It took six days to take down the barricades and arrest protesters who closed Highway 49 and the Skyway Bridge near Marysville.
For many -- including members of the Tyendinaga and Deseronto community at large, who voiced their disgust and peevishness in growing numbers at the latest stunt -- that was six days too many to wait.
It's become clear that a small band of malcontents, with minimal support from fringe anarchist and professional protest groups from around the province, have outplayed their protest card and this protest may well be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.
Even the Mohawks of Akwesasne repeatedly urged the protesters to cease acting in the name of the community near Cornwall that had shut down a U. S. border crossing to voice concern about armed border guards in their midst.
Brant, of course, ignored the request as it didn't fit with his plans to force a confrontation with police to yet again claim his efforts to bring to the fore native health and rights concerns are being put down by police in an organized campaign to target natives.
Brant got his confrontation -- a couple of protesters were injured in scuffles with police, an officer slightly injured and Brant himself got, too, his place back in a jail cell where he'll further build his status as a martyr for the cause.
Trouble is, the protest did nothing but further alienate any sympathy or dialogue on the legitimate concerns of native people as the protesters have come to simply feed off their stunts for the seeming thrill of it all and the notoriety it gets them.
All it did was serve to again underscore the need for police to take off the kid gloves when confronted with a barricade or blockage of a rail line or highway.
In future, we would hope Brant and his crew are met with swift police intervention to head off further protests.
It's the summer in Quinte and that, unfortunately, has come to mean protest season for this small band of rabble rousers who, as has been shown, has dwindling support from the people they supposedly represent.
It's only a matter of time before large numbers of Tyendianaga residents -- those who don't actually live in fear of some of the more violent elements of this protest rabble -- rise up and begin confronting the protesters to tell them to their faces they don't represent the wishes of the vast majority of people on the Tyendinaga Territory.
Until then, we would urge the Tyendinaga Police Service to continue its vigilance in keeping the protest elements in check and to act swiftly and decisively to quell any future disruptions when the safety and orderliness of the communities is at stake.