Tyendinaga Mohawk Struggle for the Land, part 4/8

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.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• native
• mohawk
• tyendinaga
• land
• claims
• quarry
• rail
• solidarity

[clg26]

This guy is very honorable! He is a very good man and I'm proud he is doing what he is doing. He makes all First Nations very honored and the Mi'kmaq Nation recognizes his sacrifices to bring about attention the the corrupt government officials who sit back and do nothing with land claim issues or First Nation issues.

[6Nations4life]

This Is A Good Man!! we need to sopport him more then ever

[1arcticcat1]

kill shane brant on site.

[joecobra1234]

YEAH I COULDNT AGREE MORE !

[spnelson8]

Anyone who supports Shawn Brant has to go to work tommorow and.............oh yea, what am I thinking

[6Nations4life]

Shawn Brant is a Great man and a Great Mohawk Warrior. Nia:wen ko:wa/ thank you very much Shawn

[fatt1966]

what culture!

[letstalkaboutstuff]

that's because a person with a price who can be bought, like you obviously are, has no value of right or wrong, the law, justice, or human rights. Your kind can never be trusted because you come with a price. You do not care if something is right or wrong. Nothing decent about you.

[letstalkaboutstuff]

that is because you do not value human life, justice, human rights, or the law. So, I can understand a perspective like that coming from someone like you. What you don't understand, or even care about, because you're an idiot, is that the land in question is LEGALLY their land. When someone takes something that is not theirs, it is called THEFT. Theft is what you stand for. A person like you can be bought. kevo201 is for sale and is not honorable. Nothing to proud of there.

[kevo201]

no actually, next times theres a blockade im gunna drive right threw it. shut down the cn rail line will you if i was conductor of the trian i would have ran them all over !

[letstalkaboutstuff]

bloodrageX5, not everyone is pissed. MANY believe that theft is wrong, but then again, there are assholes like you/yours, bloodrage, who find it no problem to be a dishonest cheat to people you feel can't fight back. People like you come cheap, with a price, and can be found in any sleazy scandal.

[letstalkaboutstuff]

bloodrageX0, you have just made a huge idiot of yourself with that stupid and ignorant post. Maybe you are getting information from your mom and dad, passing down their stupidity to you. Google Aung San Suu Kyi, Billy Frank Jr, and more, who've been IMPRISONED for YEARS for fighting for justice for MILLIONS, not just themselves. You have a lot to learn about right and wrong. You are the common terrorist, ignoring theft until it happens to you.