A-Infos (en) STONEY POINT -- CONVICTION

["ms.freak" <pj@tao.ca>]

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| February 12, 1998 | Direct Action Media Network |

STONEY POINT -- CONVICTION
by Sue Forrest and Davin Charney

This morning in the Sarnia courthouse, Warren George of Stoney Point was
convicted of assault with a weapon and criminal negligence causing
bodily harm (the charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle was
stayed). Warren had driven a car in the direction of the 32-member OPP
Emergency Response Team, after they had severely beaten and then dragged
Cecil Bernard George of nearby Kettle Point toward the arrest van
located at the rear of the OPP units. 

Both convictions resulted from actions which occurred the evening of
September 6, 1995, just minutes before the murder of Dudley George. Less
than a year ago, OPP Acting Sargent Kenneth Deane was convicted of
criminal negligence causing the death of Dudley. In his judgement today,
Judge Greg Pockele strongly implied that the Stoney Point people who
were defending the burial ground (located in "Ipperwash Provincial
Park") were responsible for the confrontation with the OPP and even
"perhaps" the death of Dudley. Pockle stated the police were justified
in their level of violence as it is their job to "dominate" such a
situtation by using all means at their disposal.

Warren was not the only person to come to the defense of Cecil Bernard
George. A young Stoney Point man had driven a school bus through police
lines. This man was acquitted of similar charges as the judge in that
case considered driving a vehicle towards the cops was reasonable, and
that to have come to the defense of Cecil without a vehicle would have
been "unreasonable." Maybe this is why the judge was changed for
Warren's case.

Warren testified that he had swerved off the road to avoid being shot by
a cop who was directly in front of him with a gun raised. After swerving
the car made contact with a few cops. The only injury sustained was by
officer Mark Close who had a strained ligament in his knee. (At the
hospital they gave him a bandage, some tylenol and then he took 5 days
off work. Close also testified that he required treatment for
post-traumatic stress disorder.) Judge Poopoo discredited Warren's
testimony by insisting that Warren had no reason to fear being shot. In
fact, the judge dismissed much of Warren and Cecil's testimony that
their actions were undertaken out of fear of being "murdered" or
detained by the OPP.  The judge felt that the Stoney Point people had no
reason to fear the OPP.  He made no mention of body bags the OPP had
brought with them that night, and did not question timing of the OPP
advance which occured at approximately 11pm after the cops shut off the
park lights. The judge failed to make mention of the photo exhibit of
Warren's car with more than 20 bullet holes.
  
The judges racist ruling reinforced and supported the racist violence of
the OPP. These convictions cannot be seen in any light other than the
conscious perpetration of personal, political and systemic injustice
against native people. 

Warren will be sentenced in Sarnia on April 3, 1998. If the just-us
system sends him to prison, Warren will be yet another native political
prisoner in a Canadian jail. Native genocide continues to be a
government supported Canadian tradition.


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