SECURITY FORCES: An Indigenous View of the “Justice” System

With the insurmountable Indigenous resistance to the 2010 Olympic games accelerating, many are becoming more and more aware of the mass peril the games will bring. Harriet Nahanee and other grassroots Indigenous people have been actively engaged in shutting the games down due to the already present destruction it has cost us.
Indigenous lands are under attack as are our lives as billions of dollars are sunk into the construction of highways, ski resorts, tourist condos and accommodations, sports venues and transportation infrastructure (like the Canada Line). Meanwhile only a handful of sell-out Chiefs, politicians and corporate execs will reap the temporary benefits. The rest of us whom foresee the grim reality that VANOC will trail behind them, and whom are already witnessing and experiencing the effects of 2010 are uncovering the facts and taking action.

In the city, the Olympic lead up has already had an impact on Indigenous people. Harriet Nahanee’s death, caused by her poor treatment in a BC jail where she was imprisoned for protesting the expansion of the Sea to Sky Highway, signaled a call for action. When we fight to keep our Indigenous lands, to keep affordable housing and against homelessness, we are criminalized. With over $175 million being spent on security, there is no question we will be targets of state oppression more than we already are. It is no secret that the Olympics are linked with repressive laws. According to Maryanne Abbs, author of ‘Massacres and Profits: A Brief History of the Olympics’, “The games have been used as a convenient cover for permanent repressive laws and to create new police and military units. In Sydney there were four cops for each athlete at the Games for a total of 35,000 police and security guards, 4000 troops and elite commando units, and Black Hawk helicopters.”

In Vancouver the “eye in the sky” will include hundreds of security cameras, spy planes, intelligence agents, police and soldiers. This doesn’t mean we need to start fear mongering or start to “love the police” (WTF!), it means we need to start organizing, mobilizing, educating and taking action! The best place to start, is right here in your mind. Know your history; know your friends; know where you stand!

Taken from: http://harrietspirit.blogspot.com