Justice for Our Stolen Children camp member looks back on experience as new protest emerges

Robyn Pitawanakwat was there that day in June 2018 when members of the Regina Police force arrested six people at the Justice for Our Stolen Children Camp on the lawn across from the Legislative Building. 

Although others described the tone of one police interaction where they arrived at dawn to take down the camp as cordial, Pitawanakwat said at the time that it was not peaceful. 

"There is nothing peaceful about removing families, Indigenous or otherwise, from land," she said. 

She would be there for the days and weeks that followed, too. Eventually, the Justice for Our Stolen Children Camp would come down in September of that year after a court order.

Now, another camp stands in the exact same spot.

Tristen Durocher and Chris Merasty of the Walking With Our Angels group walked 635 kilometres from Air Ronge to Regina in response to the Saskatchewan government failing to approve a private members suicide prevention bill last month.

Durocher is now on a hunger strike until what the group calls meaningful legislation is passed.

Like the earlier camp, Durocher's camp faced a confrontation with police last week when officers came and asked Durocher and others to take it down.

They refused. Durocher said in a Facebook post this weekend that the only way he's leaving his ceremony is if he's "dragged out" by the park authority or police.

Pitawanakwat says enforcing park bylaws seems to be a bigger priority than addressing the issues Indigenous people are bringing forward.

"That's concerning," she said. 

Pitawanakwat said Indigenous resistance has long involved physical presence. Indigenous people do not have the same access to resources as many other groups do, she said. 

"But what we do have is our physical beings. So, protesting in person, putting yourself in the line of sight of the powers that be is an important thing and a necessary thing for Indigenous resistance. We definitely have to be seen before we are heard," she said.

The Justice for Our Stolen Children organization still exists, and has a presence on social media, but doesn't have a physical location.

Pitawanakwat said she doesn't see an end for the need to push back against systems where one group of people benefits more than another group. 

"Unfortunately here in Saskatchewan, it's Indigenous people who are suffering the most with high rates of suicide, with high rates of incarceration, with high levels of poverty," she said.

"These things continue to exist because it's not been profitable for the Government of Saskatchewan to invest in Indigenous people to this point. They need to start seeing our worth before changes can be made."

One positive Pitawanakwat sees right now is a swell of support for Indigenous causes. She said she wishes nothing but the best for Walking With Our Angels.

"I'm always inspired to see people bringing their issues forward," she said. "I very much enjoy when people start to find their voice and push back."

A statement from the Justice for Our Stolen Children group sent out Monday afternoon echoed Pitawanakwat's sentiments. 

"We support the rights of Indigenous peoples to undertake ceremony and protest on lawns of the Legislature," it said. "This is a public space and should be a space that can be used to draw attention to critical issues that impact Indigenous people's health and wellness in the province."