The murder of Dudley George.
Dudley George was fatally wounded by a police sniper on September 6, 1995 when the Ontario Provincial Police attacked a small group of unarmed protestors occupying Ipperwash Provincial Park.
After a decade, a public inquiry is reluctantly underway.
This is what the judge in the trial of the OPP officer said about the charge that the First Nations had opened fire: "I find that Dudley George did not have any firearms on his person when he was shot.... [T]he story of the rifle and muzzle flash was concocted ex post facto in an ill-fated attempt to disguise the fact that an unarmed man had been shot." So it was determined in a court that the First Nations people were not armed.
We were also told at the time of the shooting that there was no burial ground, and then subsequently found out that the province itself, here at Queen's Park, had evidence of a burial ground. The third thing we were told by the Premier was that it was left entirely to the OPP. This is why we need a public inquiry -- to determine whether or not that was the case.
What were then the directives of Premier Mike Harris and Minister of Natural Resources Chris Hodgson?
[Ontario Attorney General Chris] Harnick's silence was shattered Monday when he told the inquiry he heard Harris say, "I want the f**king Indians out of the park" during a Sept. 6 meeting on the crisis attended by two Ontario Provincial Police officers. Hours later, police marched on the park and, in the ensuing melee, aboriginal protester Dudley George was killed by a police sniper.
Dr. Elaine Meller Todres at the Ipperwash Inquiry Nov. 30th, 2005:
A: And they wanted it done with. They wanted to move on. They had a legislative agenda and they wanted this dealt with as quickly as possible and they didn't want to be -- they didn't want it to linger, if I can put it that way.
Q: All right. Can you describe any words or phrases that would have taken you to this understanding?
A: Well, there were -- there were – I did get the sense that they wanted things done. I mean, I recall -- the first thing that I recall is that the Minister of -- of Natural Resources was extremely agitated and very concerned. And in a moment of apparent exasperation, uttered a phrase that I would prefer not to repeat.
Q: I'm going to ask you to repeat it.
A: He said, in my recollection, "Get the [expletive deleted] Indians out of my Park." That is the phrase that I recall.
Q: He didn't say, "expletive deleted"?
A: No, he didn't. You're asking me to say that word.
Q: I am asking you.
A: He said, "Get the fucking Indians out of my Park"
Studies in a Canadian Colonialism:
“The colonial world is a world cut in two. The dividing line, the frontiers are shown by barracks and police stations. In the colonies it is the policeman and the soldier who are the official, instituted go-betweens, the spokesmen of the settler and his rule of oppression.”
-Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, quoted in "Police Murders & Inquiries"
After a decade, a public inquiry is reluctantly underway.
This is what the judge in the trial of the OPP officer said about the charge that the First Nations had opened fire: "I find that Dudley George did not have any firearms on his person when he was shot.... [T]he story of the rifle and muzzle flash was concocted ex post facto in an ill-fated attempt to disguise the fact that an unarmed man had been shot." So it was determined in a court that the First Nations people were not armed.
We were also told at the time of the shooting that there was no burial ground, and then subsequently found out that the province itself, here at Queen's Park, had evidence of a burial ground. The third thing we were told by the Premier was that it was left entirely to the OPP. This is why we need a public inquiry -- to determine whether or not that was the case.
What were then the directives of Premier Mike Harris and Minister of Natural Resources Chris Hodgson?
[Ontario Attorney General Chris] Harnick's silence was shattered Monday when he told the inquiry he heard Harris say, "I want the f**king Indians out of the park" during a Sept. 6 meeting on the crisis attended by two Ontario Provincial Police officers. Hours later, police marched on the park and, in the ensuing melee, aboriginal protester Dudley George was killed by a police sniper.
Dr. Elaine Meller Todres at the Ipperwash Inquiry Nov. 30th, 2005:
A: And they wanted it done with. They wanted to move on. They had a legislative agenda and they wanted this dealt with as quickly as possible and they didn't want to be -- they didn't want it to linger, if I can put it that way.
Q: All right. Can you describe any words or phrases that would have taken you to this understanding?
A: Well, there were -- there were – I did get the sense that they wanted things done. I mean, I recall -- the first thing that I recall is that the Minister of -- of Natural Resources was extremely agitated and very concerned. And in a moment of apparent exasperation, uttered a phrase that I would prefer not to repeat.
Q: I'm going to ask you to repeat it.
A: He said, in my recollection, "Get the [expletive deleted] Indians out of my Park." That is the phrase that I recall.
Q: He didn't say, "expletive deleted"?
A: No, he didn't. You're asking me to say that word.
Q: I am asking you.
A: He said, "Get the fucking Indians out of my Park"
Studies in a Canadian Colonialism:
“The colonial world is a world cut in two. The dividing line, the frontiers are shown by barracks and police stations. In the colonies it is the policeman and the soldier who are the official, instituted go-betweens, the spokesmen of the settler and his rule of oppression.”
-Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, quoted in "Police Murders & Inquiries"
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