Report from the camp on police raid

Hazel Hill
thebasketcase@on.aibn.com
Thursday, April 20, 2006

Hey to all of our friends and allies from Grand River Territory.

We upheld the law and we're standing proud. this morning 15 people were arrested when the police moved in about 4:30 am. they had pepper sprayed some of the men and women, and forcibly removed our people from the site, including some of the non-native supporters that have been on the site with us, some for weeks.

My husband and I weren't on the site at the time, but one of the women from the camp came and told us that the police had moved in and so we immediately headed back down. the people had congregated at the back gate and when we arrived on the scene there were police around each corner of our lands, probably about 200 total. the people were still on the lands and had never completely left. we continued to gather and the numbers continued to grow. the people continued to tell the police to leave, women & men elders & youth, we stood together in unity.

When the police continued to resist our peaceful request to leave our territory, the caledonia by-pass was closed down, trafffic was backing up in both directions, and only then did they realize that our people were not small in numbers, and perhaps they had underestimated the support that we did have. we had hundreds of Six Nations people gathered at the site within the hour, and had the police surrounded at the back gate; and finally, the police agreed to withdraw. we marched them off of the back gate, many women linking arms together walking the police off our land followed by the rest, we then went to the corner gate, again, marching them off of the lands. the police continued to file out of the lands onto hwy 6 in front of the disputed land area. the people then gathered to the front gate and continued to uphold our Kaierenekowah, removing the police from the site.

I attended toward the back of the property to inform the remaining officers on site that they were pulling out and asked them to leave. A female officer informed me that i was in violation of a court injunction and that if i didn't leave the property i would be arrested. i informed her that SHE was in violation of the Supreme Law of the Land, our Kairenekowah, and in violation of international law and that she should leave. i again informed them that their officers were leaving the site and that they should leave. She again told me that if I didn't leave that I would be arrested, I told her again that she should leave, at which point she said, that's it mam your under arrest and tried to grab ahold of me. She was unable to get me down, at which point about 4 other male officers came to her assistance wrestling me to the ground. I had hollered for help and at that point several of our people had headed in my direction, they began to knee or kick me in my left thigh, I did try to defend myself and at one point kicked an officer square in the chest to get him away from me (sorry to my friends who asked me not to fight, but my instincts kicked in and my reaction was immediate to defend myself) my eldest son tried to pull the police off of me and he was shot in the back with a tazer gun, but as soon as several others arrived on the scence, the police immediately withdrew off of me, people helped me and my son over to a vehicle where they pulled the darts out of his back.

The police then got into their vehicles and on their way out I seen the female officer in the middle of the van with a big gun in her hands obviously ready to use it. Everyone followed their vans to the front gate and the people walked the opp straight down argyle street south of the main gate and when they were far enough away, we pulled in a transport truck and shut the road down. We then blocked the road just north of the 6th line leading into our community.

The OPP have been continuously reporting that they did not use any weapons other than pepper spray, that our people were armed etc., but when they moved in, the people were resting, some of them awakened from sleep and told to move out. We maintain that we did not break the Peace, the opp crossed the line and came into our lands fully packed with guns and other weapons with the intent to use them. The situation was very tense but as I have told many many reporters today during interviews, "we upheld the Law that the Creator gave to us and are standing strong in front of Creation, honouring our Creator, our responsiblities according to the Kaierenekowah and Our Spirits and our hearts swelled with Pride".

We continue to keep the Peace, we have many supporters from many territories coming in to our aid and we want to send a Big Nya Weh to all of you, who, while you might not be here physically, all of the efforts through e-mails, letters etc., the food and other donations that you have been bringing in have touched our hearts tremendously, and through your support, you have helped in keeping that spirit alive and in the forefront. will talk to you soon. our prayers are with all of you tonight as well.

Hazel