Please help me respond to this angry letter.

tags:

My friend Kota and i put a box in the office of our school asking for supply donations for Caledonia. I left my email as a contact for any information or cash donations. I received this not so friendly letter from a member of the staff today and thought that others could also take part in responding to this woman. I am not the biggest fan of conflict and i would gather this agressive woman is not going to take me seriously. Therefore i thought it best if others also contributed to educating this angry local of Caledonia.

I am unsure if is appropriate to post her email, but i will forward anything written. (let me know if you would like to remain anonymous)

thank you, you fabulous writers you.

 

The Letter: 

 

Hello there,
  I'm not sure who you are (faculty or student), but my reaction to your
pity box in the General Studies office with signs scribbled "Solidarity for
Caledonia" is the same either way. 

The situation in Caledonia hits close to home, as this IS home for me. 

What is your motive behind the requested donations??  No one in Caledonia
needs them BECAUSE of the land dispute.  And if you are collecting for the
Six Nations population there, who are unnecessarily wreaking havoc, this is
outrageous! 

The thing only needed there, is the government to step in and reprimand
these hooligans for blocking a major highway into the town. And for the
pollution they are causing, verbally and environmentally. 
People there need to learn how to negotiate rationally, they don't need to
be handed rations! 
The situation there is disgusting.  Handouts to the illegal protestors will
only encourage their crude antics.  And like I said, no one living in the
town is in need of "food, water or socks(?)" as a result of this.  We're
not talking Hurricane Katrina here.

I look forward to hearing back from you.
Meredith McQuade

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shazad chaudhary's picture

I really question whether or

I really question whether or not one should even address such idiocy and racism, however since you obviously have your heart in the right place as already mentioned and you seem extremely patient with such feeble-minded intolerance then here is a nice and concise summary of what is going on in Caledonia that frames it within a much larger and necessary context (one that the media fails miserably at discussing). This was written by an expert on First Nations issues:

 "I can tell you quickly that this land dispute goes back to the end of the American Revolution, followed by the settlement of Upper Canada in the 19th century. when white squatters were permitted to take 6 Nations land on the pretext that they (squatters) were supposedly developing. This was reinforced by the colonial elite that controlled the judiciary  (see Whiteman's Law).  When First Nations attempted to evict squatters, it was the Indian  found to be in the wrong. The 6 Nations continually protested against the illegal occupation and sale of their lands until laws in the 1920s banned the pursuit of land claims (6 months in jail). This was removed in 1951 creating the 'modern' land claim movement. Suits over rights and lands increased with the Supreme Court's decision in Calder c.1973, when Aboriginal rights were recognized by a colonial institution. After that the Trudeau government was forced to institute a land claims process. This lead to the mistaken belief by white Canadians that land claims were something new. It has also led to the assumption that land claims mean people will lose their land -- NEITHER IS TRUE. 

The 6 Nations have continued to fight their case before the courts and have continued to negotiate over different aspects of the violation of their lands. The governments of Canada -- provincial and federal -- have used misinformation, delaying tactics, and denial to block native claims based on a premise that they are a) not really important to Canadians, b) the general public when it comes down to it will not support the claims, c) Indians under the Indian Act will disappear hence no need to settle, d) too costly, e) you can add the rest.  The Caledonia plot of land I do believe was only occupied once it became apparent that the governments were not interested in settling after more than a decade of negotiations. The sale and construction of homes on the disputed land would be a slap in the face of anyone in that circumstance. For once the homes are built the land will never revert to the community and compensation is even harder to get. Hence the blockade. Police actions led to the increased tensions. Instead of negotiating the government continues to use its courts to force its will on poor and powerless people. 

The white people in the area instead of being racist assholes need to support the 6 Nations community -- this would speed the process and generate more community friendliness than anything else. I bet the government is hoping that the hostility among the whites will allow them to continue to ignore stuff ... Moreover, every one of those whites is an accomplice to the colonialism of this country -- by their taxes and the votes.  I would also like to add that the laws concerning land rights and aboriginal rights are based entirely on colonial law -- so I would say to the white settlers & their government follow your laws & those wishing to see them applied, then applying them equally, justly and fairly would not force the need to block a road.  After all it was the colonial courts and British/Canadian lawmakers that created these categories unilaterally. So follow your own laws ..."

 

P.S. So to summarize "the white people in the area instead of being racist assholes need to support the 6 Nations community." Laughing

D Hilton's picture

Hope this helps

The only point this person has is that it is confusing to say Solidarity for Caledonia; I would recommend changing your sign to Solidarity for Six Nations to avoid future confusion.

As for the rest of this letter, while disturbing, is really a blessing.

Why? Because it gives the perfect example to the ignorance of the complexity of the issues at hand.

When occupying Campbell park during the Tent City of 01 there was a letter to the editor of the freeps from an older couple who lived in one of the apartment buildings across the street from the park. In it they outlined ever stereotype of the homeless and their ignorance to the reality of the problem.

With a cool and collective response we were able to use their letter as an example of the underline problem: disassociation and ignorance.

Your response should be to the larger audience of your school community. I would suggest making a response and posting both very publicly at your school in effort to raise support and awareness. An important point to focus on is that there has been negotiation and legal actions since at least 1995 that have gone nowhere (due to the government, not the six nations) and the land, that all parties involved agree is in question, is being developed without a settlement. A good link for this is the CBC article Mike 'the media cowboy' provided: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/realitycheck/20060421sheppard.html

and the link from there to the GOC: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/nr/prs/j-a2006/snjsbk_e.html

Shazad (welcome to the LC!) has a great response and strong points (just add some facts to back it up : see above links) which I would agree with (tactically minus the racist asshole stuff) and you could use as a frame for your response.

Remember not to engage in name calling: stick to the issues.

It's tough when you get an angry letter but it means you hit a nerve and are on the right track;

Way to go! You guys rock!

In Solidarity,

Dan

Because a child doesn't understand a chain of reasoning, should adults give up being rational? If reasonable people don't feel the presence of love within the universe, that doesn't mean it's not there.

Rumi

Mike McGregor's picture

the FREEPS could use some letters too

here's the draft of a letter I'm going to shoot off to the Freeps after some polishing.

 

Illegal and Immoral are not always the same thing

  Letters of outrage at the "illegal" tactics of Six Nations protesters in Caledonia Ontario keep popping up here on the opinion page.  Somehow the assertion that protesters trespassing and blocking a highway are as threatening  to peace and good order as burglars or terrorists, seems overly simplistic and hollow. Especially when history is full of people breaking the law for a greater good. 
  It was once illegal to assist slaves fleeing the American south, but some people did it anyway.  The sit-ins of the Civil-Rights Movement undoubtedly involved trespassing.  Serbian dictator Slobodan Milošević was toppled by mass-demonstrations which were deemed illegal by the government of the time. A similar scene played out in Nepal, culminating this week with steps being taken to return power to an elected body.  Right here in London, the 2-week illegal occupation of Campbell Memorial Park in 2001 resulted in the establishment of a much-needed shelter for the homeless. 
  Sometimes, people need to break the law to affect the end a greater injustice.  If returning to the Six Nation's camp near Caledonia make me a criminal in the eyes of some, so be it.  

Michael McGregor
London

 

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Darren Lee's picture

Angry Letter - Response

Well that letter shows a lot of class for a Faculty member! Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but chances are this person is only aware of what the media throws at her, and doesn’t see the issue for what it really is.

 

Of what educational institution do you belong to Lauren?  If it were me, I wouldn’t respond at all, in fact, I would compose quite the letter to whoever is in charge of this faculty member. 

 

You shouldn't feel that this person won't take you seriously.  Sounds to me like you have your heart in the right place for taking time to gather donations for supplies.

 

If you want my opinion, take your strength of graciously utilizing your time for this cause and thrust that energy in making an attempt to educate this person and make them realize their faults. 

 

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