From: Orakwa International Indigenous Ent.=20 To: ActionCanadaNetwork=20 Sent: Friday, May 19, 2006 1:59 PM Subject: Day 80 Six Nations Siege: "Law & Order" under Great Law! DAY 80 OF SIX NATIONS SIEGE: "LAW AND ORDER" UNDER THE KAIANEREH'KO:WA/GREAT LAW OF PEACE MNN May 19, 2006. It is 80 days since Six Nations people reclaimed our = land near Caledonia Ontario Canada. Yesterday we viewed some startling = footage of the Ontario Provincial Police OPP predawn April 20th attack = on us. It showed hundreds of heavily armed OPP with guns pointed at the = unarmed Indigenous People. They converged on the property from all = directions. There was a convoy of ambulances. It was obvious the OPP = intended to create a situation in which there would be many injuries and = casualties. The people did not fall into this trap. The aggression was = anticipated. Our people were mentally prepared, though our response was = spontaneous. One police van windows were smashed to reveal to everyone = what they were up to. It was full of policemen with machine guns = pointed at us. One guy walked right up to them and said, "Just give me = 5 minutes without your guns". A turning point that cemented everyone's = resolve was when five OPP beat up one of the women elders. Culturally = and historically we never harmed the women and children. This was a = complete violation of natural laws. Our people responded with one mind. = The cops looked confused, scared and some on the verge of crying as our = people moved towards them with drumming in the background. The OPP = were sternly told to leave and then walked them out, as parents must be = with misbehaving children. In spite of all that was happening, we = restrained ourselves, got them all off and took back our land. =20 =20 Some of our Men who were arrested that morning had to make a court = appearance this past week. Most did not show. The few who did would = not stand up when the judge walked into court. One man informed them, = "Your corporate colonial court has no jurisdiction over us or our land". = [Six Nations and other Indigenous people are now asserting Indigenous = constitutional jurisdiction in all the surrounding courts, which is = pissing them all off]. The judge got angry and issued warrants for = their arrest. Our men just got up and walked out, followed by = supporters and allies. The cops followed them too but did nothing. = What's this all about? =20 =20 Is Canada sitting on the brink of leaving behind violence, yet not ready = to make a commitment to peace, justice and equality with the Indigenous = people? When we question them, they send in all their heavily armed = goons who can't lay down their unlawfully asserted "colonial law". They = refuse to sit down and look at the documentary evidence that proves they = don't have jurisdiction over us. Hey! Show us who was here first? Show = us where we agreed to let you steal everything from us? Canada, change = your mind and make a firm commitment to non-violent legal actions. = Fold up your guns! Look at the documents! Obey your laws! Right the = wrongs! As can be seen, we need the solidarity and support of our = brothers, sister, friends and allies as never before. Stay strong! = Kahentinetha Horn, MNN Mohawk Nation News kahentinetha2@yahoo.com = www.mohawknationnews.com =20 =20 Here is Hazel's May 19th, 2006, update: =20 =20 Greetings from Grand River =20 Here is another update. Apologies for not getting one out sooner. = We've been having many meetings on the land we've reclaimed. We're = thinking about how we can move forward. Do we remove one of the = barricades? We are discussing in particular Plank Road, also known as = Argyle Street and #6 Hwy. Can we trust the government? We all remember = our past experience has shown us that we can't take the government's = word, officially or informally. They have continually broken their = promises to us. They will say and do anything to achieve their goal to = get the barricades down. [but not to return the land they stole from = us]. =20 =20 On the other hand, we have to consider our People's government, the men = and women who are standing in solidarity to protect our lands, our law, = our people, our inherent rights and our sovereignty. Some of our = delegates carry our voice with them. Some of our People have issues = with them, some don't. Do we have the trust to implement our = government? Yes, we need to work at it. The answers won't come in a = day. We know we have an opportunity that our grandfathers only dreamed = about. We can't let suspicions allow that opportunity to slip by. =20 =20 We marvel at how coincidences happen that force us to look at what we = are doing and deeply question the choices we are making. A few days ago = we all agreed that the barricade on Argyle Street needed to be cleared = enough for emergency vehicles to pass through. At the same time a lone = protester against our position, with the help of the OPP, nearly threw = that to the winds. His actions were harmless, walking back and forth in = front of the police line with his own barricade to prevent "natives" = from going into [the nearby town of] Caledonia. It was the OPP actions = that were detrimental. "The natives have a right to their protest. = This individual has the right to his". Okay, we get it! But then, one = of our men who stays in our camp was refused entry [to the site] by the = OPP. The OPP said, "He [the native] was told twice not to attempt to = drive back and forth. I don't give a f*** if he has to sit there all = f*****g night. Nobody is coming through". Not two minutes later the = OPP were directing through the local towing company that operates within = the barricaded roads, as well as a couple more non-native drivers. = Discriminatory, obviously! Phone calls were made. We got the situation = straightened out. =20 =20 This incident lead us to question whether or not we should even proceed = with our attempts to show the "good will" they speak of. Tonight we = were again talking about opening up Argyle Street. We have a commitment = from the governments that an open moratorium is in place on our stolen = lands they call "Douglas Creek". They have agreed to pay for a third = party archeological study on our land alongside our people to determine = the exact areas and status of the graves that are said to be there. = They have also agreed to place back an area of land known to them as = "Burtch Correctional Facility" under the original status of the = "Haldimand Deed" of 1784. This will be a long process. There has to be = an environmental study done on the lands and the clean up. It will take = time to place the land back into the possession of the Onkwehonweh, and = not under the current land transactions as defined by the illegal Indian = Act. =20 =20 Opening up one road is not being taken lightly. Just as the People were = gathering to start discussions, a young man was brought into the camp. = Our security caught him at one of the checkpoints driving erratically = and causing a disturbance. Our men took him into custody. An = inspection revealed that in his trunk was a pellet gun and some of his = army equipment (apparently he is part some "army reserves"). His = mission was to disrupt and possibly bring harm to us. He was questioned = and spoken to by some of the women. It was determined that "he did not = realize the seriousness of the situation" and of his actions, and was = turned over to the OPP. He was taken into custody by the OPP and his = car was towed. We asked about him later at a liaison meeting with the = OPP. We were told that he probably would be charged with careless = driving! A few days ago, one of our men was shot in the face, just = below his eye, from a pellet gun or something similar. Then this guy = shows up tonight. Coincidence?? What do you think? =20 =20 We know there is no way he will admit to anything, even if it is = connected to him. The eleven o'clock news said he was released from = custody. His side of the story would be revealed the following morning. = Given Channel 11's reporting history, this one will get turned around = to make us look like the guilty parties again. Are we being tested to = see how strong our convictions are in the powers of Creation and our = government system to move forward with the decisions we make? Should we = open up the road knowing that we will have obstacles, but enough = knowledge to continue? It appears that each time we're about to make = that decision, something is exposed to us. We continue to ask for = guidance. We discontinued the talks for tonight. Everyone was feeling = the emotions which might interfere with out ability to have a clear = mind. We constantly thank Creation that we can use our sense and = ability to see clearly for the highest good of all concerned. =20 =20 Caledonia residents are getting frustrated. We understand the = frustration they are feeling. They want to blame us for the car = accidents that are occurring on the detour road because of our blockade. = Do they blame their township for accidents that occur as a result of = road construction detours? Don't they have to take responsibility for = their own actions? Who do they sue for their own neglect? Isn't the = first rule of their law that they must have "care and control" of their = vehicle? One of their local radio stations continually tries to paint = the picture of our People as being uncooperative" and "negligent", as = well as "lawless" and "villainous" [for trying to get our stolen = possessions back from the thieves]. How ridiculous is that? When we = get behind the wheel of a car and venture onto any road, we are = responsible for our actions. We know the speed limits and the rules of = the road. Common sense tells us we cannot take responsibility for the = actions of any one else. The colonialist governments and agents and = corporate media constantly tell the world that anything bad is our = fault. =20 =20 We were considering opening the road on Victoria Day weekend, May 20th. = This is known as "bread and cheese" weekend, commemorating the time when = Queen Victoria had given bread and cheese to the people of Six Nations = as a token of our continued alliance and friendship for our assistance = to Britain in the revolutionary war. It was long abandoned by the crown = and later taken up by the Indian Act band council as part of = "tradition". Why? The Crown has abandoned every agreement it ever made = with us. Why should we would continue to "celebrate" it? =20 =20 Tonight was a good example of how peaceful our people can be, even when = tested the way we were tonight with that [insurgent] individual. = Everyone handled it well. In fact, we mentioned to the OPP that we = could have treated their citizen the brutal way they treated us when = they attacked us on that early morning on April 20th - with pepper spray = in our faces, taser guns shot at us and bashing batons. Instead he was = peacefully marched out of the camp and delivered to his people unharmed. = Did Channel 11 [of the corporate media] put that message out = there????????? Tune in and see for yourself. Have a good night. Talks = will continue Saturday May 20th after everyone has a chance to think = about things. Take care. Hazel PS. Guess what? The young man we caught and turned over to the OPP = appeared on television this morning, "I was tied up, blindfolded and = tortured. This shouldn't happen in Canada". We did not do this. It = must have been the OPP! No Six Nations people were interviewed about = this. Obviously, corporate media is continuing its attempt to defame = Indigenous people. thebasketcase@on.aibn.com