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Product Description
Review
Praise for Fifteen Days:
"Learned more about the performance of our soldiers from reading Blatchford's book than I did from being on the ground for short stays... Bravo Zulu, Christie Blatchford."
— Major-General Lewis MacKenzie (ret'd) in The Globe and Mail
"Learned more about the performance of our soldiers from reading Blatchford's book than I did from being on the ground for short stays... Bravo Zulu, Christie Blatchford."
— Major-General Lewis MacKenzie (ret'd) in The Globe and Mail
Product Description
It officially began on February 28, 2006, when a handful of protesters from the nearby Six Nations reserve walked onto Douglas Creek Estates, then a residential subdivision under construction, and blocked workers from entering. Over the course of the spring and summer of that first year, the criminal actions of the occupiers included throwing a vehicle over an overpass, the burning down of a hydro transformer which caused a three-day blackout, the torching of a bridge and the hijacking of a police vehicle. During the very worst period, ordinary residents living near the site had to pass through native barricades, show native-issued "passports", and were occasionally threatened with body searches and routinely subjected to threats. Much of this lawless conduct occurred under the noses of the Ontario Provincial Police, who, often against their own best instincts, stood by and watched: They too had been intimidated. Arrests, where they were made, weren't made contemporaneously, but weeks or monthlater. The result was to embolden the occupiers and render non-native citizens vulnerable and afraid. Eighteen months after the occupation began, a home builder named Sam Gualtieri, working on the house he was giving his daughter as a wedding present, was attacked by protesters and beaten so badly he will never fully recover from his injuries. The occupation is now in its fifth year. Throughout, Christie Blatchford has been observing, interviewing, and investigating with the tenacity that has made her both the doyen of Canadian crime reporters and a social commentator beloved for her uncompromising sense of right and wrong.
In Helpless she tells the full story for the first time - a story that no part of the press or media in Canada has been prepared to tackle with the unflinching objectivity that Christie Blatchford displays on every page. This is a book whose many revelations, never before reported, will shock and appall. But the last word should go to the author:
"This book is not about aboriginal land claims. The book is not about the wholesale removal of seven generations of indigenous youngsters from their reserves and families - this was by dint of federal government policy - or the abuse dished out to many of them at the residential schools into which they were arbitrarily placed or the devastating effects that haunt so many today. This book is not about the dubious merits of the reserve system which may better serve those who wish to see native people fail than those who want desperately for them to succeed. I do not in any way make light of these issues, and they are one way or another in the background of everything that occurred in Caledonia.
"What Helpless is about is the failure of government to govern and to protect all its citizens equally."
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Most helpful customer reviews
28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sad but true,
By
This review is from: Helpless: Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us (Hardcover)
The book is a detailed blow by blow account of the Caledonia occupation, recounted by those directly involved. It is in effect a compilation of interviews etc the author accumulated while talking with virtually every person who had something to say about the various events. However, there is little discussion with the natives to give any depth to the story.
The book is really about the hardships faced by the Caledonians at the hands of both the occupiers and the OPP. It is very damning of the OPP, the OPP leadership, Mr. Fantino, and all the other Government officials involved in deciding what was to take place in Caledonia. The book recounts how the OPP planted cameras in the house of one Caledonia residence to surveil the owner. Also, there was an incidence of planting a GPS locator on an officer's personal vehicle. The officer was personal friends with one of the central homeowners and was in the difficult position of having to do his job, while also act as a friend and counsel. This role was exploited by the OPP to their advantage. Reading it, you can't help but think of those poor souls living in occupied Europe during the war, the KGB, the SS. The OPP broke nearly every law you can think of, while refusing to serve or protect people who badly needed their help.
17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brings Back Memories,
This review is from: Helpless: Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us (Hardcover)
As a former resident of Caledonia during the occupation, this book brings back memories. For years we tried to get anyone to listen to what was happening in our town. The OPP abandoned us in so many ways. The book was very moving and I had to put it down several times as it stirred bad memories. It was a book that needed to be written, and I thank Christie Blatchford for taking the time to write it in a respectful way. I can't believe that people are calling this book racist. These people have clearly not read the book, and certainly did not live in Caledonia during those difficult times.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eye Opening - Couldn't Believe it could happen in Canada,
This review is from: Helpless: Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us (Hardcover)
This book was so well written that I completed it in two (2) days.
It reflected the struggles of the people of Caledonia, Ontario (small town near Hamilton) where the natives of Six Nations took over a construction site and the police (OPP) turned a blind eye to their illegal actions. The Caledonia townspeople living around the construction site were constantly harassed and threatened but the OPP would not give any assistance. Even when there was a blockade, the OPP faced the townspeople rather than the natives. There was anecdote where the home owner came home from a ball game but the natives would not let him pass their lines. Apparently, he missed a native curfew. Anyway, he got quite upset and drove past their line to his home and then was surrounded by a group of native who forced him into a vehicle and transported him back to the OPP line where he was arrested and spent the night in jail. The victim were arrested and the illegal action was condoned. There a sections of humour in this book but also segments where one would have a hard time believing that this could happen today in Canada.
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