CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, April 29, 2006
CALEDONIA, Ont. -- Hundreds of Caledonia, Ont., residents crowded a police barricade Friday night discontented by a native roadblock on the town's main street.
Two busloads of Ontario Provincial Police, lined up in front of cruisers, separated the more than 200 locals -- some blowing air horns, others waving Canadian flags -- from an equal number of Six Nations natives who have occupied a subdivision development about 30 kilometres south of Hamilton since Feb. 28.
Businesses were shut down early Friday, and locals began to gather near the blockade about 6 p.m.
Natives claim a 40-hectare property, for which developer Henco Industries has the legal land certificate, was wrongfully taken from them in the 18th century.
Anger between the two groups peaked Monday night with the arrest of two people after Caledonia residents stormed a police barricade.
Days earlier, violence erupted on the disputed land when police raided the site and arrested 16 men. Natives from across the country flocked to the site, lighting tire fires and throwing a van over a bridge.
Woodrow Sparks has lived in Caledonia for 34 years, and wants the army called in to open the road.
"There are two laws in this country: laws for the rich and laws for minorities. We're in between," he said.
Andie Ingram, who owns a home less than one kilometre from the blockade, said he doesn't oppose the natives or their right to protest, but does not agree his rights should be infringed.