Saturday, June 16, 2007 - 09:00
The Sudbury Star
Editorial - It's not entirely hard to understand that, for the people of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, the sight of an Ontario Provincial Police cruiser brings about some unease.
The OPP, in the eyes of many on the reserve, is the symbol of hostility and distrust among Ontario native people since the debacle at Ipperwash in 1995 when aboriginal protester Dudley George was killed. The results of an expensive inquiry were recently released placing blame in several directions and George has become a sort of figurehead in the aboriginal community, the symbol of how far activists may have to go.
The recent incident along Highway 49, however, are the things of which nightmares are made.
The police version goes something like this: a Prince Edward County OPP officer is travelling the provincial highway south of County Road 2 near Marysville when he is flagged down by two motorists who appear to be in distress. He pulls over to help, and "confronted by two area men who immediately challenged the officer." A short time later, several more people arrive on the scene, some in camouflage attire, who "participate in the confrontation." Additional officers from the OPP and Tyendinaga Territory Police Service are called to assist. The scene was cleared and no injuries or arrests were reported.
Protesters at the Thurlow Aggregates quarry near Deseronto, who are occupying the site demanding its operating licence be revoked on land that is currently subject to land claim negotiations, say the protest had nothing to do with it.
They do say, though, that the Mohawk community is becoming increasingly annoyed by what they see as a greater police presence leading up to June 29, a national aboriginal day of action.
OPP officials refuse to comment further on the issue, so there has been no verification of whether OPP presence has been increased on the reserve or not.
But, openly courting confrontation with police in the manner that unfolded on Highway 49 is not a good road to go down for Mohawks wishing to make a point.
No good can come from an 'us versus them' approach to police of any stripe.
The OPP itself employs aboriginal officers, and in fact staffs the Tyendinaga service. There are better, more productive and civil ways to deal with an increased presence, if in fact there is such an upswing in numbers of provincial officers on and around the territory. Letters expressing displeasure of the presence, phone calls and strident vocal pronouncements are all methods used by other communities to get things done, and one would hope, could all be part of a national day of action. These are all wiser options to explore than a 10-on-one stare-down or come-on at the side of the road.
Confrontations lead to animosity, animosity leads to rumours and covert plans, which lead to confused actions borne from fear.
There are greater issues in First Nations communities than over-patrolling of a provincial highway through the reserve.
Never is the option of goading police to the point of violent response the correct choice.