In a community that has been traumatized by outrage and conflict, Caledonia this week finally saw some flickers of light.
On Sunday, a developer and Six Nations negotiators ended their face-to-face talks by agreeing that construction workers could resume building houses on the Stirling Street subdivision where, days earlier, an ugly conflict with native protesters resulted in contractor Sam Gualtieri being viciously beaten.
This agreement may not seem like much, but when viewed against the backdrop of the past 18 months it represents a breakthrough in terms of meaningful dialogue, especially since the deal seems to have been built around co-operation and not cash.
But for many people a significant event came Wednesday, when OPP officers went into the subdivision and arrested a group of native protesters who had continued to occupy the site in defiance of the earlier agreement, and without the approval of the Six Nations Confederacy.
The police action did not come a day too soon. However divisive and inflammatory the Caledonia standoff has been, there is a sharp distinction between land claim disputes and antagonists who simply flout the law and dare authorities to respond. Outrageous events around Caledonia have led many angry citizens to lose faith in the justice system. They badly needed to see police take action and enforce the law.
Civil disobedience, which has a place in a free society, also carries consequences. The law applies equally and fairly to everyone.