Police Harass Native Speaker and Her Family at Workshop about Police Violence towards Natives

At approximately 4:45pm on Monday July 25, Victoria Police entered Camas Books, at 2590 Quadra St., Lekwungen Territories, disrupting a presentation by former Native Youth Movement member Billie Pierre on the lack of police accountability when committing violence towards native people.

The talk, titled Consequences Of Police Murdering Native People, had just got underway when police entered the room and demanded to speak privately to the presenter.

The police had attempted to apprehend Billie Pierre's 4 year old child, and were holding the child and grandmother in a paddy wagon outside the venue.

 

Billie Pierre explains:

“In Victoria, my mother and four year old child stepped out during my talk to look for a park. At one point my daughter ran away from my mom and was heading towards oncoming traffic and my mom grabbed her by her hoody and hair to stop her… 6 police cruisers stopped my mom and brought this incident up as a reason to apprehend my child. My mother thankfully wouldn't let them take my child alone, and went in the back of the cruiser also I had to verify that it was ok for my mom to be with my child, and to get them both released.”

Billie had just returned from doing a similar presentation in Winnipeg, (Ojibwae and Metis territory), at the International Cop Watch Conference. The talk analyzes the mechanisms that exist to keep the police accountable when they assault or murder people, and examines how they have worked in real cases involving Natives.

It is likely that Billie Pierre, as well as Camas Books, was under surveillance due to the nature of the presentation. It is suspicious how quickly and heavy- handed the police were when responding to such a mundane incident. We also do not believe that the response would have been the same if the situation had involved a non-Indigenous family.

Camas Collective recognizes the territorial sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples and is committed to creating an environment free from harassment, bigotry, and discrimination of all kinds. The targeting of Indigenous peoples and, specifically, speakers critical of the police is inexcusable.

“We refuse to be intimidated and isolated. We stand by all natives and others who suffer through these indignities with the police.”
Billie Pierre.

 

 

 

For Immediate Release
Wed Aug 4, 2011.