Tragedy at the Yellow Quill Reserve

[jenn]

I know what you mean. But if it had been a white guy, we'd be demanding his head for this stupid behavior.....

I don't kow about that... Wed morning.. a cop saw 2 babies in a car is downtown Calgary.. -30 something without the windchill... no one around.. he finally took the babies out and put them in his car as their hands and cheeks were cold... he called paramedics and SS.. the mother finally returned some 30 - 40 mins later... another kid in tow... she had an appointment. was she charged. no... she made a bad judgement call..like.. huh...

 

[#juan]

Quoting #juan I know what you mean. But if it had been a white guy, we'd be demanding his head for this stupid behavior.....
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I don't kow about that... Wed morning.. a cop saw 2 babies in a car is downtown Calgary.. -30 something without the windchill... no one around.. he finally took the babies out and put them in his car as their hands and cheeks were cold... he called paramedics and SS.. the mother finally returned some 30 - 40 mins later... another kid in tow... she had an appointment. was she charged. no... she made a bad judgement call..like.. huh...

I can't argue with that. She bloody well should have been charged. In another thirty or forty minutes it could have been really serious. Cars cool off very quickly in that kind of weather.

 

[geeknfreak]

There are so many things I want to say about this. For one Yellow Quill is not isolated. I lived 15 minutes from there. You have to go several hours north to be 'isolated'. And about banning alcohol on reserves. Its their reserve. And if you were to do that, what happens when they go to town 10 minutes away and go into a bar. Do you say "I'm sorry but your a native and unless you have proof you don't live on a reserve I can't serve you" How racist is that?

 

[EagleSmack]

There are so many things I want to say about this. For one Yellow Quill is not isolated. I lived 15 minutes from there. You have to go several hours north to be 'isolated'. And about banning alcohol on reserves. Its their reserve. And if you were to do that, what happens when they go to town 10 minutes away and go into a bar. Do you say "I'm sorry but your a native and unless you have proof you don't live on a reserve I can't serve you" How racist is that?

Very...only a loon would suggest that!

 

[jenn]

There are so many things I want to say about this. For one Yellow Quill is not isolated. I lived 15 minutes from there. You have to go several hours north to be 'isolated'. And about banning alcohol on reserves. Its their reserve. And if you were to do that, what happens when they go to town 10 minutes away and go into a bar. Do you say "I'm sorry but your a native and unless you have proof you don't live on a reserve I can't serve you" How racist is that?

and how many would simply put their kids to bed and leave to go drinking in town... I don't think banning alcohol is the answer either...

 

[#juan]

At the risk of being called a racist, I think the man who lost his kids because he was drunk should be charged.. If he had got himself drunk and taken his kids out in his car and killed them, would he be any less responsible? Reckless endangerment causing death or something like that, some time in prison, and compulsory treatment for the booze.

 

[karrie]

I don't see why it would sound racist. Frankly, it sounds more racist to try to excuse him based on his skin color.... like we can't expect as much of natives.

 

[geeknfreak]

I think he should be charged 100%... but because he made a very stupid decision.. Not because he was a drunk native on a reserve.

 

[karrie]

I think he should be charged as well... and I hope the completely sober woman in Calgary is held up as precedent at sentencing, since she didn't even warrant charges, and only the outcome truly differed. I'd expect more from a sober person when it comes down to it.

 

[#juan]

I don't see why it would sound racist. Frankly, it sounds more racist to try to excuse him based on his skin color.... like we can't expect as much of natives.

You are right Karrie. We sometimes pussyfoot around an issue so as not to appear racist and end up looking worse.

 

[Unforgiven]

I don't know if she wasn't charged, as it says CPS is investigating. So it could be that she will be charged yet.

What I was getting at is the glaring problem on reserves that no one really seems to want to acknowledge. Abject poverty is a symptom, along with suicide rates, drug and solvent abuse, violence and crime. It seems anytime these issues are brought up, it gets dumped on the government, Whites and the problem with land claims.

 

[#juan]

I don't know if she wasn't charged, as it says CPS is investigating. So it could be that she will be charged yet.

What I was getting at is the glaring problem on reserves that no one really seems to want to acknowledge. Abject poverty is a symptom, along with suicide rates, drug and solvent abuse, violence and crime. It seems anytime these issues are brought up, it gets dumped on the government, Whites and the problem with land claims.

And the problems are glaring. Indian Affairs looks the other way and hopes the problems will disappear. The boozing and other substance abuse on the reserves is appalling. Child abuse is commonplace. With any solution I can think of, we're damned if we do and damned if we don't. This problem very badly needs a tough love solution IMO.

 

[gerryh]

This not an excuse, because when it comes to kids there is no "excuses", but it is one "reason" for the problems on reserves. Many, many First Nations children were taken from their familiy's and put in residential schools. Aside from the abuse that these children lived with, they also were unable to see and learn how a family operated. These children are now Adults with children of their own. Many don't have the skills nesasary to look after themselves let alone children.

These skills need to be given back, whatever the cost.


Like I said, this is not an excuse, nor is it a reason to excuse the behaviour of this man, but we also need to look at the underlieing reasons and be willing to help do something about it. Otherwise we will be looking at a never ending circle of neglect and abuse.

 

[gerryh]

Personally, I'd love to hear Bears take on all of this.

 

[Lester]

I was listening to adler on the chorus network - he interviewed a Native DJ from an aboriginal radio station who stated that he had a female caller who started to put the blame on residential schools, the theft of their lands, and societies poor treatment of them, when she got half way through her speil the switchboard lit up with callers most of them aboriginal, one caller said that his parents were part of that residential school nightmare - but they still managed to raise four children and put them through college -All 4 are proffessionals in one capacity or another. He said he as a native could not accept that same argument that has been used again and again.

 

[gerryh]

I was listening to adler on the chorus network - he interviewed a Native DJ from an aboriginal radio station who stated that he had a female caller who started to put the blame on residential schools, the theft of their lands, and societies poor treatment of them, when she got half way through her speil the switchboard lit up with callers most of them aboriginal, one caller said that his parents were part of that residential school nightmare - but they still managed to raise four children and put them through college -All 4 are proffessionals in one capacity or another. He said he as a native could not accept that same argument that has been used again and again.

Like I said.....it's not an excuse for behaviour, but it is a reason. I am not implying at all that all Natives that went through the residential school system turned out to be bad parents. Far from it, but it is one reason, from a huge list of reasons, that First Nations seem to have a proportianally larger problem with abuse......from alcohol/drug to child/spousal. In my opinion, it is something, we as a society, need to spend more resourses helping to get a handle on things.

Sure, we could just shut them all up on the reserves, ignore there is a problem, and eventually it will disapear with the last Native. This will be a greater loss to our society and our Country than the resourses needed to reverse the present trend.

 

[Wondering]

I kept wondering... thru all this.. where was the mother... well seems they had a fight... as they had many where she stormed out and would be gone for sometimes days... the neighbour that awoke to him banging on her door had the only phone on that part of the reserve.

The mother was sitting in a nearby bar too drunk to walk straight. I might add that she was also in the same bar on Sunday night but had been cut off by the barmaid when she discovered that she was pregnate. Her words to her were "If you can't make the right choice for yourself, I'll make it for you." Unfortunately, the right choices where not made soon enough for those two children. As far as I'm concerned, that unborn child should be taken from these so called parents immediately after it is born so that it can have a fighting chance at a productive life. God, I am so angry at the senselessness of all of this!!!!!

 

[Walter]

What I was getting at is the glaring problem on reserves that no one really seems to want to acknowledge. Abject poverty is a symptom, along with suicide rates, drug and solvent abuse, violence and crime. It seems anytime these issues are brought up, it gets dumped on the government, Whites and the problem with land claims.

Open the books. With the billions given to the first nations every year there should not be any poor natives.

 

[dancing-loon]

Open the books. With the billions given to the first nations every year there should not be any poor natives.

I challenge you, Walter.... show me some kind of proof of those billions, please.

 

[#juan]

I challenge you, Walter.... show me some kind of proof of those billions, please.

Federal Spending on Aboriginal People The Government spends more than $9 billion1 each year to fund programs directed towards Aboriginal people.

• Indian and Northern Affairs Canada provides about $6.5 billion, of which about 80 per cent is for basic, province-type services for First Nations on reserve (e.g. education, social services, income assistance), where the Government has primary responsibility.

• Thirty-three other federal departments and agencies, the largest of which is Health Canada, with planned spending of about $2.1 billion, also provide a wide variety of programs for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

• Budget 2006 committed $150 million in 2006–07 and $300 million a year thereafter for a new approach to support priorities in education; women, children and families; and water and housing. In addition, the Government provided $300 million for off-reserve Aboriginal housing and $300 million for affordable housing in the territories, and announced $500 million to assist communities affected by the Mackenzie Gas Project.

1 Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 2006–07 Estimates, Report on Plans and Priorities.
I know the natives don't receive this money but when we consider that there are about a million natives and the money spent works out to about $9,000.00 for every man woman and child or $36,000.00 for a family of four. That is a lot of money for one group.