(October 15, 2007) On Friday, October 12th, Mohawk spokesperson Shawn Brant of Tyendinaga appeared in court to finalize the details of his impending trial. Released on bail after spending two months in pre-trial custody, Shawn is currently facing a total of 9 charges in relation to two blockades, one in April 2007, and the other as part of the Aboriginal National Day of Action on June 29, 2007. Included in these charges are 6 “mischief” charges, which the Crown has elected to proceed on by indictment. The Ottawa-based Crown, Robert Morrison, has indicated that he intends to seek a minimum of 2 years imprisonment per charge, for a minimum sentence of 12 years in a federal penitentiary.

» click here to continue reading

Belleville Intelligencer, Samantha Craggs. September 18, 2007.

A group of nomadic Navajo Indians en route to support the aboriginal quarry protest near Deseronto have been arrested, says a member currently at the quarry.  Twenty-eight members of the tribe, an offshoot of the Navajo, were on their way to Deseronto in nine vehicles with 10 horses in tow to show support and respect for a group of Tyendinaga Mohawks, said Spata Desareau, 64, a member of the tribe. They travelled across western Canada without incident, but once in Ontario, were stopped by law enforcement three times – Wawa, Sault St. Marie and finally Kaladar, where they were taken into police custody Sunday, he said. “They’re saying they’re a political organization, which is a way of saying they’re a terrorist organization,” said Desareau of the group ranging in age from two to 72.

» click here to continue reading

Click here to download.

CONTENTS INCLUDE:
– A Short History of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
– Surrender 24 and the Culbertson Tract
– What Landed Shawn Brant in Jail
– A Recent History of Actions taken in Tyendinaga
– Why They Locked Him Up by John Clarke
– Union Activists Getting Involved
– Refusing to be Silent by Sue Collis
– What You Can Do

Produced by Tyendinaga Mohawk Support Committee, a group in Toronto working to gather support for the dropping of charges against Shawn Brant.

Letters of respect and support can be sent to:

Shawn Brant
Quinte Detention Centre, 89 Richmond Blvd, Napanee, Ontario, K7R 3S1

Bail denied for native protester Shawn Brant
CanWest News Service Published: Friday, August 10, 2007NAPANEE, Ont. – Shawn Brant, whose road blockades in June sparked the closure of crucial highways and rail lines in Ontario, has been sent back to jail after his appeal for bail was denied in Ontario Court on Friday. The native protester had been applying for bail so he could return to his family after spending more than a month in custody at the Quinte provincial detention centre in Napanee, Ont.

» click here to continue reading

The Intelligencer By Samantha Craggs, Thursday, July 05, 2007

NAPANEE — Not even the honour of Shawn Brant’s mother could keep the Mohawk activist out of jail on new charges of mischief and breach of recognizance. Brant’s mother Deanna, a retired teacher, took the stand at Brant’s bail hearing Thursday, offering a $50,000 surety that Brant would not plan, incite or participate in illegal protests between now and his court date. But Judge DK Kirkland denied bail anyway.

» click here to continue reading