AAMJIWNAANG SPEAKS OUT

Community Fighting Drug Abuse

Aamjiwnaang residents walked through rain Saturday in a determined
effort to tackle drugs in their community.

About 25 people of all ages spoke out against using and dealing.

"Our community's a circle. What's happening is we're losing bits and
pieces of that circle," band councillor Darren Henry said. "Within
that circle, everybody's important."

Momentum has been building since September when an elder brought her
concerns to council. The KAA committee (short for "no" in Ojibwe) was
formed and stands for "Keeping Aamjiwnaang Alive." Up to 200
residents have attended community meetings to understand the problem
and find solutions.

"We knew it was there. We heard it was there. Now it's out in the
open," Henry said. "People are getting fed up."

Kids as young as 11 and brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, aunts,
uncles, moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas have been bitten by drugs,
or know someone who has.

"There's an impact on family," said walker Joe Bird, 35. "I don't do
drugs but you have to be a counsellor to the people on drugs."

Residents have asked themselves -- why? But it's hard to pinpoint one
cause. The easy availability of drugs and a lack of volunteers to run
recreational programs are suggested factors. So are peer pressure,
the loss of cultural identity and the feeling of being "categorized"
off-reserve.

"It's not like everybody's using," Henry said. "One point of
recovering our culture is living that lifestyle that is drug and
alcohol free. There are a lot of people that choose that way."

Residents express concern about overdoses, impaired driving and
death. There's emotional and financial stress. Some grandparents look
after their grandkids because their adult children are using or recovering.

The problem is larger than Aamjiwnaang.

"Sarnia is a big centre for not only crack but crystal meth," Henry
said. "Being a border community, there's a lot that comes here.
People are naive to think that (Lambton County) is a clean community."

The reserve is taking action.

Sarnia police speak at the meetings. A recovering addict shared her
story. A Walpole Island counsellor talked about crystal meth.

One under-the-influence youth showed up at a meeting because he knew
it was the place to come and "talk." Known dealers have also made an
appearance.

The community is offering a hand rather than venting anger. That's
the way of Anishinabek people, Henry said.

More peaceful walks are planned until every road on the First Nation
is covered.

The reserve has one drug and alcohol counsellor but could use two
more, residents say. The waits are long for out-of-town detox treatment.

Filling a need is a narcotics anonymous group that started three
weeks ago, which has about eight members. The reserve's health and
education workers will get crystal meth training in Toronto.

There's talk of a youth group and if it happens, Annie Joseph, 20,
wants to be a mentor.

The Lambton College nursing student could inform kids about drugs'
consequences, she said.

"I've got 12 nieces and nephews coming up to their teenage years. I
want to help steer them away from that stuff."