Shawn Brant finally released from jail! Pleads guilty to minor charges, major charges stayed

Editorial Note: read the story below with caution! this is an account by a news organization, Osprey News, which has repeatedly attacked Shawn Brant and failed to give thoughtful consideration to the historical and political context surrounding these events. Take for example, their emphasis in this story on Shawn being found "guilty"... he was found 'guilty' of two charges he plead guilty to... whereas the more serious charges were all stayed... so headlining this story as a 'guilty' verdict is somewhat disingenuous. -e *** Judge finds native protester guilty Brant sentenced to time served and placed on one-year probation The Belleville Intelligencer Mohawk protest leader Shawn Brant was found guilty on two criminal charges yesterday at the close of a trial that heard details of an intense roadside confrontation between a Napanee family and native protesters near Deseronto. After two days of evidence into the matter - which centred around an April 21 incident near the corner of Bells and Lower Slash roads - Justice Stephen Hunter said he found "sufficient evidence" to convict Brant, 44, of carrying a dangerous weapon and breaching court-imposed conditions. Charges of assault with a weapon, mischief and possession of a controlled substance were stayed at the request of Crown prosecutor Robert Morrison. Brant spent 62 days in custody awaiting the trial, noted the judge, which is considered the equivalent of a four-month sentence by the courts. "My view is that [sentence] is appropriate, given the charges before the courts," Hunter said before ordering the protest leader be released from custody. Brant was also given a year of probation with strict terms, including conditions that he is not to participate or plan protests with the exception of those at meetings of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte band council or activities "initiated by police services." In addition, Brant was given a five-year weapons prohibition, but "will be permitted to have traditional native fishing [equipment] and will be allowed to hunt" using firearms while on the reserve, said Hunter. During the trial, court heard that on April 21 Deseronto resident Jamie Lalonde pulled up to the scene of a road blockade manned by native protesters at the corner of Lower Slash and Bells roads. When he attempted to turn onto Lower Slash Road to take his daughter to a relative's home, he was ordered to turn around by protesters. What began as a verbal confrontation soon turned to a heated stand-off involving native protesters including Shawn Brant, who arrived at the scene carrying a fishing spear. "His eyes were crazy-looking ... he was in a rage," Lalonde testified last week, adding Brant ran up to the scene yelling, "Is it on? Is it on?" Brant, he said, held the six-foot spear only a few feet away from his face, "and at that point, I knew it was time for us to get out of there. "There was no doubt in my mind he would have stabbed me with it ... he had a crazy look in his eye." As he retreated to his truck and left the scene, Lalonde said other protesters from up the road were arriving. The incident ended with no injuries to anyone on either side of the standoff. Defence counsel Howard Morton, who early in the proceedings leveled accusations that provincial police were looking for any way to pin charges on his client, called no evidence or witnesses to bolster his case during the trial. Please do not reply to the listserve. Reply to mohawksupport@riseup.net

The Intelligencer's report is truly biased. It doesn't even mention the women and children who had flying stones embedded in their skin from the Lalondes' intentionally spinning their tires, nor the racial slurs the Lalondes hurled as weapons. The truly sad thing here is that a sixteen year old girl, who tried to stop her Dad, instead had to listen to that ignorance and be part of that racist attack.