Pubdate: Mon, 16 Jan 2012 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2012 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/letters.html Website: http://www.calgaryherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 HEALING IN HOBBEMA First Nation Taking Steps to Put an End to Violence For sheer grit and determination in fighting back against the crime that's plaguing their reserve, you have to hand it to the Samson Cree First Nation, one of four First Nations in Hobbema, 90 kilometres south of Edmonton. Recently, the band voted to adopt an eviction bylaw to get troublemakers off the reserve, similar to a bylaw enacted seven years ago by the Enoch First Nation, which is located west of Edmonton. Although some misgivings remain about the bylaw, such as the concern that the evictees will simply move their troublesome behaviour elsewhere instead of getting help, its enactment shows the band is serious about restoring peace to their violence-riddled community. The killings last year of fiveyear-old Ethan Yellowbird - shot by a stray bullet as he slept in his bed - and his 23-year-old aunt, Chelsea Yellowbird, were the tipping point for the community, which has 42 RCMP officers stationed in its environs - among the highest police-per-population figures in the country. The bylaw, drawn up by Koren Lightning-Earle, a lawyer and Samson Cree band councillor, contains checks and balances that will prevent the arbitrary eviction of someone who may be the unfair target of a whisper campaign or personal vendetta. In fact, there are quite a few procedural hurdles to be jumped before someone can be evicted. The individual in question must be charged with or convicted of a crime that has placed at risk the life or wellbeing of people on the reserve, or have been convicted of at least two property or injury crimes in the preceding two years. The individual must be "a danger to the health or safety of the community," and 25 residents have to sign a petition for eviction. Then, a tribunal of at least three members chosen by the band council must examine the petition and recommend to chief and council that the eviction go forward, with the order requiring approval of two-thirds of the council. The banishment is not forever - proof of a change in behaviour can lead to reinstatement. The bylaw also requires a criminal record check and approval by the residency tribunal for anyone wishing to move onto the Samson Cree First Nation. The bylaw is just the latest in a series of crime deterrence initiatives undertaken at Hobbema, including the removal of foliage along roadsides, better lighting of streets, a curfew limiting youth movement at night, a gun amnesty for reserve residents to hand in their weapons without fear of prosecution, and even the establishment of a cadet corps on the reserve to give kids something more productive to do than getting involved in the drug trade that has fuelled the violence. Most importantly, the silence at Hobbema is starting to be broken. Last Wednesday, police arrested a teen in connection with Ethan Yellowbird's death, following quickly on the heels of charges being laid against two other teens in that shooting. RCMP Supt. Curtis Zablocki noted that community help enabled police to make the arrests. Hobbema residents are under no illusion that change will come overnight. Rather, a slow and steady process will lead to victory in the end. Measure by measure, the Samson Cree are getting there. They should be commended for their efforts. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom