Ipperwash My Hands To Protesters

Yesterday all over the Canadian news was the story about the release of the study into the death of Native Canadian Dudley George at Ipperwash, Ontario in 1995.

As I understand it, the blame for the death has been squarely placed on the government of former Ontario premier Mike Harris, Ottawa and the OPP. Commissioner Sidney Linden found Harris did not order provincial police into Ipperwash Provincial Park to remove unarmed aboriginal protesters, but he could have "urged patience, rather than speed" at resolving the dispute.

"The federal government, the provincial government and the OPP must all assume some responsibility for decisions or failures that increased the risk of violence and make a tragic confrontation more likely," Linden said.

Ok, I can agree with that. Nobody ever likes to see people die needlessly and I am sure those involved in the shooting wish it had never happened. George, 38, was killed by a police sniper's bullet as Ontario Provincial Police moved in on the occupation by unarmed protesters at the park on the shores of Lake Huron on Sept. 6, 1995.

So if I understand the report correctly, the natives themselves are completely innocent. This balanced report puts 100% of the blame on the government and not one bit of responsibility on the natives. Ya, that sounds about as balanced as I expected. Just blame the government because they have big shoulders and this will keep the natives happy...until they decide to do something else.

Now before you start calling me a "racist" or "anti-native rights", I will be honest and admit I get upset when I see natives in Tyendinaga, Oka or Caledoina blocking roads, railroad tracks or bridges to prove a point and be noticed. But it's not the people who are doing it but the manner in which they are protesting.

I have nothing against the native people and have had several Mohawk friends. I also have nothing against public protests and am glad that we, as Canadians, have the right to protest any injustice in an organized and peaceful manner. However the problem is, most people will take their protests to the Ontario Legislature, Parliament Buildings, government office or a public building and picket on the lawn or sidewalk. They get their point across without disturbing the peace or others. We don't build large fires in the middle of a road and move big steel hydro towers or buses across the streets to inconvenience others in our own community.

If the natives, or anyone for that matter, feel they are being wronged, then by all means let your voices be heard. However, don't pull the stunts you have been by being a public nuisance, wasting taxpayers money and hurting industry. If you really want the support from those of us who might have a sympathetic ear, then don't go out of your way to piss us off.

When the natives throw up a blockade and go into "stand-off mode" it angers me. I think what angers me most is that they're allowed to get away with it. If that was me and a group of my neighbours erecting a roadblock of some kind, the cops would swoop in and arrest us immediately. But they can't do that with the natives because it would look bad politically and the natives would cry foul. Watching television coverage of past standoffs I was able to see many laws being broken by protesters yet I can say with all certainty that charges were never laid against them.

Going back to the Ipperwash situation, I am sorry that someone died but had the natives not put themselves in that situation in the first place and used diplomatic measures to try and achieve results, Mr. George never would have been shot. As long as situations like these are allowed to continue there will always be bad blood between natives and non- natives and there will remain the potential for more bloodshed when tensions rise and people feel threatened. They can release all of the studies they want but until both sides learn to use their heads instead of beating their chests, nothing will change.