I am awake, I am alive, as only one question echoes through my mind and broken heart, “When will it stop?”

This week, 26 Youth Detention homes were abruptly closed across Ontario. Stories share of the youth being shuffled out in the middle of the night to places unknown to them or the staff who cared for them. Others tell of one to three hours notice of closure, of staff forbidden to inform the youth or the families of those youth, of the youth shackled and escorted onto planes. And yes, many are indigenous.

For them and their families, the image is eerily familiar – Indigenous children herded up, put on planes, and taken to places unknown – as the horrific history of Canada repeats itself even as today we will again be asked why we just can’t get over it.

Truth be told, the Indigenous existance in Canada is so often one of toleration – we are tolerated, we are endured, we are “put up with” (on our own lands, I might add) but only if we “behave”. Don’t drink. Don’t swear. Don’t be poor. Don’t complain. Don’t get in trouble. To DARE to do any of those things will bring down upon us a wrath of epic proportions as we are reminded how absolutely ungrateful we are!

But these youth will be expected to love this country and this province. These youth, whether Indigenous or not, will be expected to respect the states that treated them in this uncaring and inhumane way or else another path is waiting … straight to jail.

The journey continues as I once again whisper or yell or cry, “Get your hands off our kids!”
 

I love you … but we have to do better than this.
HUGSSSSSSSSSS
Sandi

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