I thought by fighting against Police Abuse and telling the truth in the Court of Law in Kenora was the best thing to do. It was a fight that did not go unanswered by the Police and the Court System.
I was warned if I wanted to go all the way by a lecturer at CopWatch International in Winnipeg that I would be fighting a very hard battle. I did care and heeded his warnings as well as others lecturing there, and I was an unwilling warrior at times, but I could not let myself and others down. I needed to go through this fight.
I did a complaint against the male officer who assaulted me at the Lakeside Mini Mart to the Kenora Police Detachment. They directed me to make a complaint to the Office of the Independent Police Review Director... They sent a very nice man down to investigate the complaint against Officer M. Barclay and then directed it back to the Kenora Detachment for more investigation. The final report was so eloquently done and made the Officer look like he was doing his job by assaulting a Anishinabe women for a HTA, and made it look like that I was a criminal in the Kenora Court System by finally charging me with Obstruction of a Police Officer and HTA (Driving While Under Suspension - for unpaid fines).
Please note, that if you have any kind of criminal charge or have made a complaint to the police about an abusive boyfriend they will use that against you to make it look like the assault by the police officer was all your fault.
Please note, my circumstances are different and if you have a clean record or have not been charged with anything you will have a better chance than I. Please be safe you are fighting against the Police and Court System that is built on colonialism. Meaning it is just another racist and abstract/oppressive system that is not good for us Anishinabeg here in Kenora, or the poor.
In the court system in Kenora, Judge Frazer told me he was thinking of putting me in jail, but because of my Lawyers excellent representation (He is and still is a lawyer who I admire and respect: here in Kenora) and my daughter who was witness on my behalf showed good and moral character must of said something good about me as a mother. Therefore I have six months probation and 20 hours of community work, and a thousand dollar fine.
So I have to be good for another four months, but I do have a conviction of Obstructing a Police Officer. Therefore I have to be a good and moral and very civilised "Indian."
You will here from me again. I am scared but not alone.
