Williams Lake Indian Band Occupation

Heading into court now! Judge F trying to pull another one over us. Treating us like the IRSS

Press release to update from today. Please help for the word out & date ✊🏽🔥💗

RCMP are so useless!!!

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Weird had over 100 shares on this in the past 3 days!!! Thank you all for the support it means so much to our community!!!!
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OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

On Tuesday morning, members of the Secwepemc Nation evicted the Chief and Band Council of Williams Lake/Sugar Cane Indian Reserve from the Williams Lake/Sugar Cane Band Office and have continued to non-violently occupy the office since. The RCMP, aiming their guns at the unarmed Secwepemc occupiers, immediately surrounded the building and arrested April Thomas, a Secwepemc woman who just returned from presenting the plight of the Secwepemc Nation to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva and is known in the community for her opposition to the elected band council system.

Those occupying the office are unarmed and have cited ongoing corruption, lack of transparency and accountability and regular forcible evictions in the midst of a growing housing crisis under the direction of the Williams Lake Indian Band Chief and Council as their reasons for closing the band office until further notice.

“The illegal eviction of Sheldon Wycotte and his family less than a week ago from the home his grandfather privately owned and helped build is further proof that Williams Lake Indian Band Chief and Council are in breach of their fiduciary obligations to act in the best interests of the people. There is no accountability or transparency in the decisions the Chief and Band Council makes, millions of dollars are missing and unaccounted for, our land is being sold out from underneath us and we are all suffering as a result.” - April Thomas, Williams Lake Community Member, Secwepemc Nation

Media Contact: April Thomas, 778-267-6619

Still fighting this after all these years just goes to show how they purposely created a colonized system of oppression and genocide by taking their time on everything they need investigated!!!!

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

On Tuesday morning, members of the Secwepemc Nation evicted the Chief and Band Council of Williams Lake/Sugar Cane Indian Reserve from the Williams Lake/Sugar Cane Band Office and have continued to non-violently occupy the office since. The RCMP, aiming their guns at the unarmed Secwepemc occupiers, immediately surrounded the building and arrested April Thomas, a Secwepemc woman who just returned from presenting the plight of the Secwepemc Nation to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva and is known in the community for her opposition to the elected band council system.

Those occupying the office are unarmed and have cited ongoing corruption, lack of transparency and accountability and regular forcible evictions in the midst of a growing housing crisis under the direction of the Williams Lake Indian Band Chief and Council as their reasons for closing the band office until further notice.

“The illegal eviction of Sheldon Wycotte and his family less than a week ago from the home his grandfather privately owned and helped build is further proof that Williams Lake Indian Band Chief and Council are in breach of their fiduciary obligations to act in the best interests of the people. There is no accountability or transparency in the decisions the Chief and Band Council makes, millions of dollars are missing and unaccounted for, our land is being sold out from underneath us and we are all suffering as a result.” - April Thomas, Williams Lake Community Member, Secwepemc Nation

Media Contact: April Thomas, 778-267-6619

Yep going have to make movie characters outta you all lol 😂

Williams Lake Indian Band Occupation

Sad but true!!!

well tomorrow is the anniversary of the wlib band's failure to meet the wishes of the people, not only did the emergency band meeting ,that drew almost all voting age on reserve members. the meeting was a failure as it shutdown before the second meeting date could be set where the band was have our original policy and procedures given out alongside their lawyer recommended amendments. to this day the meeting agreed to by council and is recorded on video, and membership present, calling for a succession of meetings that would lead to the adopting of a membership ratified policy and procedures that would have taken away council's illusionary ownership on the decision making powers and placed them back with the rightful holders...the people. just as the land title and our overall rights are held by collectively by the entire nation of Secwepemc not one, not a few, but the entire seventeen feathers. this is so defined by Canada's highest courts in the t'silqotin decision and reinforced by several other highest court decisions. i have a failure to see where and what radical title would stem from. how can a aboriginal society infringe upon a man's interests when he owned nothing but the wind in his sails. savages we were called, but the government of the united states had stolen the Mohawk confederancy's governace system to take as their own.many parts of Canadian goverance mirrors our "indian ways."
if theft is radical title then ..yes ..they have radical title as settlers.
well back to the meeting, councillor willi "yellow belly" sellars still denies that there was any agreed to meeting, and openly stated to me that "we never agreed to such a meeting or to adopt that document as the our own. we made our own and it was passed by chief and council." so now i say who owns the the power in truth? it has always been the people, no king,queen or chief is or will be greater than the people. he or she is only as great as they they let him or her be never to riseabove them, this is true democracy.
now upon this the anniversary, myself and Arnie jack who have long held to our convictions are again subject to the malicious attitude of the power mad corruptors regime known as chief and council of the Williams lake indian band. i have never seen a group relish the pain and suffering of their own, and so willingly inflict it upon those deemed not worthy or in dissention of them.
i received from Vancouver lawyers, who are paid for by band funds without membership knowledge. small claims court claim papers for damages done by the occupation, items stolen, as well as money and on leave staff wages.
but hey you come back with something when you've been leveled by the truth. all this proves is how small they are and how right we are.
all my relations
skenknep

APTN National News

“It was a question that Kinder Morgan either seemed ignorant of or unwilling to address.”

well tomorrow is the anniversary of the wlib band's failure to meet the wishes of the people, not only did the emergency band meeting ,that drew almost all voting age on reserve members. the meeting was a failure as it shutdown before the second meeting date could be set where the band was have our original policy and procedures given out alongside their lawyer recommended amendments. to this day the meeting agreed to by council and is recorded on video, and membership present, calling for a succession of meetings that would lead to the adopting of a membership ratified policy and procedures that would have taken away council's illusionary ownership on the decision making powers and placed them back with the rightful holders...the people. just as the land title and our overall rights are held by collectively by the entire nation of Secwepemc not one, not a few, but the entire seventeen feathers. this is so defined by Canada's highest courts in the t'silqotin decision and reinforced by several other highest court decisions. i have a failure to see where and what radical title would stem from. how can a aboriginal society infringe upon a man's interests when he owned nothing but the wind in his sails. savages we were called, but the government of the united states had stolen the Mohawk confederancy's governace system to take as their own.many parts of Canadian goverance mirrors our "indian ways."
if theft is radical title then ..yes ..they have radical title as settlers.
well back to the meeting, councillor willi "yellow belly" sellars still denies that there was any agreed to meeting, and openly stated to me that "we never agreed to such a meeting or to adopt that document as the our own. we made our own and it was passed by chief and council." so now i say who owns the the power in truth? it has always been the people, no king,queen or chief is or will be greater than the people. he or she is only as great as they they let him or her be never to riseabove them, this is true democracy.
now upon this the anniversary, myself and Arnie jack who have long held to our convictions are again subject to the malicious attitude of the power mad corruptors regime known as chief and council of the Williams lake indian band. i have never seen a group relish the pain and suffering of their own, and so willingly inflict it upon those deemed not worthy or in dissention of them.
i received from Vancouver lawyers, who are paid for by band funds without membership knowledge. small claims court claim papers for damages done by the occupation, items stolen, as well as money and on leave staff wages.
but hey you come back with something when you've been leveled by the truth. all this proves is how small they are and how right we are.
all my relations
skenknep

Tiny House Warriors

SECWEPEMC OPPOSITION

There are other reasons First Nations hold the balance of power in this fight, according to experts.

The Secwepemc Nation is the largest First Nation in the province with traditional territory stretching from the Rockies down into the B.C. interior. Half of the proposed pipeline, or about 518 kilometers of it, would pass through Secwepemc territory. The Secwepemc Nation has never signed a treaty with the Crown, so having the nation’s permission is extremely important for the pipeline to proceed.

Kinder Morgan claims it has that permission because it negotiated and signed benefit agreements with First Nation band councils along the route, including several Secwepemc band councils. But there’s a catch. Band councils were implemented by the federal government under the Indian Act, and they are not the only form of First Nations governance. By signing an agreement with the company, Secwepemc community members say the band councils ran afoul of traditional Indigenous law that predated the Indian Act.

According to Indigenous oral history, Secwepemc people have lived on their traditional territory since the last ice age, and newly found archaeological evidence suggests a First Nations presence in B.C. dating back 14,000 years. Before the 1876 Indian Act, First Nations had their own laws and governance systems that are recognized in Canada’s constitution under section 35. Secwepemc law states that title to the land is held collectively. In reaction to benefit agreements signed by band councils allowing the pipeline to proceed, Secwepemc community members released a declaration denouncing the agreements as “cynical attempts to divide and conquer our people.”

“We hereby explicitly and irrevocably refuse its passage through our territory,” the Secwepemc community members wrote about Trans Mountain.

To make matters worse for Kinder Morgan, band councils only have a say over reserve land, which makes up only about 0.2 percent of Secwepemc territory, according to Secwepemc political leader Arthur Manuel. So, even if Kinder Morgan’s benefit agreements with the Secwepemc band councils survived legal scrutiny, they would only allow the pipeline through a tiny portion of the group’s traditional territory.

COLLECTIVE LAND TITLE

According to Kanahus Manuel, Arthur Manuel’s daughter and member of the Secwepemc Women’s Warrior Society, the benefit agreement with Kinder Morgan is null and void. The Warrior Society has pledged to stop any Trans Mountain development on Secwepemc territory.

Kanahus explains Aboriginal title runs under all Secwepemc territory and is “held collectively for every man, woman and child in the nation.” That’s about 17,000 people. Anyone who goes against the collective will of the people is considered treasonous under traditional law, she explained.

Excerpt from:
https://news.vice.com/en_ca/article/j5ak8d/trudeaus-trans-mountain-fight-isnt-with-bc-its-with-first-nations

Tiny House Warriors

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Please support Tiny House Warriors by purchasing a Tiny House Warriors hoodie or t-shirt!

Tiny House Warriors: Our Land is Home, was initiated by Secwepemc women and families to build 10 tiny houses in the path of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, to assert Secwepemc jurisdiction over our lands & stop Kinder Morgan pipeline.

The 10 tiny homes will be painted with murals that will depict the Secwepemc Laws that we are upholding and each tiny home will hold a theme and a specific use, i.e. food sovereignty, language, food harvesting, traditional medicines, music & arts to connect the dots on why land is so crucial to Indigenous Peoples existence and cultural survival. HELP PROTECT OUR LANDS & ! Please Support!

well.. it seems that not only did nothing change after the closure...council is using band funds to hire lawyers to threaten me (defamation suit) over releasing financial statements to the public on exactly how much liquid cash(1.4 million) is donated to the band. and continues to lie to everyone about the meeting that over a hundred members attended.
where through subsquent meetings for the policy and procedures were to be read, amended, adopted into the band in a truly democratic way. not only did they do away with what the membership agreed to but enacted their own policy and procedures
now through so called revenue sharing agreements or capicity building. when i ask where this money that they have ended up with is being spent every year they say they dont have to tell me nothing.
as chief anne told me to my face (which i have recorded) "to stop my whining!"
with the band apparently in a position to be in reciept of $150,000,000.00 dollars do you really think i will "stop my whining!"
like f**k!!
so i guess its time to release the recording of the band audit meeting....47 minutes worth of it!!!

And to think that in the midst of filing a law suit for this incident from last year & I get attacked again o_O by a man 3x my size again!!! Last time it was a special ops cop. I still suffer from the injuries. It's like they are doing their best to beat me down and keep me down but too bad For them.....

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

On Tuesday morning, members of the Secwepemc Nation evicted the Chief and Band Council of Williams Lake/Sugar Cane Indian Reserve from the Williams Lake/Sugar Cane Band Office and have continued to non-violently occupy the office since. The RCMP, aiming their guns at the unarmed Secwepemc occupiers, immediately surrounded the building and arrested April Thomas, a Secwepemc woman who just returned from presenting the plight of the Secwepemc Nation to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva and is known in the community for her opposition to the elected band council system.

Those occupying the office are unarmed and have cited ongoing corruption, lack of transparency and accountability and regular forcible evictions in the midst of a growing housing crisis under the direction of the Williams Lake Indian Band Chief and Council as their reasons for closing the band office until further notice.

“The illegal eviction of Sheldon Wycotte and his family less than a week ago from the home his grandfather privately owned and helped build is further proof that Williams Lake Indian Band Chief and Council are in breach of their fiduciary obligations to act in the best interests of the people. There is no accountability or transparency in the decisions the Chief and Band Council makes, millions of dollars are missing and unaccounted for, our land is being sold out from underneath us and we are all suffering as a result.” - April Thomas, Williams Lake Community Member, Secwepemc Nation

Media Contact: April Thomas, 778-267-6619

"Elected chief and councils are corrupt, corroborate with the colonizer state of Canada and its violent agents, the RCMP and regularly enact colonial oppression on their own communities, they sign modern day treaties, degrading the rights and title of Indigenous Peoples and Nations by their continued interactions with “the crown” and do not have the interest of their communities or Nations in mind."- Native Land 150

On Day 92, we repeat the words of Secwepemc Elder Wolverine, there is no statute of limitations on genocide. The ongoing genocide against Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island is the longest and most devastating genocide in history. From Confederation 1867 to the Indian Act and on to reserves, residential schools, forced relocation in the North, the 60’s scoop, the millennium scoop, the foster care system, pipelines, mines, logging, highway expansions, the youth su***de crisis, and on and on and on, genocide is committed in many different ways.

The Indian Act is the only piece of colonial legislation still in force today whose specific objective is to assimilate and control a specific group of people. No settler group, no newcomer to the white supremacist settler colonial state of Canada has ever been subject to such scrutiny and control by the state as Indigenous Peoples are. Most importantly, the Indian Act forced Indigenous Nations to replace their traditional governments with the chief and band council system.

The elected chief and council system are agents of and employed by the government, civil servants. They are the new and more effective Indian agent, meant to control the lives of Indigenous Peoples. They are the extension of the Canadian colonial government onto reserves across the state and have no jurisdiction. Most importantly, the legislation that enables the elected chief and band councils is the 1867 Constitution and gives the chief and council control over only reserve land. This means they cannot, legally, make decisions that effect lands outside reserve land. Despite this, the federal government uses the elected chief and band council to their advantage, by paying these politicians to make favourable decisions especially when it comes to resource extractive industry like pipelines and mines or highway expansions and logging. These industrial projects occur outside reserve lands and certainly effect other territories, we all live downstream.

These decisions are illegal even according to Canada’s own laws!
Elected chief and councils are corrupt, corroborate with the colonizer state of Canada and its violent agents, the RCMP and regularly enact colonial oppression on their own communities, they sign modern day treaties, degrading the rights and title of Indigenous Peoples and Nations by their continued interactions with “the crown” and do not have the interest of their communities or Nations in mind.

Keep this in mind when you see band councils signing deals, receiving pennies for approving destructive industrial projects that will make the corporations billions in profits, the federal government, billions in taxes and forward the white settler colony’s genocidal agenda of extinguishment and assimilation.

***deisgenocide

{Turtle Island Native Network} • View topic - Occupation of Williams Lake IndianBand Administrative Office

Press Releases put out by the WLIB.

http://www.turtleisland.org/discussion/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=12482

turtleisland.org Turtle Island Native Network the best online source for Aboriginal, First Nations, Native Peoples' news and information. A well managed intersection for Indigenous Peoples on the Information Highway.

Williams Lake Indian Band Occupation's cover photo

Williams Lake Band Stand-Off: Transparency and Accountability - Pacific Free Press

pacificfreepress.com Progressive News and Opinion

http://www.pacificfreepress.com/2016/05/28/opinion/williams-lake-band-stand-off-transparency-and-accountability.html

Williams Lake Indian Band to consider bylaw proposed by office occupiers - CFNR :: First Nations Radio

Some interesting statements made from Chief Anne Louie, time to do some follow up :

"The Williams Lake Indian Band is considering a proposed bylaw introduced by members who occupied the band office last month.

In a statement, the band says the “Band Membership Meeting Procedure Bylaw” was introduced at a May 30th community meeting.

Chief Ann Louie says the document itself is problematic.

Despite that, she says the proposal will be considered and evaluated.

Chief Louie characterizes those who occupied the band office as radicals who are oppose to any form of structured government.

She believes that group has little community support, pointing to a number of the occupiers as outsiders from the community."

For some reason the radio clips were removed?!?! I'm just compiling all the footage and write ups on the occupation, hoping to create some more waves if I can get a lawyer to help us. But atleast if we do find one I'll have everything all organized and ready to go!!!!

ANY AND ALL ACTION IS STILL ACTION!!!!

http://cfnrfm.ca/williams-lake-indian-band-consider-bylaw-proposed-office-occupiers/

cfnrfm.ca

Dissidents take over Williams Lake Indian Band office | CFJC Today

Quoted from this article from the RCMP proving we have a right to shut down what we want where we want on our Unceded, Unsurrendered territories all across BC, IN A PEACEFUL MANNER:
"Corporal Dave Tyreman says it is the RCMP's job to simply monitor the situation.
"In any kind of dispute, you have to understand the RCMP remains impartial. Our job is public safety. We're there to make sure that things don't become violent, make sure everything goes well, it's peaceful,"
Tyreman notes Canadians have a Charter right to demonstrate, but officers will step in if any Criminal Code offences are committed.
"If this is a demonstration, or a protest, by all means under the Charter that is what everyone has the right to do. Again, we are there to keep the peace, and should things actually change where a criminal offence does occur, at that point we will step in and enforce Criminal Code."

cfjctoday.com Your source for news, sports, weather, classifieds, and more.

Protesters still in Williams Lake Band office

Here's the CBC Kamloops interview with Arnie, just noticed it in my messages: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kamloops/protesters-still-in-williams-lake-band-office-1.3602169

cbc.ca We heard from one of the protesters who has been occupying the Williams Lake Band office. Arnie Jack says that the protest is about creating more accountability.

Don't know who created this page but it was done without my knowledge or permission although the videos include me and events that i was apart of i'm not doing the posting...just so everyone knows...thanks Darcy Kobelt

Using the RCMP 'Force' to the Fullest extent!!!

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

On Tuesday morning, members of the Secwepemc Nation evicted the Chief and Band Council of Williams Lake/Sugar Cane Indian Reserve from the Williams Lake/Sugar Cane Band Office and have continued to non-violently occupy the office since. The RCMP, aiming their guns at the unarmed Secwepemc occupiers, immediately surrounded the building and arrested April Thomas, a Secwepemc woman who just returned from presenting the plight of the Secwepemc Nation to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva and is known in the community for her opposition to the elected band council system.

Those occupying the office are unarmed and have cited ongoing corruption, lack of transparency and accountability and regular forcible evictions in the midst of a growing housing crisis under the direction of the Williams Lake Indian Band Chief and Council as their reasons for closing the band office until further notice.

“The illegal eviction of Sheldon Wycotte and his family less than a week ago from the home his grandfather privately owned and helped build is further proof that Williams Lake Indian Band Chief and Council are in breach of their fiduciary obligations to act in the best interests of the people. There is no accountability or transparency in the decisions the Chief and Band Council makes, millions of dollars are missing and unaccounted for, our land is being sold out from underneath us and we are all suffering as a result.” - April Thomas, Williams Lake Community Member, Secwepemc Nation

Media Contact: April Thomas, 778-267-6619

for a history of WLIB corruption

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM SECWEPEMC WOMEN'S WARRIOR SOCIETY

The Secwepemc Women’s Warrior Society has joined the non-violent occupation of the Secwepemc Williams Lake Indian Band Office to continue to fight for our Nation, our Women, our Youth, our Future Generations. A sacred fire has been lit to call our People together to address the corruption of the Elected Chief and Band Council system imposed on us by the colonial Canadian government.

RCMP officers, aiming their guns at the unarmed Secwepemc occupiers, have surrounded the building and have arrested and charged April Thomas, a Secwepemc woman who just returned from presenting the plight of the Secwepemc Nation to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva and is known in the community for her opposition to the elected band council system.

Secwepemc families are being forcibly and illegally removed from their homes in the midst of a housing crisis, our People live in poverty and debt while millions of dollars borrowed from the federal and provincial governments for the illegal NSTQ treaty are unaccounted for, and those who attempt to defend their Territories, themselves or their families are targeted by the Chief and Band Council.

The structure of the Indian Chief and Band Council system, created and enforced by the Federal Canadian colonial government allows for decisions to be made by the Chief and Council without the knowledge and consent of the People. This is unacceptable. After exhausting all other means to address our ongoing concerns, we stand here now demanding to be heard. We will not tolerate the use of the RCMP in internal Nation matters, and we will certainly not tolerate the continued use of the RCMP in dealing with the unsettled land issue.

Our Lands were never ceded or surrendered and cannot be ceded or surrendered without the full, free, prior and informed consent of our People. The actions of the Chief and Band council, without the consent of the people, are therefore illegal and we do not recognize them. This includes all unlawful evictions of Secwepemc families and any and all decisions in regards to resource extractive industry, the NSTQ Treaty and our Territories.

All decisions made in regards to the Nation and our People must be made with the consent of our People, there is currently no participatory decision making protocol or policy that allows for this within the Elected Chief and Council system. Until the People are included in the decision making of the Nation, all decisions made by any other body claiming to represent Williams Lake Indian Band or the Secwepemc Nation are declared null and void.

We will continue to occupy the Williams Lake Indian Band office until further notice. We ask that Anne Louie, elected Chief, meet with us in person immediately to begin discussions in reference to our concerns. In solidarity with the INAC occupations across Canada and Indigenous resistance worldwide.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

On Tuesday morning, members of the Secwepemc Nation evicted the Chief and Band Council of Williams Lake/Sugar Cane Indian Reserve from the Williams Lake/Sugar Cane Band Office and have continued to non-violently occupy the office since. The RCMP, aiming their guns at the unarmed Secwepemc occupiers, immediately surrounded the building and arrested April Thomas, a Secwepemc woman who just returned from presenting the plight of the Secwepemc Nation to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva and is known in the community for her opposition to the elected band council system.

Those occupying the office are unarmed and have cited ongoing corruption, lack of transparency and accountability and regular forcible evictions in the midst of a growing housing crisis under the direction of the Williams Lake Indian Band Chief and Council as their reasons for closing the band office until further notice.

“The illegal eviction of Sheldon Wycotte and his family less than a week ago from the home his grandfather privately owned and helped build is further proof that Williams Lake Indian Band Chief and Council are in breach of their fiduciary obligations to act in the best interests of the people. There is no accountability or transparency in the decisions the Chief and Band Council makes, millions of dollars are missing and unaccounted for, our land is being sold out from underneath us and we are all suffering as a result.” - April Thomas, Williams Lake Community Member, Secwepemc Nation

Media Contact: April Thomas, 778-267-6619