Crime stats in Saskatoon

March 20th, 2007, 10:53 PM

I fail to see what panhandlers have to do with anything. White panhandlers are high in numbers in many cities, least of all Edmonton where they harass you as you walk down Whyte Ave. And two sharply dressed native youth having a smoke hardly proves your point about anything. Are they not supposed to wear jewellery and nice clothes? Or is it their presence outdoors that bothers you? The smoking? I don't quite get it.

March 20th, 2007, 11:50 PM

Please...do lock it...it's time.

March 21st, 2007, 12:26 AM

I guess I better stop promoting so much hatred in here... oops?

March 23rd, 2007, 06:40 AM

Anything what ever is related to hate should be ban so its closed I am happy now

March 23rd, 2007, 12:08 PM

I'm just a white girl with no experience with this problem at all except what from what I read and hear, so I understand that my opinion is formed from ignorance but there's an underlying theme to this thread that has been bothering me. (Aside from the blatent racism which I simply ignore as not being worth my time) Creeman has stated many times that he doesn't consider himself to be Canadian, even though he lives in Canada, pays canadian taxes and (and I make a large assumption here) probably holds canadian citizenship. To me that makes you Canadian. To my way of thinking there was a war. We came and invaded your land, we conquered the native population and created our own country. None of that was right, and I can't say I'm overly proud of my anscesters, but it was also hundreds of years ago. Nobody alive today had anything to do with it and it's kind of obvious that we're here to stay. Unless you're planning to start some sort of revolution to kick us out of your country you're sort of stuck with us. So doesn't it make sense to work within the system we've put in place, as flawed as it is? Like it or not, your people have been assimilated, would the healing not work better if you accepted that fact, dealt with it, and made lives for yourselves as Canadians? I also live in small town saskatchewan, and I see the same racism and stereotyping in person as we've sen on this thread, though never quite so extreme. And I believe it stems from all the exceptions made for native people. I think most white people don't understand why someone they consider to be just another canadian gets tax-exempt status, free housing, free education, etc etc just because of the colour of their skin, when they have to work so hard for the same things, and then are told to look past skin colour when judging another person. How can the average person avoid racism when the government throws it in their face every day? It may not be a popular opinion, but I do believe that to start the healing process we have to stop giving different races different rules. Abolish the reserves, as has been said they obviously don't work, and only serve to widen the rift. Everyone should have to pay taxes. They are necessary for keeping our country running, and if you use our roads, hospitals, social services etc, than you should have to help pay for them. As for education, I believe that should be free for everyone!!! I would gladly pay higher taxes if it ensured the right to an education for every Canadian. But again, it has to be an all or nothing deal. Special treatment breeds resentment, resentment breeds racism and racism breeds nothing but trouble.

Just my 2 cents
Kyla

March 23rd, 2007, 08:25 PM

"I'm just a white girl with no experience with this problem at all except what from what I read and hear, so I understand that my opinion is formed from ignorance but there's an underlying theme to this thread that has been bothering me. (Aside from the blatent racism which I simply ignore as not being worth my time) Creeman has stated many times that he doesn't consider himself to be Canadian, even though he lives in Canada, pays canadian taxes and (and I make a large assumption here) probably holds canadian citizenship. To me that makes you Canadian"

Why is it so important that i assimilate and become a proud canadian anway? what do you stand to gain from it? as far as our people being assimilated goes, sure we are to a certian extent, but that is changing all of the time. our people have been picking up our cultures and have been slowly recliaming our lives. why you ask? because it is important to us and it may not mean much to you, but my culture means everything to me. Canadian citizenship is not something that i embrace as a cree person.

When i ask my elders, they tell me i am not a Canadian. I am a nehiyow and am proud of it. how can i phrase this so that you can understand it better; if i asked you to be an indian and forced you into my culture, how would you react to it? would you willingly say yes i am an indian and proud of it or would you say that you still know who you are and no one could dictate that no matter who they are?

sorry i am just rambling on. anyway, i am not canadian and will not be canadian no matter what happens. i mean what can you do about it anyway? deport me? i am home.

"It may not be a popular opinion, but I do believe that to start the healing process we have to stop giving different races different rules. Abolish the reserves, as has been said they obviously don't work, and only serve to widen the rift. Everyone should have to pay taxes. They are necessary for keeping our country running, and if you use our roads, hospitals, social services etc, than you should have to help pay for them. As for education, I believe that should be free for everyone!!! I would gladly pay higher taxes if it ensured the right to an education for every Canadian. But again, it has to be an all or nothing deal. Special treatment breeds resentment, resentment breeds racism and racism breeds nothing but trouble."

I guess that means no more white priviledge then? also, i think you're over generalizing everything. what will happen if you abolish reserves? what will that mean for people that are living in reserve? and what will happen to that land? will it be given to white people again? because that's what happened to the rest of our land: it was sold, given away for free to settlers and stolen. there is healing occurring that doesn't involve reliquishing what little is left of our land. basically, think more about what the ramifications will be instead of just thinking that this will solve everything.




as for free education and free everything for natives, nothing is free in this world. our people paid for what we have with our land and our lives.

March 24th, 2007, 10:02 AM

I guess that means no more white priviledge then? also, i think you're over generalizing everything. what will happen if you abolish reserves? what will that mean for people that are living in reserve? and what will happen to that land? will it be given to white people again? because that's what happened to the rest of our land: it was sold, given away for free to settlers and stolen. there is healing occurring that doesn't involve reliquishing what little is left of our land. basically, think more about what the ramifications will be instead of just thinking that this will solve everything.




as for free education and free everything for natives, nothing is free in this world. our people paid for what we have with our land and our lives.


I think that the land should be deeded outright to those that live there, but then should be treated no differently than land owned by anyone else. As for your white priveleges comment, you just emphasized my point for me. Priveleges should not be handed out based on race. I'm actually a very socialist person, when looking for role models on how to run a country, I look to the sscandavian countries, Norway in particular I think is doing a great job, but every citizen is granted the same freedoms, responsibilities and priveleges regardless of race, and I believe that is necessary. As long as the rules are different for one race than another, there will always be racism!!

Kyla

March 24th, 2007, 02:35 PM

i do wish people could treat each other with respect regardless of race and so on; however, when speaking about equality in Canada there is no such thing. just think about it for a second: first nations people have inhabitated these lands for thousands of years, but as as soon as the whiteman came we can no longer do anything. people are alway so caught up on the idea that we have so much rights in this country when really they are restrictions for us. i get paid 5 dollars a year for our land and so does a lot of other people. besides that, the highlight of giving up our vast territory is getting my post secondary paid for and even that is not suffient for what we give in return. it's not my fault that the government made my people wards of the state.

i don't really want to get into a huge debate over this, but what i really want to say is that there can be no such thing as fairness in this country until my people are given at least half of our land back and reparations have been made for all of the abuse that we have been subjected to.

March 24th, 2007, 11:00 PM

there can be no such thing as fairness in this country until my people are given at least half of our land back and reparations have been made for all of the abuse that we have been subjected to.

Do you really think that this is a realistic solution?? As much as you may wish for something like this to happen, do you truly believe that there is an even slight possibility of it coming to pass? Perhaps I'm being naieve, but I can't see the government ever handing over half the country saying 'here you go, we were wrong, just let us remove the millions of people living here now and you can go back to living like your anceseters' It's simply not going to happen. Ever. So get past this idea and work within the framework you've been given.

people are alway so caught up on the idea that we have so much rights in this country when really they are restrictions for us. i get paid 5 dollars a year for our land and so does a lot of other people. besides that, the highlight of giving up our vast territory is getting my post secondary paid for

This is my point exactly, all the special compensations the government has given Natives in an effort to make reparations are doing more harm than good. By segregating the population all you do is create second class citizens. And by voting in Canadian elections, using Canadian hospitals, driving on Canadian roads, but not paying Canadian taxes, and refusing to call yourselves Canadian all you do is breed resentment. I'm going to be perfectly blunt, and probably a little offensive, but you lost the war. We won, we took your land, it's ours now and we aren't going to give it back. We built up a country and I happen to think its a pretty good one. You now have the choice between remaining a subjugated people, simmering in your resentment, poverty, and special status. Or you can come join the country. Get over yourselves, you're not the only people to suffer hardship, pull yourself up by your bootstraps and say 'I'm going to make the best of a bad situation'

That was rude, and I'm almost sorry, but the poor me routine is hard to listen to and I get a little offended by people who are more than willing to use our services but refuse to allign themselves with the country they were born in. If you were born in Canada, you are Canadian. Show a little pride in your country instead of rejecting it completely for actions committed hundreds of years ago, by people long dead.

And I would also like to add, that as offensive as this post may seem, I really am not trying to be racist. I truly believe that the most beneficial thing that Natives can do for themselves is to join Canada wholeheartedly, quit waiting for a restitution that'll never come and start building a life same as every other Canadian.

Kyla

March 26th, 2007, 03:07 AM

jeez... where oh where to start with this one?

First and foremost, be bitter all you want about my rejection of your so called canadian citizenship. I say phuck being patriotic. and does not being canadian mean that i don't have a life? well, that's what i gather anyway.

secondly, this whole myth of " we won the war" is pure nonesense. you cannot speak in such final terms. colonization is a process of an on going war that doesn't stop until successful decolonization happens. futhermore, we are still here and our war will be lost when we cease to exist. our struggle has been for the past 500+ years in our homeland and you expect us to just conform because you resent us? I don't think so. this is not a situation where you can just talk down to me and then expect me to gladly concede. In other words, i will not accept the status quo because I am told to, especially by some moniyaise.

I do however agree that finanicial compensation is futile and im not promoting it. i will say though that our people will one day have justice. maybe not in my life time, but it is still worth fighting for. besides any ownership of our grandmother earth is not true in anyway. when we all die, we will not take this land with us into the spirit world, nor will we take anything else. But what we can do is take care of the land as best as we can so that our future generations will have something to live for just as we do.

lastly, enough about the whole tax deal. you're pissing me right off. number one: i do pay tax and so does the majority of native people. number two: why should we have to pay tax on top of all of the theft of land and injustice?

and just in case you're wondering? I am not a phucken Canadian!!!!!!!!

March 26th, 2007, 06:18 PM

"Show a little pride in your country instead of rejecting it completely for actions committed hundreds of years ago, by people long dead."

exuse me for asking but what happened hundreds of years ago? when you answer that, i will tell you what happened a lil more recently.

March 26th, 2007, 08:09 PM

I don't think I would want to be considered part of a country that tried to anhialate my people and their culture, who have repeatedly gone against their word in their dealings, who build up a country around you and tell YOU to assimilate, instead of the other way around.

March 26th, 2007, 08:25 PM

my point exactly. thanks a lot. you seem to be one of the only people in this thread that, from what i can tell, understands most of what i say.

March 27th, 2007, 08:32 AM

Um, I have been reading posts on here for awhile, but I have to say, many people were lied to by governments. My Grandparents came from Ukraine, and were told of the great conditions in western Canada; when they arrived, they discovered the opposite. They came with nothing, and they started off by building a sod house, started farming, saved enough money to build a house, etc.

Aboriginals were lied to? Awww, get over it! My grandparents did! They would not allow themselves to be beaten so easily.

BTW, I cannot say I agree with Winnipegger's genocide suggestion, but he/she did raise some valid points. I just loved a redent article about an aboriginal vagrant who defecated in a potted plant in an indoor lobby. How classy. There was also another article about a purse snatcher who was just caught, and he was Aboriginal. Pretty much most crime in Winnipeg is committed by Aboriginals. I can understand the frustration. It's like, enough is enough.

March 27th, 2007, 01:43 PM

it's good that you've been reading this blog, but maybe you could have come up with better arguments than this. your argument only extenuates and perpetuates our situation and nothing more. i mean, deception is one thing, but i am talking about genocide and colonial oppression.

winnipegger has good points? i guess you don't recogonize anything i said as valid. i think they are excellent points to raise and essential for enlightment. also it makes perfect sense to explain past events to explain the present: connect the dots?

March 27th, 2007, 02:33 PM

Sadly, I almost feel like I'm the only who get's it as well. That's scary, and very unfortunate.

March 27th, 2007, 06:11 PM

I do understand what you are saying. What Winnipegger was eluding to, which I believe is needed, was that no Aboriginal leaders are publicly saying "our people are over-represented in our prisons. Stop turning to crime, and better yourselves". I would like to hear things like that. There are so many jobs available, especially in Alberta. If I were one of many Aboriginals in Winnipeg or Saskatoon, I would go west, as the Pet Shop Boys sang. Why so many insist on whining and committing crime is very, very sad. Recent reports I have just read indicate more Aboriginals in Winnipeg are participating in the workforce, and finishing school/going on to post-secondary/training, etc; this is good, and this type of headline needs to be splashed all over the news more. Too many Aboriginal youth have no good role models, which is the only explanation as to why they are joining gangs, etc. The cycle has to stop. Aboriginal youth need to stop having children, and focus on careers, etc, then have children.

March 27th, 2007, 06:29 PM

i agree with most of what you're saying; however, winnipegger also said this problem would be better solved by bringing in a modern day hitler. maybe his message was valid minus all of the racism.

i am all for making better lives; i never said i was against it. that said, crime stats need to reduce durastically for natives and this system of oppression must definitly change the way it discriminates against our youth and general population.

i would like to add that in bc youth are doing lots to help their communities. i mentioned earlier that if you can look past what you see around in places like winnipeg, for example, then maybe you might see the change that is occuring even as we speak.

change takes time and our people are slowly starting to realize what types of barriers and problems that we face. I am only 22 years old and i have seen lots of dysfunction growing up and still continue to see it to this day, but i think that if i can change my life around for the better so can the rest of my people. it only makes sense.

ekosi,