Roseau River women want tribal police back

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A group of women on the Roseau River Reserve says Chief Lawrence Henry is gambling with their safety.

The Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council police were banned from the reserve after helping the RCMP with a recent raid on video lottery terminals. The women say they don't trust the "peacekeepers" Henry has set up to replace the tribal police.

"There are some men within that group who are under restraining orders (to stay away from some women on the reserve). That creates a very volatile situation," says Linda Roberts, a spokesperson for the group. "I think some of them have their hearts in the right place, but there are a few who are in it simply because they are called warriors. They feel they are above the law."

Roberts notes the 45-member Anishinabe O-kii-ji-da society has no training and has quite a few teenaged members. She, and other women in the group, claim some of the peacekeepers have been harassing and threatening people on the reserve.

But society leader Terry Nelson denies those charges. While admitting some members may have been abusive in the past, he says violence has been a fact of life on the reserve. The group is trying to make a change for the better, and having reserve residents providing security is a step towards self-government.

Roberts says she has nothing against that idea, but objects to the way Henry established the group without any input from tribal members.

"If the chief is going to make a decision of this magnitude, he has to have the tribal members' support," she says, adding that democratic process is in the band constitution. "That process was totally ignored...he chose to make a rash decision that put a lot of women in danger.

Until tribal members can agree on the setup and training of a peacekeeping force, Roberts says her groups wants the tribal council police restored on the reserve.

While Chief Henry was unavailable for comment, band councillor Charles Nelson defended the group, saying the majority of them are taking on the responsibility in a good way.