Tyendinaga Mohawk Struggle for the Land, part 2/8
Posted on April 14th, 2010 by admin
More than forty days after the Mohawks of Tyendinaga reclaimed a
portion of the Culbertson Tract, the community continues to hold
strong and the Ontario government continues its refusal to revoke the
license legitimizing the quarry operation located on the land.
Over the past month, the battle for the Culbertson has escalated on
all sides. In the face of government refusal to reverse an age-old act
of robbery and injustice, the Mohawks of Tyendinaga blockaded rail
lines running through stolen land for upwards of 30 hours. Dozens of
trains were stopped, business as usual in Ontario was ground to a
halt, and the Canadian public was forced to consider the hundreds of
years of ‘inconvenience’ lived by First Nations peoples. The
community removed the blockade once this message had been sent.
In response, CN Rail has served suit against three Tyendinaga
community members and the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) Band
Council in an unprecedented move, for ‘damages arising from a First
Nations blockade of its tracks’ to the tune of $108 million. CN is
also seeking a ban on future blockades. Furthermore, criminal charges
have been laid against Mohawk spokesperson Shawn Brant. The decision
to press charges came directly from OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino.
Toronto lawyer Peter Rosenthal will be in court on Thursday, for an
initial appearance regarding the civil suit filed by CN Rail.
The Culbertson Tract, was stolen from the Mohawks in 1832. And while
the government and the Mohawks began in 2003 to negotiate a deal to
repatriate the land, and compensate the community for its losses, the
land in question continued to be exploited by non-native developers
while the negotiations dragged on.
While the government stalled, the land itself was literally being
trucked away by quarry operator Thurlow Aggregates at a rate of more
than 100,000 tonnes per year. Additonally, illegal dumping of waste
was allowed to continue at the quarry, undiscovered until the rightful
holders of the land reclaimed it in March.
Now this robbery has been stopped. Rock from the quarry is being used
on the Territory. But the Mohawks of Tyendinaga continue to demand an
expedient and just return of the land to their community. It has been
more than 170 years too long. Join us to hear more about the struggle
for the Culbertson Tract.
Public Meeting with speakers:
Peter Rosenthal: Lawyer with Roach, Schwartz, and Associates
Shawn Brant: Tyendinaga MT
Wednesday, May 16th
7pm
Parkdale Community and Recreation Centre
1499 Queen Street West
This event is hosted by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty.
Duration : 0:9:49
[youtube ahVOlAXIR8E]
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
killerrace:
Is …
killerrace:
Is there a time when we wouldn’t have to listen to your racist trash mouth>
Karen
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
holy my …
holy my family is the Maracles
meta olive hill lacavera was my great great grandmother she married an italian from italy
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
What? Is the truth …
What? Is the truth so hard for you to take? He is a scumbag and he is the worst form of on the planet. I hope he gets knife raped in jail. Oh, and you too.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
mabey u should no …
mabey u should no ur facts before u open ur stuped mouth aboute things becouse i dont give a flying about what u say
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
hey u dumb …
hey u dumb as peace of white trash u might like to keep that mouth of urs shut or some day it will be shut for ya u goof bacg rape hound mother fucker
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
Oh, and let’s not …
Oh, and let’s not forget how Mr. Brant swindled over $400,000 from one of the Maracles in a land deal. Land that didn’t belong to him. Yeah, he’s a real hero.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
All he is is a …
All he is is a scumbag bent on protecting his little tobacco empire. I live here. I know. In all of these glowing pro Shawn Brant videos it is never mentioned. He grows rich while the rest suffer. Choke and die, Shawn.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
the violence isnt …
the violence isnt senseless,what the mohawks of the bay of quinte are learning is that if you sit back and do nothing people will walk over you and yea violence sucks but unfortunately its a nessesary if people sat by and dint fight we wouldnt have beat the nazi\s and we wouldnt have beat any other enemy who threatens your safety and well being all i can say is that im white but if someone tried to steal my land id fight to the last drop of blood
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
After seeing some …
After seeing some of these comments…I am compelled to write one of my own. I want to say that regardless of what side of the fence you are on…or how one feels…a fact remains that we ARE sitting on a powderkeg right now…if Mr. Brant here is found guilty and sentenced to jail for 12 years as the prosecution is planning…we are ALL going to plunge headlong into sensless violence…if you look at the past (Oka, Caledonia etc.) and one can see that this is as true as the day is long…
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
Let talk human …
Let talk human rights…you hurt us we hurt you…the end of the line is who will say we up and lets move on…no one cause we are all to proud…even though the beautiful native ppl who the honkie have raped thier land should back the up and say sorry and thanks for not lettin the americans take us over…give it up and lets go on…life is short…and some times gets shorter
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
if u do not like …
if u do not like here go to the us cuz they would murder all yal if u did this there so u canada treats u way to nice
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
lol how about …
lol how about indians raping white woman how about u getting paid to go to school how about u assholse getting to pay no taxes u get way more then waiting its not my fault u guys do not get an education and get a good job and native steal and murder way more then whitey or jail cells r full of u and u all think u r native when u r just as white as me i think full blooded native deserve speicial rights we did do them wrong but if u r half native we did not do to u
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
hmmmm…you wanna …
hmmmm…you wanna talk crime victims, idiot? How about Indian women who’ve been raped by white guys and nothing done? Missing Indians? How about the Indians who’ve been MURDERED and nothing happen or a half-ass investigation? How about treaties broken, THEFT. Anyone else did that, they’d be in legal trouble for breaking a contract or white collar crimes, depending on the damages. I could go on and on and on.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
I actually have …
I actually have good friends in Caledonia…….
Terrorism is exactly what these nutbars are doing. Your standing up for them puts you in the same camp.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
gerald, there are …
gerald, there are white people who stand behind the cause, and if they don’t then they should, because criminal activity, THEFT, is just that; CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. If the injustice is not kept in check, stood up against, it’s only a matter of time before the government does it to everyone else because when it counted, NOBODY CARED, until it happened to them, then it did matter, but…too late.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
EESASTORM, could …
EESASTORM, could you sound any more like an idiot than you do if you tried? You don’t even know what is going on and you make a post like that. So many ignorant people trying to sound like they know something. Keep posting and embarrassing yourself, plain and simple, you idiot.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
kevin do u live in …
kevin do u live in caledonia if you do not u have no right to say anything the natives r cowards and fight in numbers they r and beat up and unarmed old man
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
..i dont mean to be …
..i dont mean to be racist or anything but…i never expected a white man to say that…thank-you, and we will not give up
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
They are terrorist …
They are terrorist plain and simple. No ifs no ands no buts.
They should be treated as such.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
one mans terrorist …
one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter, these guys are really up against it, good luck, you will win but not overnight. please dont give up,,,,its all about your birthright, god bless, Kevin.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:40 am
Culture IS a group …
Culture IS a group of people that know what they need (Americans are so confused they actually don’t know any longer) and have decided to work together to meet those needs, and basically have decided to do it with honor and grace (even joy). These Native people have decided a culture of activism is a need. Americans don’t know that they share that with Mohawks, soon they will. The notion of activism which simply demands truth has a vast potential for change for our lives, the entire planet.