SASKATOON – Elders are being attacked, houses burned, and vehicles torched as gang violence escalates out of control, said Chief Norma Catarat of Buffalo River Dene Nation.
Catarat reinstated the Nation’s state of emergency that was initially enacted in June and called for immediate help from the federal and provincial government to tackle the three street gangs who are terrorizing residents.
“They're using what they can to intimidate the community,” trying to “take over,” said Catarat during a Zoom media conference live streamed by FSIN from Saskatoon Wednesday.
“The gangs and the drugs have come to a point where my community is living in fear. People are feeling powerless.”
Over the weekend, a young woman - with known ties to a street gang - kicked down the door of an elder’s home, dragged her by her hair into the hallway and beat her, said Catarat. The woman had been released from Pine Grove Correctional Centre four days prior.
A neighbour heard the elder’s screams and came to her aid. Catarat said the young woman was in a meth-induced psychosis at the time. The elder suffered two broken ribs and a cracked collarbone.
“She’s actually scared to return home,” said Catarat. “She’s in Alberta right now with her daughter.”
The entire community is living in fear as the gangs drive around with guns, she said.
“We have elders that are sitting around at night with guns loaded so their wife can sleep” because of their family member’s affiliation with gangs, and they're scared.
“It's an overwhelming issue that's taking over a lot of our First Nations communities.”
FSIN Vice-Chief Heather Bear said many First Nations are in crisis caused by gangs.
“Everyone should be able to feel safe, whether they’re in their home, whether they’re on the street, whether they’re at work.”
She said Buffalo River Dene Nation needs immediate help.
“They are in crisis, their school, their children. They deserve to be safe. They deserve to be protected from gangs and I call on the gangs to please stop what you’re doing and quit selling death to our people.”
Intergenerational trauma
Buffalo River Dene Nation Elder Lawrence Piche said First Nations people are suffering and it has a lot to do with the harm brought upon them from residential schools and the loss of their traditional ways.
“We carry a lot of scars,” he said, adding that they lost the ability to teach their young.
“We lost that ability to communicate because of the way we were brought up in that residential school.”
Likewise, FSIN Vice-Chief Aly Bear said the violence stems from Colonialism and needs to be addressed. She said they must revitalize and implement traditional governance systems.
Piche also said they need to get back to their traditional teachings and urged gang members to think about what they’re doing.
“I am willing to stand and talk again. You need help I’m here. You want to talk I’m here. I’m willing to help because I have a grandson that’s in the gang and it hurts because I know where my grandson’s going. He’s going to prison.
“Young people, is that what you want in your life? Or do you want a better life.”
First Nations in turmoil
Meadow Lake Tribal Council Chief Richard Ben said the drug, violence and gang problems aren’t new issues.
“These are issues we’ve been dealing with for many years. The justice system is failing us on the First Nation.
“We have to come up with new ways to help our community,” he said, adding that the “tragedy that happened on James Smith really shed a light on what happens in our communities.”
He said what happened on James Smith Cree Nation could have happened at any of the First Nations communities.
“That scares our First Nations right now. They’re scared… especially with this epidemic of crystal meth.”
Catarat said the issue is complicated by the fact that they don’t have mental health therapists or detox centres. She said they have to drive six hours to see a mental health therapist and people are waiting months to get into a detox centre. Buffalo River Dene Nation is approximately 293 kilometres north of Meadow Lake.
“These are issues that we have to deal with in the northern communities,” said Catarat.
First Nations Police Force needed
FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron wants to see the creation of a First Nations Police Association that would be guided and supported by the chiefs and councils across Canada.
Cameron said it would be “our own police association driven from our First Nation leadership and band members to be fully-funded much the same as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
He said policing is a treaty right.
“It was guaranteed to our people that there would be peace and if any harm came to our people that they would be taken care of.
“Police is an essential service,” he added. “But it’s got to be driven from the First Nations directly from the First Nation’s leadership.”
Catarat said Buffalo River Dene Nation has five RCMP officers but no detachment so the officers have to drive an hour-and-a-half to the nearest detachment to fill out paper work and take prisoners. When the roads are bad it takes twice as long.
“They’re away from the community for six hours on one call. They’re working constantly. I have the reports. It’s very overwhelming reports when they come in.
“They are very, very busy and they're doing what they can,” she added. “ They're trying to help as much as they can. But it's overwhelming for them. And it's overwhelming for the community. So we need to have the security services that we are looking into.”
Catarat said they are looking at hiring 20 security guards who are former RCMP officers at a cost of about $200,000 for three weeks for the community of approximately 800.
“It's going to cost us a lot of money. But it is something that we need to put in place now. Before I have to bury another member.”
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