Dustin Rivers Statement on VISU Visits

2010 Vancouver Olympics Integrated Security Unit Pays Me A Visit

Around 4 weeks ago, two copes 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.