(sent as letter to Toronto Star)
published as lead letter-to-the-editor Saturday Toronto Star. Nov. 27/21
page IN8 under heading Jim Crow? Apartheid? Let's look closer to home
Dear Editors,
I was pleased to see The Star give the Wet'suwet'en blockade arrests by the RCMP front page coverage Tuesday. The headline did read "Journalists Released ...", but front page news stories like this are starting to show we're waking up as a nation to the incredible ongoing brutal treatment of our First Nations Peoples. With the recent discovery of the hundreds (so far) of children's graves scattered on the sites of residential schools, the reality of this genocidal horror has shocked many of us wide awake. I'm starting to understand that our national shame is a much larger elephant in the room than previously thought. Our national problem is truly and sadly on a scale with the ongoing Jim Crow brutality in the U.S. and the former apartheid system of South Africa.
Sincerely,
Chris Faiers
(signed)
FYI here's my blog post about visiting the Mohawk rail blockade in Tyendinaga Feb./ 20:
http://riffsandripplesfromzenrivergardens.blogspot.com/2020/02/
~ ~ ~
Thanks, Patrick : )-
In the final days of CLM (Canadian Liberation Movement) in the mid 1970s we were coming around to understanding that the colonial treatment of First Nations should be an important issue for us. The Marxist-Leninist groups in Canada generally spent time debating/fighting issues like Amerikan neo-colonialism of Canada, Quebec independence, and international problems like apartheid, etc. . A major issue was right under our noses, and we started featuring articles in our newspaper, New Canada. I remember doing a long interview with Tapwe Chretien, one of the founders of the Dene Nation, which became a several page feature.
Sadly we also did a series on the mercury poisoning at Grassy Narrows. That was in the early to mid-1970s, and things haven't improved there after almost half a century! The initial tie-in for CLM was our opposition to the toxic lead poisoning being carried on by Canada Metal down on Eastern Avenue. I also did an interview and article with Vern Harper, leader of The Toronto Warriors. I vaguely remember reading an obit for Vern not as long ago as expected.
peace & poetry power!
Chris/cricket
