Afterall isn't that more dramatic, who cares if it doesn't show the WHOLE picture.
Can you tell I am PISSED OFF? If you couldn't, I'm sure you can now. I am angry and I am scared. Scared for the indians down there fighting for and protecting their rights. Because even after those barricades are gone...the racism and ignorance lives on. Those 500 rednecks will still live next door and will still control most of the amentities and shopping venues that the natives may NEED to use.
This ripple effect has indeed come as far as toronto. My dad received a Native Pride hat for Christmas last year. I bought it at pow wow and figured he'd like it. It was a beautiful piece of work for a baseball hat. Well before the last few weeks no one pretty much paid attention to his hat. Now in the last week people have begun to stare and give dirty looks when they see it on him. The negativity grows on.....and it makes me sad. Very sad.
*Disclaimer: I am not a drunk. I do not do drugs. I am not on welfare. I work full time and am raising my own children.*
posted by Kari at 7:49 AM
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