Around 4 weeks ago, two cops named Cst. Kirk Rattray and Intellegence Investigator Jordan McLellan visited my home on the reserve. The “Integrated Security Unit” (ISU) is led by the RCMP and consists of members of the RCMP, Vancouver Police Department, West Vancouver Police Department and the Canadian Forces. They have been approaching activists and critics of the 2010 Winter Olympics for over a year in Vancouver and around Canada. They approach individuals they are monitoring for dissenting activity during the games to “assess any threats”.
I will state that in March 2009, I became aware that I had already been “Blacklisted” from the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies. I also around the same time noticed RCMP were visiting my website by checking the ISP (Internet Service Protocals) from my blog stats. Basically, I knew they were monitoring me.
Over the past few years, I attended various rallies, protest, and events in resistance to the 2010 Olympics. My lack of participation in these events has nothing to do with a change of political positions, but a re-alignment with priorities. I also acknowledge that the 2010 Winter Olympics are coming (obviously!), and that no group will completely stop the 2010 Olympics from coming. The dissent and resistance the 2010 Olympics is also quite diverse in it’s causes and rationale, despite what the mainstream media will portray it as. Of course they would portray the dissenters as hooligans and crazies; they are Olympics sponsors in the end.
My dissent mostly remained in my rhetoric both on and off this blog. For a short time when I was 13, prior to Vancouver winning the bid, I was in favor of the Olympics coming. At the same time, I was really hesitant to support it. I remember that I wanted to do a poll on how many youth wanted the 2010 Olympics to come. It never happened (how the hell is a 13 year old supposed to do that anyways?), but I am quite fond of the fact at that age I was still critical.
Four weeks ago these two Cops payed a visit to ask me questions about my invovment with resistance to the 2010 Olympics. They questioned me on my involvment with the Native Youth Movement, the Warriors Societies, and any other activist groups. In the beginning of the conversation, they gave me a braid of sweetgrass as some kind of cultural gesture… I would assume? (Wrong culture there guys!)
I should of asked them, “What do I do with this?”
The one question they persistently hounded was, “If you knew of any persons who would get hurt because of activist activity, would you help us and inform us to prevent anyone from getting hurt?” I never answered the question, although later I realized I should of responded with my own backhanded comment of “What if I see persons getting hurt because of cop activity, do I help and inform you to prevent these people from getting hurt?”
They also asked questions around my intentions, how I feel about the Four Host First Nations, and the 2010 Olympics in general. I made a comment that, “The Band Counils who participate in the Four Host First Nations are only colonial-puppet government that owe it’s responsibility and loyalties to the Indian Act, and not our own people. I see those governments as illegitimate and imposed. They are colonization”. They responded with trying to explain to me how “The Indian Act is a good thing” because it “gives natives in Canada their Indian Status” and without the Indian Act “Natives wouldn’t be Indian.”
Ignorant and racist logic. Nothing new for me.
I will state that my intentions and activity during the 2010 Winter Olympics are not even known to me at this point. The Olympics should never have been supported by my community, and future generations will have to fix the damage it has caused. It’s supported and endorsed the corruption and farce of the Squamish Nation, and has only allowed a few to prosper and benefit from it. It will leave little legacy for future generations, except rising housing costs, more population and Urban sprawl, expansion and development of more of our territory, and the prostitution and exploitation of our culture and community.
I wait for it to come and ago because in the aftermath, the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Settler government will not have changed, the situation with Indigenous peoples in Canda will still be severe, and it will have made a few Indians into wealthy capitalists, furthering the consistent agenda of colonization and assimilation.
Bring it on you dirty colonizers, I’m waiting for the Olympics to get here already.
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