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16 May 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2012
RCMP is not telling the truth about blockade of Gitxsan Chiefs Office
Hazelton BC – A front page story published May 10 in the Vancouver Sun, and a similar story in The Globe and Mail May 12, quoted at length from observations by Supreme Court of BC Justice Mark McEwan during a hearing on April 3, 2012. He said that that the RCMP were just not doing their job when they refused to enforce a Court -ordered injunction of last December, 5 months earlier, to remove people blockading the offices of the Gitxsan Treaty Society in Hazelton. He also said they were wrong to refuse to enforce the Criminal Code provision to the same effect.
Having still paid no attention to Judge McEwan’s comments a month later, on May 10 the RCMP issued a press release full of inaccuracies on the matter that was reported in the Vancouver Sun on Saturday. ("RCMP seeks peaceful Gitxsan solution") The RCMP say they "continue to work diligently with the community and the impacted parties in the hope of a peaceful resolution".
Beverly Clifton Percival, whose name as a Gitxsan Hereditary Chief is Gwaans, said today that this is untrue.
“While they may well have had numerous discussions with the illegal blockaders, and their own sworn affidavits indicate this, they have had only one telephone conversation with us, the "impacted party", and that was three months ago. The RCMP describes this as a civil dispute. In fact it is a contravention of the Criminal Code, pure and simple.
She went on to say that the press release states that "The RCMP have worked to facilitate dialogue and have offered assistance to identify independent mediators while also being mindful of the court injunction and the enforcement order." Again, another untrue statement. The RCMP have done nothing to facilitate dialogue and the first we ever heard of a "mediator" was when we read the RCMP press release last week. And since when are Court orders and breaches of the Criminal Code the subject of mediation? Nor is there any evidence that they have been the least bit mindful of the injunction ordering them to clear the blockade.
“This has been very frustrating, and harmful to the Gitxsan. We are a community of over six thousand living on an off several reserves in the Hazelton area, with another 6000 Gitxsan living elsewhere. RCMP inaction bespeaks of a terrible disrespect for us and our community.”
The RCMP press release went on to say, “It is our hope that this matter can be resolved with the safety and security of all those involved as this is our primary concern. The RCMP remains impartial in this matter and have been actively working to ensure a peaceful management of the dispute. We are sincerely hopeful impending enforcement measures will not be required."
“I would make two points,” said Gwaans, “First, the RCMP has not been impartial—they have sided with the blockaders, as anyone viewing the Youtube postings can see.
“Second, what is required is not "hope". We all hope. Hope is free. We do not have to hire people like the RCMP to "hope". The role of the RCMP is not to "hope", but to enforce the law, which after more than 5 months they are clearly not doing. Their role is to enforce the Criminal Code and orders of the Courts. Their failure to do so has brought greater disrespect for the law, and for the RCMP themselves, in our community.
“If the RCMP said after a bank robbery that they "were working with the community, had no intention of looking for the robbers, and "hoped" the robbers would give themselves up and return the money", they'd be the laughing stock of BC. That is exactly the case here. It is outrageous.
“But now they stoop further by issuing untruthful press releases. Shame.
“The fact remains that, on May 4, there was a blockade of the BNSF rail line through White Rock. Within 24 hours an injunction had been obtained, and the RCMP enforced it by removing the blockaders. Twenty four hours. But in Hazelton, a primarily Indian community 500 miles away, we have waited for the RCMP to enforce the same Criminal Code provision, the same sort of Court injunction, for over 5 months.
“We wrote to the Provincial Minister of Justice on May 7, asking to meet with her to discuss this deplorable situation. We asked her to order the RCMP to do their duty. We are told she is “too busy” to meet, and we see no evidence of her doing her duty, either, in directing the RCMP to do theirs.
“I have to ask, ‘What is happening in law enforcement in BC?’.” she concluded.
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For further information: Gwaans (Beverley Clifton Percival)
Negotiator Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs
Phone (250)842-6780
Cell (250)847-0603
gwaans@gitxsan.com
Link to RCMP Media Release:
http://bc.rcmp.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=1017&languageId=1&contentId=25289
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