The IpperDonia Matrix: History Repeated

Posted on August 17, 2007 | Comments Off

On March 24/07, shortly after releasing The Ipperwash Papers at a Queen’s Park news conference, we held a legal workshop for Caledonia’s residents at the Lions Hall in Cayuga during which we presented a matrix showing the chilling comparison between what happened in Ipperwash and what was still happening in Caledonia. This is an updated version.

One of the most common reaction by those who have read The Ipperwash Papers is, “If you just change the names and dates, this could be Caledonia!”

This is why it all seems so familiar…

	IPPERWASH	CALEDONIA
1. Invalid land claim – Ipperwash residents fought for their homes & won in Supreme Court at cost of $500K.	Y	Y
2. Violent takeover of land by natives	Y	Y
3. Crime & violence against residents	Y	Y
4. Roads blocked, tire fires	Y	Y
5. Threats or damage to infrastructure	Y	Y
6. OPP and/or DND refusal to enforce law against natives	Y	Y
7. OPP subordinate authority to native criminals, withold law enforcement services from residents	Y	Y (6th Line)
8. Native occupiers victimize one another/ original occupiers complain of lawlessness at occupation site	Y	Y
9. Media editorials call for ‘Rule of Law’ to be enforced	Y (May ‘94)	Y (Dec ‘06)
10. OPP refuse to police occupied land (even today)	Y	Y
11. Reports of gunshots/danger from occupied land downplayed or concealed	Y	Y
12. OPP refuse to call in RCMP or military to protect residents	Y	Y
13. OPP says it’s doing a good job despite complaints	Y	Y
14. OPP Commissioner unaccountable to public	Y	Y
15. Paralysis of government at all levels	Y	Y
15. Opponents of native lawlessness labelled as racists	Y	Y
16. Media refuse to report truth re native crime and OPP inaction	Y	Y
17. Dismembered bodies found on occupied land	Y	N
18. Serious Injury or death	Y	Y

“Thomas O’Grady [OPP Commissioner] answered our letter in August [Aug 13/96] denying us the RCMP policing and stating that the OPP were doing a good job. We were all completely fed up with this useless rhetoric. Our lives were being ruined with worry, stress, lack of sleep, financial problems due to lack of business and plummeting real estate values, and being victims of crime. We did not have peaceful enjoyment of our homes and properties. We did not have safety of our person and possessions. Somehow the law is not here for us and yet no one could tell us why we had to endure this mess of lawlessness to placate the native agenda.”

Mary-Lou LaPratte [www.ipperwashpapers.ca, Documents, A1-para 63, J2]

I used to believe that our politicians and the OPP had learned nothing from Ipperwash. After our work on The Ipperwash Papers, I now know differently; not only did our leaders know the truth, they deliberately covered it up.

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