. Sinai Hospital in New York; the need for this study is one of the few things that tribal and traditionals can agree on. In 1973, the St. Regis Akwesasne Police Officers were accepted into the Ontario Police College. Drinking coffee in the early sun, Jake Swamp told me that this land has been a hunting and fishing area of the Ganeinkehaga -- the "People of the Flint" -- for many hundreds of years; even in 1779, the soldiers of Gen. Sullivan had noted that fish were so plentiful that in places the bottoms of the clean, clear streams could not be seen. I asked Hunt the question I had neglected to ask Harding: Why hadn't the police simply dispersed an armed and angry crowd that had forced them to blockade all the nearby roads and tie up traffic on Highway 37? But if you persist, it warns you with its tail -- please stay away! "I used to wonder why white people got so paranoid about our land claims; then a white person explained that they expect to be treated as other whites would treat them; they would be asked to leave the land and go back to England, France and Sweden. The driver was taken to the hospital where he sustained injuries, but was later released that day. Email: info@akwesasne.ca Read more about cookies here. The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service encourages the public to report any suspicious activity or crime by calling Akwesasne Central Dispatch at 613-575-2000 or the non-emergency number at 613-575-2340. Email: info@akwesasne.ca Morthaza Amirdad, 31, and Kyanoush Rezaei, 31, were each charged with four weapons-related charges and subsequently released from police custody to appear in Brockville court at later dates. 101 Tewesateni Road I didn't agree because I didn't want to see people killed, but I could see why they were just sick and tired of this damned thing, of a reservation without law and order. "Even if they were bluffing, they could have gotten a lot of people killed; we weren't panicked that day, we were just outraged that it was so out of control. Rumors of impending trouble had started to come in by Thursday evening, and Hunt, a local man on a friendly basis with many of the Indians, was in charge of about 18 troopers assigned to the Racquette Point Road area, where he arrived at 5:30 or 6 on Friday morning. Chief Tom Porter said, "There were over 1,000 people; relatives came here from as far as 400 miles away! By about 10, he said, a crowd of about 160 tribals had assembled -- not "vigilantes," Hunt assured me earnestly, that was only what the traditionals called them (the traditionals usually call them "the mob") but "supporters of the elective system and reservation residents." Tribal law enforcement has been serving the southern portion of Akwesasne for nearly twenty years. The Akwesasne Mohawk Police are investigating the kidnapping, assault and robbery of a Cornwall taxi cab driver. OPP gives tips to avoid being a victim of fraud and stresses the importance of vetting potential contractors. A frantic telephone campaign directed at Gov. That morning, May 22, 1979, Loran Thompson and his friend Joe Swamp found a group of youths cutting down trees on his late father's property; the woodcutters were members of the federally funded Young Adult Conservation Corps (YACC) engaged in a "boundary-delineation project" for a proposed fence around the Akwesasne Project" for a proposed fence around the Akwesasne Reservation, and they had already cut a swath 80 feet long and 200 feet wide by the time he arrived. This ongoing crisis, the state says, is a struggle for power between supporters of the state-sponsored elective system on the St. Regis Reservation, known as the "Tribal Council," and those who call the reservation "Akwesasne Territory" and follow traditional Mohawk ways; the two factions were being protected from each other by the state police. Phone: (518) 358-2272 Fax: (518) 358-3203, Saint Regis Mohawk Health Service 613-808-3466, You are now being redirected to the BCE Accessibility webform to submit your feedback, 299 Queen Street West SRMT Environment Division Responds to ALCOA East Fire, Haudenosaunee Nationals receive 100K from the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, Indigenous fashion designer and artist Niio Perkins creates space for traditional practices and meanings in a contemporary industry, Pow Wows cancelled? Confirmed new case of COVID-19 in Akwesasne, Two educational leaders appointed to the Indigenous Education Commissioners Advisory Council. The Intelligence Analyst Officer is supervised by the Detective Division. 613-650-9800, Prizing The search warrant execution was the result of a two month investigation into street-level drug trafficking of a controlled substance. At approximately 2:25AM the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police executed a criminal code search warrant at a private residence on International Rd, on Kawehnoke. Akwesasne, NY 13655 But it isn't a struggle for power; the issue is sovereignty. Dont fret. When the conference ended, I was introduced to Bear Clan Chief Tom Porter and Wolf Clan Chief Jake Swamp, and Bear Clan subchief Loran Thompson. Suspicious activity had been reported to the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service at about 6:50 a.m. April 28. "It so happens that in terms of the current situation since last Friday (June 13 )," Harding concluded, "it is my best opinion that if the state police were withdrawn from the reservation totally, within a very short period there would be a civil war, with many people killed or injured, and the state police would have to return, to put down massive violence. He even tries to tell us who should negotiate for us, and when he doesn't get his way, he takes dangerous actions. At dark, we went into Loran Thompson's house on the river bluff, where we were joined in a little while by Chiefs Thompson, Porter, Swamp and others. HomeStoreAboutContactAdvertise. The next two days, Schneeman allegedly held meetings with the "Concerned Citizens," and the following morning, the telephone lines were cut and a big, angry crowd threw up the barrier across the road to the encampment that was later taken over by the state police. They asked if they could live here, and our ancestors welcomed them and fed them, brought them back to health, and we said, 'This earth is very large and there is plenty, and you are welcome to be here and share with us.' The ultimatums, threats and preparations did not really subside until late next day. Ontario announces STAY AT HOME Order. On May 29, to the sound of drums, several hundred unarmed Indians walked in procession from the Akwesasne longhouse in Hogunsburg to police headquarters in the elective system's building, not far away, where five chiefs, including Porter, Swamp and Thompson, asked the police for the last time if they meant to disband. Akwesasne, Quebec, H0M 1A0 The state police role has been so ambiguous as to warrant an investigation: on June 13, or so it appears, the police were on the point of joining "the tribals" in an assault on the armed camp of "the traditionals," which has been in a state of siege since August 1979. A First Nations community TV station and production company. On June 13, I telephoned Chief Lyons to find out how I might reach the besieged camp. Administration / Office: Weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Police Officers: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Phone: 518-358-9200. Mission: To provide law enforcement services to the Mohawks of Akwesasne. Click here to access the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Sex Offender Registry, 11232021 Patrol Officer Application Fill In, 71 Margaret Terrance Memorial Way Gregory O. David Jr., 32, of Akwesasne was arrested and charged with Possession for the purpose of trafficking a controlled substance, possession of property obtained by crime, and breach of probation. "They fail to tell you that theirs was the first offense -- hell, we don't even know for sure that that was Loran's property, and anyway, I was born and raised here. In the related investigation, the OPP seized 46 firearms from two people from Ottawa during a traffic stop on Highway 401 east of Prescott on Sept. 7. He pointed at the General Motors factory. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Download MCA REPORTS ONE NEW POSITIVE CASE OF COVID-19 The White House that is. Chance H. Thompson, 36, was arrested on warrants charging him with first-degree rape and second-degree criminal mischief, both felonies; third-degree fleeing a police officer, reckless driving and third-degree aggravated . The group that threw up the barricades, they went on their own; they said, 'We've been listening to the elected chiefs for 13 months, now we want something done.' The two have not spoken since last summer, and their mother blames what she regards as the unrealistic attitude of the traditionals, whom she belittles; all the real traditionals, says Mrs. Cole, are long since gone. We're not permitted by our beliefs to deal with the earth as a material thing, because the earth is our mother. PO Box 90 He was remanded to Franklin County Jail without bail, and subsequently has faced a court hearing on that charge in New York state court on Aug. 21. Lazore and Laffin were held in police custody pending bail hearings scheduled in Cornwall court on Thursday, while Poirier and O'Byrne were released from police custody to appear in Cornwall court on March 14. Lt. Lee Hunt furnished the police perspective on the crisis of Friday the 13th. There are still elders among us today who remember this sharing attitude of our people, a very humanistic and moral attitude, and it is still solid and firm among traditional people: we still want to share. New York State itself is an interested third party whose efforts to circumvent the traditional Indians and their claims to sovereignty over vast areas of the state have been the source of trouble for 200 years. That day, as it turned out, hundreds of armed tribals ("the Concerned Citizens of St. Regis") erected a barricade at the head of Racquette Point Road, threatened to storm the well-armed camp of the traditionals with the stated purpose of protecting "the tax-paying and law-abiding citizens of the reservation, and to show support for the state and local police.". It is alleged that on December WARRANTS Cornwall, ON Michelle David, 36, of Cornwall was arrested on November 29th, 2022 on the strength of multiple warrants. Loran Thompson has no sugar maples down there. "Akwesasne used to be a fishing place, but all these locks and power dams cut off all the anadromous fish, and raised the water levels, which ruined the trapping and fish spawning grounds and waterfowl nesting in the marshes -- there is no hunting and fishing anymore. Registrants pay a fee and are encouraged to ask friends and family members to sponsor their ride. So the police decided they had better step in, and positioned themselves between the two sides. The besieged camp lies mostly on the Thompson family property, where more than a year ago the episode occurred that was blown up into the June 13 confrontation. On Aug. 13, an estimated 21 Indians were named in sealed indictments (which made the defendants subject to arrest without their knowledge) and those who suspected that they might be on the list began to gather with their families in a defensive camp centered around the house of Loran Thompson. Please consider the AMPS Facebook account first as an official source for policing matters relating to the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne. '", Lloyd Benedict, who has started a good small newspaper called the Rezz, is doing his best to remain neutral. Meanwhile, they sealed off all the roads leading to the encampment, placing it effectively in a state of siege like the one at Wounded Knee six years before. I got into the skiff, which set off across the swift broad river toward Racquette Point. We are called Rattlesnakes because we have that character, and this is what Gov. There are plenty of Akwesasne artists that you can purchase from online. You can also report by calling Akwesasne Crime Stoppers at 613-575-2255. They make it seem like they're surrounded, they put out land mines, they have AK47s that must have come from communist countries somewhere. Arrest warrant issued in Akwesasne homicide investigation, Handout Not For Resale Jeffrey Allen Lazore-Arquette. 101 Tewesateni Road Charged were Jordan Lazore, 30, of Akwesasne, Amanda Poirier, 33, of Akwesasne, Brandon Laffin, 38, of Cornwall, and Jennifer O'Byrne 35, of Cornwall. One suspect, 20-year-old Dennis Benedict-Sylvester of Akwesasne,has already been arrested for the incident, and police have issued a warrant for 22-year-oldNoah Paul King of Akwesasne. King is wanted for robbery, assault causing bodily harm, aggravated assault, kidnapping, mischief under $5000 and theft under $5000. Later that evening, the traditionals abandoned the building to an armed crowd of tribals, who later accused them of minor thefts and damage. In 1986 Band Council passed another resolution to rename the St. Regis Akwesasne Police Department, to the Akwesasne Mohawk Police. "That's our oldest warrior," the young Indian said, and laughed affectionately. From the river bank, Jake Swamp pointed at the Reynolds Plant upstream, the long plumes of smoke from the stacks blowing down on the northwest wind across Cornwall Island. According to Oren Lyons, a traditional Onondaga chief and a spokesman for the Six Nations (Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Tuscarora) who alerted me to the crisis in May, it was important that their side of the story get out as soon as possible, before people were killed. Chief Lyons said that he would get word to the Akwesasne camp that I was coming and gave me a contact number number but no name. HOMICIDE IN KANA:TAKON INFORMATION UPDATE The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service has issued a Canada-wide warrant for AMPS said a call was received at Akwesasne Central Dispatch the morning of Aug. 11, requesting an ambulance at Lazore-Arquettes residence in the Kana:takon (St. Regis, Que.) To enforce a variety of assignments, including: Traffic law, Anti-Drug & Smuggling Enforcement, and Criminal code enforcement. An Akwesasne Mohawk Police officer waits to cross the border at the Massena Port of Entry, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. As the siege continued through the winter, a number of tribal Indians felt increasingly uncomfortable about those relatives and former friends, and increasingly they resented the elected chiefs. Site by, Individual Residential Alternatives (IRA), Office of Emergency Management and Safety, Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), St. Lawrence River Area of Concern at Massena/Akwesasne, Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency Program (A/CDP), Let's Get Healthy - Diabetes Center for Excellence, Mental Health - Kanikonri:ihne (Good Mind Counseling), Home Improvement Supplement Program (HIP), Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Sex Offender Registry. was arrested Monday by St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police. A DANGEROUS confrontation between armed Mohawk factions on a small and remote reservation on the St. Lawrence River has been all but ignored by the news media, apparently for want of a certified death to excite interest; although the potential for bloody violence is still imminent, the few newspaper and TV accounts mostly have contented themselves with the interpretation put out by New York State authorities. "Friday was a situation that almost exploded," Oren Lyons told me when I caught up with him by telephone a few days later, "and it could go bad again at any time . "It's not against the law," said Lt. Hunt, "to walk around with a gun on New York State roads. June 18, 2021 The Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service has issued a Canada-wide warrant for the arrest of homicide suspect Victor J. Lazore, 33, Akwesasne, in connection with the death of 58-year-old Jeffery Allen Lazore-Arquette, Akwesasne on Sunday, August 11, 2019. Akwesasne, Quebec, H0M 1A0 When the state troopers arrived, they made no attempt to intervene, despite an invitation to do so from the deposed Indian police. The types of light bulbs that residents can keep out of landfill is expanding. Address: The three men face charges of Aggravated Assault, Assault Causing Bodily Harm, Forcible Confinement and Uttering Death Threats. Patrol will take a proactive approach to combating crime by utilizing crime prevention campaigns and strategies. During this period the department has grown to where it now employs twenty-four officers, six radio communication dispatchers, and one Administrative Assistant. Since August 1979, the state police had settled on the policy of executing warrants when and if they caught someone outside the camp while stopping short of an armed invasion; they are not anxious to get people killed, Harding explained, police included. Administrative Division: The Chief of Police is the director of law enforcement for the tribe and as such is the Chief Administrator for the department. I cried, it was so powerful! The arrests came as part of an ongoing investigation which follows a September 7, 2022 seizure of more than 40 firearms from a vehicle on Highway 401 near Prescott. Raymond Harding, lawyer, lieutenant colonel in the New York National Guard and special consultant to Gov.