Quoted from a Facebook Post by Tamara Woroschuk:
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Tamara Woroschuk
February 12 at 7:09pm ·
Chief Bobby Cameron, former Chief Wuttunee and current Chief Wuttunee, I am disappointed at the example you are setting for our people - the people of Saskatchewan.
Not once have I heard either one of you acknowledge the trouble and situation that these young people got themselves into, that day. I do not agree that it’s right to take someone’s life - regardless of their skin colour. I also think it is very dishonourable that neither one of you has called a spade a spade but instead, pulled the racism card. They had a gun and this was a kill or be killed situation... no other way to spin it really. They had attempted to rob another farm yard earlier that day. Half the witnesses were not thinking straight at the time, add into that copious amounts of alcohol and you can’t say they wouldn’t have killed Gerald or his family in a split second.
It’s a sad, sad day for Canadians when our elected leaders, instead of remaining un-bias, take sides. Not once has anyone acknowledged that Gerald Stanley and his family did not ask to be put in the middle of this witch hunt yet their lives are changed forever. No one has apologized to Gerald Stanley and his family for the situation that they found themselves in the middle of that day. Both Colten and Gerald are the victims here. To have Trudeau Tweet his love and sympathy to the Boushie family, after the verdict, completely undermines our democratic society and leaves me with even less respect for our Prime Minister. We already know you have little use for our farmers but this was a low blow Mr. Trudeau.
What you’ve asked Saskatchewan and the rest of Canada to do, is turn a blind eye to the facts and the pattern that has developed over decades here in Saskatchewan. To hear that a dozen officers went to inform Ms. Baptiste of her son’s passing, does not surprise me. Farmer’s have had to arm their property for years against theft... this is not something that we can ignore yet it continually gets swept under the rug and is something we’re not supposed to talk about because it’s politically incorrect.
Was Gerald Stanley racist? Did he have prior incidents? Was he known to go looking for trouble? My guess is “no”, because if he was, the media would have been all over it. If Stanley’s character was brought up in court, the media didn’t report on it. Unfortunately, patterns play a role in our day to day lives. Patterns play a role and opinions are formed.
I really wish it was different as I have taught my children not to see the colour of skin but rather, how you treat people. You make it very hard to mend hurt feelings Chief Cameron when instead of empowering people, you continue to keep them in the victim mentality and dependent on you.
In a Globe and Mail article, Ms. Baptiste (Colten’s Mom), describes a field of raw sewage beneath her trailer because their sewer system hadn’t been hooked up for years and they had no running water. Because of broken windows in the trailer, during harsh winter weather they have to huddle together in the living room with the oven door open. I ask you this Chiefs Cameron and Wuttunee, since that article was written in October 2016, have you helped this grieving mother? Have you made her life a little easier? Is her sewage and water hooked up or her windows fixed? Or do you just talk the talk and wait until you’re in the media spotlight to make your pleas for justice and equality? No one should have to live like this, add on top of that, lose a child.
I would feel like a victim too if the people that were elected to take care of me and my family, haven’t. But this anger that everyone is feeling, should be equally shared amongst our people. No amount of money or justice is going to fix this issue if you are not willing to be part of the equation. When you point a finger, there are three fingers pointing back at you.
Not once have I heard one of the Chiefs say, “we have our work cut out for us, when it comes to working with our young people and in teaching them right from wrong while also becoming productive members of the community.” This is very disheartening to me because I used to work with Bobby. He had such a passion for his work and the people he worked with, as a facilitator for the Ready to Work program, teaching those on assistance the skills to obtain employment in the tourism industry. Tell me, how have our Reserves benefitted from having you as the FSIN Leader?
In a news conference in North Battleford, after the verdict, Chief Bobby Cameron asked, “What would you do if it was your child? Someone needs to pay the consequences for their actions.” Those are pretty harsh words Bobby, considering the other side of this coin was not innocent. Then he goes on to talk about karma and how Gerald Stanley’s children and grandchildren will pay for this... “you’re gonna pay”. So he turns a blind eye on the facts and then threatens the Stanley family? You Chief Cameron, are part of the problem and the divide. And need I remind you that karma swings both ways? While everyone else is trying to be politically correct, because that would be racist or hate based speech, you can say whatever you want without being called out? If Premier Moe had said something like this, there would have been an outright rebellion.
Should a leader not have a level head and not get caught up in his emotions? Especially when he is the head of something as important as our FSIN. And what would I do if this was my son... I would grieve. But long before an outcome like this, I would have done EVERYTHING IN MY POWER, to help my son and put him on the right path. Can you say the same thing? Chiefs, what have you done to prevent this from happening again? Has anyone manned up and acknowledged responsibility for what happened that day?
Everyone is up in arms because they think Gerald Stanley lied about the gun going off accidentally and that he didn’t pull the trigger. However, we can’t ignore the evidence of the cartridge found in the SUV that had a bulge in it, that no one could explain. Why is no one up in arms over the fact that the 4 witnesses stories don’t match or that the stories changed from the time it happened to the time on the stand... add to that, one of them didn’t show up. Chief Cameron has made a big deal about how the focus was on how much they had drank or events of that day. No, they weren’t the ones on trial however, their actions alone, is what caused this fatal outcome. There’s no denying that their sequence of events that day is what set this roller coaster in motion. This is important and relevant information.
Gerald Stanley was a mechanic and who’s to say that if they had gone to his farm yard and asked for help, he wouldn’t have willingly helped them? Instead, these adults made a conscious decision to jump on the Stanley’s quad and in a truck that Gerald had fixed, and then tried to run over him and his son. And if they were too drunk to make a conscious decision, well Chief Wuttunee, we have a bigger problem here and ultimately, that responsibility falls on you as you were elected to take care of the people from Red Pheasant First Nation and make it a better place.
“This is the racism that exists within the justice system," Chief Cameron said. To make such a bold statement, you’d better be educated in the Justice system of our province when it comes to all aspects. It’s an old boys club through and through. You don’t have to go far to find a single mother in this province who has had to fight this system, for years. My point is, it’s not just about you... and it’s certainly not a racism issue. Our Justice system is broken. How many Aboriginal Judges do we have in the province? In trials by jury, what is the ratio of nationalities that match that of the accused? The point I’m trying make is that if we care about these issues, then we have to care about them LONG BEFORE it will benefit us.
Continued...