TAKING BACK HOBBEMA

Gangs, Drugs Losing Their Grip On First Nations Community

Wilton Littlechild knew life was finally getting better in Hobbema
when he saw people painting over gang graffiti and "tags" in broad
daylight.

"It was a very bold activity," he says. "In the past, gangs have been
known to be very intimidating."

Insp. Don Ladouceur agrees. The head of the Hobbema RCMP says 2009 was
a turning point in the community's battle against the drug dealers'
reign of terror.

"The community has turned around dramatically," Ladouceur says. "We've
come a long way and the people really believe now. We still have a
ways to go, but you can really see the difference."

Crime, he says, has gone down considerably in the past year. As of
yesterday, there was only one homicide, compared to seven in 2008,
when Hobbema's per-capita murder rate was almost 30 times higher than
Edmonton's.

The community of 12,000 located 87 km south of Edmonton has struggled
with drugs and gangs since the 1990s, but it exploded into all-out
warfare in 2005, with drive-by shootings on a daily basis.

At its worst, there were nearly 250 known gangsters in 13 separate
organizations all fighting for their piece of the narcotics trade.

The residents' fear and frustration boiled over in May 2008 when a
23-month-old girl was wounded in the crossfire.

Residents of the four aboriginal reserves that make up Hobbema
shrugged off their fear of retribution and began tipping off police
about gangsters' activities.

A curfew was declared. A gun amnesty was instituted. Youth programs
were launched.

In 2009, the Mounties launched a co-ordinated strategy to crack down
on the gangs and take the community back.

A Report a Drug House program has been launched and so far 25 drug and
derelict houses have been demolished. Hobbema now has its own Crime
Stoppers program. A "gang exit" program is in the works. So is a
special family violence program.

"From what I hear," says Littlechild, a prominent local lawyer and
member of the federal Truth and Reconciliation Commission, "the number
of (gang members) is down quite a bit and so is the number of (gangs)."

The most obvious sign that Hobbema is turning a corner, says
Ladouceur, is the residents' battle against graffiti.

The Samson Cree First Nation townsite, home to nearly 8,000 people,
was plagued with tags, graffiti and broken windows.

This year, people began painting murals over the vandalized buildings.
So far, about 20 buildings, including homes, have been adorned.

"They're works of art," says Ladouceur, who's been in charge of the
local RCMP detachment for two years.

"And what's really noteworthy is that when a building gets painted,
it's not getting graffiti'd over. That's a really good sign."

Chief Carolyn Buffalo of the neighbouring Montana First Nation agrees:
"It sends a very clear message. The gangs don't own the community. The
people do."

Buffalo says the leadership of all four bands have "really pulled
together. It has to be a collaborative approach."

The campaign is having positive effects well beyond gang problems,
says Mel Buffalo, who runs Samson's drug and alcohol programs.

"People are looking at their lives," he says.

"We're seeing a lot more people coming to our 12-step meetings. I
think this is a healing journey for the whole community."