OPASKWAYAK CREE NATION-In an historic move, two women were recently held accountable for racist remarks on Facebook. It began last July when Destine Spiller posted on Facebook a picture of her vandalized car in Flin Flon and announced that she would "kill some Indians when I get home." She also proposed a "shoot a [sic] Indian day," and other derogatory comments about First Nations people. Another woman suggested a "24 hour purge" of Indigenous people.
A pair of women who fit the descriptions of these woman, along with another woman who joined in the chatter, were arrested by Manitoba RCMP for uttering threats and public incitement of hatred. Spiller also lost her job as a hair stylist as her employer denounced the racism.
In what some are calling a groundbreaking example of restorative justice, two of the women have participated in a mediation circle at Opaskwayak Cree Nation and included elders, politicians, youth and mothers from the northern Manitoba community.
"To be able to deal with them in this manner, I think, provides an opportunity for government and for the Indigenous community and the justice system to come together and say, 'Is there a better way doing justice in Canada?' And I truly think there is," said Onekanew (Chief) Christian Sinclair. "When you look each other in the eye and talk it out, we are all growing together."
The women were asked to read out loud what they had written on Facebook and to discuss with the circle the impact of the posts. "Now you really see the emotion on the faces of these people who would normally be hiding behind a computer, typing their feelings, their racist thoughts," said Sinclair. "It wasn't an impact on an individual-it was an impact on all Indigenous people throughout Canada and really around the world, for that matter."
Sinclair says the system of restorative justice has worked for the Cree nation for centuries, and he believes the circle will do more to heal than pursuing the charges in the court system would. "If they went through the traditional system and went to jail, they could get caught up in the wrong crowd, or [come] out hating more."
The women apologized for their behavior. At a later date, the group will decide what conditions the pair must follow, whether a formal written apology to the community, education in cultural awareness, volunteering with an Indigenous organization, or being sent back into the court system to face charges.
Sinclair said the mediation circle, led by elder Irene Young, who works within the justice system for Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, and has experience in sentencing circles within Manitoba's justice system, was unique, not only because it involves non-Indigenous people, but also because it also rose from a crime perpetrated online in a public forum.
"When you look each other in the eye and talk it out, we are all growing together. It brings victims and perpetrators together to grow in a way that benefits everyone," Sinclair said.
