Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Today's News: "It's still real. It's still terrifying. It's still hard"

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-saskatchewan-stabbing-victims/ 

Beautiful illustration from The Globe and Mail, by Chippewa/Potawatomi artist Chief Lady Bird 🦅 ᐅᑮᒪᑫᐧᐱᓀᐢ

Inquests were just announced into the massacre of Sept. 4: The Queen's funeral distracted Canada over the last week from the continuing events related to James Smith Cree Nation and the massacre.  A major Canadian Press story today provides an update to how James Smith Cree Nation residents have been managing their grief.
 “It’s still real. It’s still terrifying. It’s still hard,” Stonestand said. 
“A lot of hurt you can feel in this community. A lot of it. Wherever you go. And people have no trust, but they’re trying to come out.” 
Residents attend cultural events, sweat ceremonies and feasts wearing “James Smith Strong” T-shirts. The sacred fire that serves as a spiritual doorway for the dead still dances. 
.... While the community looks to shed the darkness that hovered over it on Sept. 4 and restore order with traditional ceremonies and plates full of bannock, they still await answers. 
Moostoos said the First Nation has requested a timeline of the stabbings from RCMP, without the gory details, to help them heal. 
He said there’s no use speculating what happened or why, as it only leads to more rumours. 
 “Right now we’re knocked down,” Moostoos said. “But we will get back up and we’ll get back up with pride when our community comes together.” 
This Phil Tank Star-Phoenix column from last week talks about the questions that remain and whether an Indigenous police force would have made a difference: 
 Would an Indigenous police service have prevented the Sept. 4 tragedy that rocked the nation and shocked the world? There’s no way to say. 
But it seems possible that a more robust Indigenous policing presence may well have been able to locate mass murder suspect Myles Sanderson, a serial violent offender who was deemed “unlawfully at large” in May, prior to the murder spree. 
Given Indigenous people’s historic mistrust of the RCMP — with many good reasons, some as recent as the police force’s actions after the 2016 shooting death of Colten Boushie — this seems a logical step.
Some other recent tweets and news stories about James Smith Cree Nation:
  The Queen's last message was one of support to James Smith Cree Nation:
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