Sitansisk First Nation to add gates, more security officers amid state of emergency over drug activity | CBC News
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Security gates and more security officers are coming to Sitansisk, also known as St. Mary’s First Nation, following a disturbance on Sunday amid concerns about drug problems in the community.
In a news conference Tuesday, Chief Allan Polchies Jr. said the First Nation is acting swiftly and decisively to enable the community to solve safety concerns.
This follows the declaration of a state of emergency Monday evening in response to “escalating risks due to illegal drug activity which endangers the safety and wellbeing of our citizens, particularly our youth,” the declaration said.
Polchies said his understanding is there was a meeting “organized by community members themselves” because people were “frustrated with situations in the community.”
He said there was a peaceful protest that turned “not peaceful” which led to a situation breaking out “in order to address the issue around, of course, addictions in the community.”
In a statement Monday, a Fredericton police spokesperson said “Upon arrival, members observed a large crowd gathered in an area that required immediate containment.”
On Tuesday, Fredericton Police released an additional statement saying they arrested one person Sunday on a charge of assault with a weapon, and a second person Monday on a charge of breach of the peace. Both incidents remain under investigation and the two are yet to appear in court.
Polchies said people were frustrated, but violence is not the answer.
Meeting with government
The state of emergency declaration said it was being enacted in order to “access additional resources through provincial and federal programs.”
“Our priority with the declaration is restoring our sense of security in our community, a sore point in our community now,” Polchies said in the press conference.
A spokesperson from the Department of Aboriginal Affairs said in a statement that its minister, Arlene Dunn, and Public Safety Minister Kris Austin, met with Polchies to understand the needs of the community.
Chief Allan Polchies Jr. says gates to the Fredericton-area First Nation will close at 10 p.m., and only residents will be allowed to enter unescorted.
The statement did not address the question of exactly what resources were available to Sitansisk, and when asked a follow-up question, government spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane directed the question to Polchies.
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada had not responded by 6 p.m. AT Tuesday to a request for information on what supports they could provide to Sitansisk .
Polchies said there is a shortfall of mental health and addictions supports for his community and that the province could do better.
By calling a state of emergency, “I gave them an opportunity that this is the time to build that trust and to build that relationship with the province of New Brunswick,” Polchies said.
He said he left the meeting with ministers feeling hopeful.
Polchies and his staff are working out details of how much assistance the First Nation would need because it doesn’t “have resources to bring in security, extra mental health, addiction counsellors.”
Security gates
Polchies said security gates in the community used during the pandemic were successful.
He said Sitansisk is working on staffing but expected the gates to be operational starting Wednesday.
Likening it to a checkpoint, the gates will be closed at 10 p.m. and reopen in the morning. Only citizens and members of Sitansisk can enter after hours
If a non-resident wants to enter after hours, the person within the community they are visiting will be called so the person can be allowed in.
“We’re just trying to curb the activity coming in because it’s our members that are being engaged … by the non-Indigenous folks here in the city that feel they can make this become a safe haven,” Polchies said.
“It’s not a safe haven for those people.”
Security stops Sitansisk citizen from speaking to media
Referencing the emergency order, Polchies said peoples’ voices need to be heard about drug issues in the community.
A Radio-Canada journalist who was interviewing Sitansisk community members on Tuesday was stopped by the First Nation’s security.
A person who identified themselves as a “band member” wanted to speak to the journalist to share their perspective, but a man wearing a Sitansisk First Nation security uniform intervened and asked the journalist to leave, and advised the person not to speak with the media.
The security officer directed the journalist to Polchies instead, and another non-uniformed man joined the security officer.
The non-uniformed man said, “These are conversations that are going on at the high level, and are very complicated conversations” and claimed the band member would “spin it in the wrong direction.”
Polchies was asked about this interaction at the press conference.
“We want to ensure that the messages from the media, because of course as we all know there could be fake news, and because people have their own sort of version of what happened,” Polchies said.
“And as a leader I need to ensure that the messaging is getting out there, the right messaging.”
Polchies was then asked if members of the community could disagree with him.
“So someone’s disagreeing that I’m bringing safety and security and curbing health and mental health and addictions? Then that person should reconsider what they’re standing to,” Polchies said.
Polchies denied giving a directive to security to keep media from speaking with citizens, but added, “we just want to ensure we got the right directive out there.”
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