Aboriginal Women In the Prison System

I was reading the news today. Tanya Lorraine Neill of the Gitxsan First Nation is suing Corrections Canada for improperly classifying her while she was in detention. With no criminal record, Tanya was sent to medium security prison. Since she had no record, there was no history that justified not sending her to a minimum security location. The difference between the two levels of custody, is the difference on whether or not certain passes and privileges would/could be gained. It also makes that difference on whether or not you have a better chance at early release.

It seems that a noticabley higher percentage of aboriginal women are classified as higher security risks, therefore being sent to higher security level prisons. Aboriginal women apparently also do more time than the average offender, for the same types of crimes.

I then found an interesting report, "The Custody Rating Scale, Initial Security Level Placement, and Women Offenders". This report is presented by Corrections Canada and it indeed shows that there is a problem with the classification of aboriginal women. While only 42.1% of non-aboriginal women are placed in medium security, 60.3% of aboriginal women get that same classification. As for maximum security, 10.3% for aboriginal and 2.6% for non aboriginal. Marked differences that I do not believe can be explained away by explanations of justified reasons or coincidence.

The report went on to state that Corrections Canada is concerned and more study has to be done. More study? Concerned? And how long will you be concerned for? And how long will you study for?? Action is what is needed. Not pontification. These women are being treated poorly and UNEQUAL to their peers. That is not what this country is supposed to be about.

Marshall Marshall Marshall

It seems our favorite Caledonia area judge is at it again. Now he thinks he has jurisdiction to order a stop to the negotiations related to the landclaim dispute there. I really question his legal authority in this regard. The original order is a mute point now that the company that requested and received the removal order no longer own's the land. Therefore this particular ego maniac should no longer even be involved, let alone holding hearings and making orders that I believe he his not legally entitled to make. I think all parties in this matter should challenge him in court. Appeal it above him, as it seems to me he needs to be reminded of his place in a democratic judicial system.

It's not always about race..,,

Sometimes, people are just assholes. I find myself, a lot lately, leaning in the direction of racism for the answer to the way people conduct themselves. This blog is a prime example of that. Truth be told most of the time it is not racism and the asshole being inappropriate is just too ignorant to even co-relate the race and person in to one issue.

When I was young, my mother always jumped on that bandwagon. She, herself, is white. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. Growing up in the northern regions of Ontario, she didn't even see a black person until she was three or four. Now in her 50s, she still remembers that particular incident. She was in awe of this person with the chocolate skin. She said she actually thought that she would want to taste him. To see if he tasted as sweet as his skin looked. That is childhood innocence for you. There was no bitterness or negativity in her first encounter with a minority person. Just curiosity and wonder. Time in the big city changed that for her.

There were incidents in her life, that could have turned her away from the "melting pot" that is this city. Violent and nasty incidents. But it didn't. She met and married and Native man. She gave birth to four children by him. She (and her family) thought it was a wonderful thing. Her family still held on to the legacy of their ancestors. The legacy which included only surviving Canadian winters because of the natives. The natives taught them how to conserve, preserve and what food's to eat to keep them healthy during the long cold months. In short, they were thrilled at having a native in the family and even more thrilled with the four little native babies that came afterwards.

It was the 70s then. And this big city wasn't quite to the progressive point that it is now. Keep it mind it was still a heck of a lot better then most places to the south of us. She became very protective of her children.

When baby #2 (that's me) was still in a carriage, two elderly women stopped to admire the beautiful baby. When one remarked "What a beautiful asian baby", my mother told her very strongly that I was indeed native and looked nothing like and asian baby. Not that she has anything against asian babies, more like her pride was hurt that her beautiful native baby was being misidentified.

As we all grew older, there were incidents in our lives that were bad. Bad people did bad things. I will not go in to detail because my particular incidents are too long winded and my siblings stories are theirs to tell...not mine. I can remember though, that during several of those incidents, when my mother with her Irish temper would call the assholes involved, racists. I remember their stunned looks as the realization that I was not white came in to their tiny little minds. It was then that I knew, they were not racists. It was also then that I realized that not everything is racially motivated and sometimes people are just assholes. Mean little people that want to hurt, regardless of your skintone.

He's a VICTIM, you dolts!!

I am so happy, and thankful, that the 10 year old and 14 year old that were taken by Peter Whitmore are alive and safe. As soon as I saw the inital reports I was overjoyed. This particular case has really really gotten to me. I have a 10 year old son and could never imagine the fear, the pain of something like this. The helplessness of not being able to save him. The helplessness of not being able to ease his fear and pain (both physical and emotional). The helplessness of trying to help this little boy with picking up the pieces of what has been shattered.

Having said all that, I have to say I am still unhappy with the way the RCMP treated Jordan during this whole thing. First not doing much more than taking a 'missing persons' report (Did they learn nothing from the Leslie Mahaffy case-She was considered a runaway, BUT they found her in pieces, embedded in concrete at the bottom of a body of water-courtesy of Paul and Karla Bernardo). Then not feeling him worthy of an Amber Alert or change of status to Abducted or Endangered, when they learned who he was with.

Then, once rescued from Peter Whitmore, the RCMP seemed to be treating him as a suspect instead of a victim. They held him for over 24 hrs (while Zach was immediately returned to family) and during that time made hints at not knowing when they would allow him to leave. All of this fuelling rumors that he had participated in the victimization of Zachary. Can you imagine what people may say/think of him now??

Peter Whitmore is charged with two counts of kidnapping, two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm (1 charge for EACH boy) and one count of forceable confinement....due to it being a sexual assault case there is now a publication ban.

In short...I think the police failed Jordan and I believe they owe him a PUBLIC apology and need to clarify, so that Jordan is not further victimized.

And back to Caledonia we go...

The Globe & Mail made a request, under the Access to Information Act, to the RCMP for documents related to the Caledonia stand off. What they received was over 250 documents relating to the RCMP's involvement. Funny that there was so much paperwork for the "few" officers that the RCMP had sent to the area. Or atleast that is what the RCMP had stated back in April, that there were a 'few officers' there.

It has now been discovered that "a few" officers to the RCMP actually means around 80! Imagine that. With the large representation of the OPP, it was necessary for the RCMP to send in 80 officers as 'manpower support'. And not just regular RCMP officers, but specially trained officers from criminal intelligence, biker intelligence, drug trafficking and border & customs control. Apparently the RCMP see the natives as gun toting, drug trafficking, harley riding smugglers. All this they decerned from a relatively (yes I am aware there were some problems) peaceful protest and occupation. Apparently these fine gentlemen are trained in an area of criminal profiling which I am not aware exists.

If you listen to Bob Paulson of the RCMP, the officers did not take part in any of the OPP attempt at forced removal and just stood around most of the time. Let me get this straight...tax payers paid well over $200,000 for 80 RCMP officers to stand around for much of April and May?? I would so love to have a job that pays me to 'hang out'....hell, I would even charged them half of what these officers did.

The whole thing stinks to high heaven.

Is one missing child more urgent than another?

Jordan Bruyere is a 14 year old native boy that has been missing since July 22nd, as I noted in my last blog entry. I have been taking this whole Peter Whitmore case to heart and this whole thing has left me wondering. When is one child's disappearance more important or more urgent than another?

Immediately upon the RCMP discovering Jordan was believed to be with convicted pedophile Peter Whitmore, there should have been a stepped up urgency. There should have been media notification and attention. Yet Jordan, even now, is still ONLY considered a missing person. Not kidnapped, not a child in danger/peril. Even now that there are confirmed sitings and that he is in the company of a man who rapes children. A man that the corrections services reported was 100% likely to re-offend upon release. A man that is presently being hunted for kidnapping a 10 year old boy.

While Jordan did not give verbal indications to his mother that he is in danger or being abused, there is something the RCMP should take as an indicator that something isn't right. That 14 year old boy did not know where he was. At 14 years old it is not hard to figure out unless you are being prevented or threatened to not devulge such information. Another indicator should be from an eye witness who stated that Peter Whitmore was passing Jordan off as his son. Neither of these little particulars are positive things and lead me to believe that either through threat or violence Jordan is not with a child rapist of his own free will.

So when will the RCMP take this boys 'missing' status to the same level of Zachary? When will this native child stop being treated as less important?

Soon I hope. His life is just as important. His innocence is probabley gone now as well.