I think I should indicate why I am here In Caledonia, since you have been influenced by the view which argues against "outsiders coming in."

Basically, I am in Caledonia because injustice is here.

Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities. I cannot sit idly by in Richmond Hill and not be concerned about what happens in Caledonia. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside Canada can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

There have been more unsolved crimes in Caledonia than in any other city in the nation [per capita].

Sometimes a law is just on its face and unjust in its application. For instance, I have been arrested on a charge of parading without a permit. [Mayor Trainer claims I needed a permit for my parade and hoped the OPP would arrest me]. Now, there is nothing wrong in having an ordinance which requires a permit for a parade. But such an ordinance becomes unjust when it is used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the Charter of Rights privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.

Residents' greatest stumbling block in their stride toward ending Two Tier Justice is not the Native Protesters or the Warriors, but the non-Native moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set back a wait for the end of Two Tier Justice; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Residents to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with.

In your statement you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But is this a logical assertion? Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery?

We must come to see that, as the Supreme court has affirmed, it is wrong to urge an individual to cease his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest may precipitate violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter to Alabama Clergymen adjusted for Caledonia.

Altered by Gary McHale of www.CaledoniaWakeUpCall.com

Link to Original Letter