M’CHIGEENG—M’Chigeeng citizens attended a community meeting at the complex on May 20 in the wake of the severe beating of elder Johnny Panamick. On Sunday, May 11, Mr. Panamick’s neighbour found the 70-year-old man severely beaten in his home. Mr. Panamick was transferred to the Manitoulin health centre by ambulance and then again to Health Sciences North in Sudbury, where he remains in the intensive care unit in critical, but stable, condition with extensive injuries to his face, both legs broken, a punctured lung and broken ribs. The elder has been kept under heavy sedation, family members previously told The Expositor.
Hosted by Hazel Recollect, Mr. Panamick’s sister, the gathering was an opportunity for M’Chigeeng residents to voice their opinions on how to improve the community and prevent such horrendous events from happening again.
Ms. Recollect began by telling those in attendance that there was a need to address issues including safety and social concerns and that the people have a voice because the reserve is their community. “You own this place,” she said. “You live here and you need to have a good community.”
[pullquote]“You own this place,” she said. “You live here and you need to have a good community.”[/pullquote]
Ms. Recollect then went on to describe the injuries to Mr. Panamick. “He was severely beaten,” she said, “and the sisters and family are there. The doctors thought his brain would swell because that was where he was hit. He is sedated into a deep sleep, which to me is a coma so he is unable to speak. He has tubes down his throat to help him breathe and another to eat. The doctors said yesterday that his lung may collapse again. He was already not in good health. He could not walk well already.”
Ms. Recollect also spoke of the direction the community should take. “We need to think of those vulnerable people out there. Status quo doesn’t work anymore. We had meetings before and nothing happened. I think chief and council have to focus on social issues now. We act like the Indian Act and that is passé to me. This is a critical time in this day and age that we have to live under these conditions. It has to change. This building cannot be just a bingo hall, this building should be occupied every day. There used to be basketball nets here, they are gone. And I think language and culture are important. Residential schools did a good job on us. Our parents and our grandparents passed that on, I know I did. I will say that we have been ill-treated and I will not retract from that.”
Participants at the meeting were then asked to speak and Deputy Grand Chief of the Union of Ontario Indians Glen Hare was the first to respond. “I am pissed off,” he said, “I did three banishments when I was chief. I didn’t have fun doing that, but none have been back. It has to stop. We never used to have to deal with murders in this community; we are dealing with them now. Anyone doing drinking and drugs should be banned from this community. You have this right. I am proud that I stood up for our community. If you need to talk to someone, talk to me. I am proud to say that I am from M’Chigeeng. I do believe that each and every one of us wants to do the best. We can do this, we can do this for Uncle Johnny.” Deputy Grand Chief Hare also asked the audience members to call Crimestoppers if they see drunk drivers or other illegal behaviour and to stop bootleggers if they are in the community selling alcohol or drugs. He also spoke of the cutbacks happening in his organization including the loss of 10 people and he asked the reserve to tell the council what they can do to help.
Many people spoke at the community meeting with one young man speaking of his addictions and the help he is getting. “I am getting support out there,” he said and added that there is a severe problem with ‘shooting up,’ or intravenous drug use, in M’Chigeeng. Others also talked of the drug problem with one person saying that a lot of the members of their family were in the cemetery thanks to drugs and alcohol. Another told of how her uncle almost lost his life after winning $2,000 at the bingo and being beaten for his money.
While a number of people spoke of the drug problem on the reserve, others spoke of ways to help make things better. “The youth centre,” said one respondent, “you can’t keep changing the youth worker. We need consistency.” In speaking of the connectivity of being together, one woman spoke of her answer to this for her family. “Every first Sunday of the month, we meet for supper. No cell phones and no TV. Sometimes we laugh and sometimes we cry. Since I started, my family has connected and we are not ashamed to say ‘I love you’.”
A young woman at the meeting spoke of the responsibility of families. “It is very simple, I think,” she explained. “It has to start at home. You can’t blame the police, you cannot blame the chief and council. Love your kids, take them on trips, take them to see your family.”
Other people spelled out the ways that the police could be doing a better job and recommended that the officers “patrol, patrol, patrol,” suggesting the use of bikes as “you can’t catch someone hiding in the bush if you are sitting in a patrol car.”
It was also pointed out that M’Chigeeng needs more economic development and that the chief and council should make more jobs and also that more police officers were needed. Another speaker talked of his work with different programs in M’Chigeeng and his journey to Sault Ste. Marie to see how they are dealing with similar problems there. In one area, they established a drop-in centre, installed more lighting, put in planters, got rid of graffiti, initiated programs for kids and elders and make sure that the police drop in often.
Councillor Brian Bisson spoke to the audience for Chief Hare, who could not attend the meeting, and reminded people that M’Chigeeng is a caring community. “We have problems,” he said, “but we are also a good community.”
The meeting ended with Ms. Recollect asking people to jot down their ideas on papers at the back of the hall and challenged chief and council to provide the residents with an update on ideas and asked for another meeting in one month.
