A Post from Karl Dockstader

St Catharines, Turtle Island – Niagara residents have organized a peaceful awareness rally for this Saturday, March 15th at Noon at the Gazebo at Montebello Park on 64 Ontario Street in St Catharines.

Area residents of both First Nations citizenship and Canadian citizenship were appalled at the Federal government’s inaction at mounting pressure to launch an official inquiry into why First Nations women and girls go missing or are murdered at rates at least three times higher according to reporting from the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

Those same reports have identified hundreds more of our women are victimized by crime and violence, but after throwing papers on the parliament floor instead of addressing issues head on, it is clear that Justice Minister Peter MacKay has no intention of doing anything other than repeating his parties partisan rhetoric about already having done enough to discourage crime. The paper throwing incident was on Thursday, March 6th and foreshadowed the government’s statements the next day that no special inquiry would be launched.

When Shawn Brant, a vocal Kanien’kehá:ka advocate for these missing and murdered Indigenous women, was arrested with supporters when they tried to escalate awareness at Tyendinaga, community members in Niagara were quick to organize a rally.

The rally will reach out to sympathetic organizations in the area like the Niagara Chapter of Native Women and the Niagara Chapter of the Council of Canadians for support. Rick Dykstra, PC Member of Parliament for St Catharines area, will be invited to the peaceful event along with other area politicians and dignitaries.

Supporters and organizers all agree that any attention raised for this under addressed issue is good and they are hopeful that things can change for the better through events like this rally and other events to draw attention in the coming weeks.

For questions about the rally please email karldockstader@hotmail.com or show up with a good mind at Noon on Saturday.

Yaw^’ko

Tkaké•Those’, Onʌyoteˀa·ká

(Karl Dockstader, Niagara Falls)

Karl Dockstader is a Niagara, Ontario resident and, most importantly, is member of the Oneida Nation First Nation, and a volunteer Director of the Niagara Regional Native Centre, though his views don’t necessarily reflect the views of either.

Visit related story on Niagara At Large by clicking on https://niagaraatlarge.com/2014/03/05/a-call-from-a-niagara-ontario-member-of-canadas-first-nation-for-a-federal-inquiry-into-missing-and-murdered-aboriginal-women/ .

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