STARTING ON THE PATH OF A CHANGE

On Jan. 5, the Samson Cree First Nation voted in favour of evicting
trouble makers out of their community. The residency bylaw will allow
reserve members to evict residents who present a danger to the
community. Under the bylaw, any 25 residents could apply to have
another resident evicted.

This is a step toward a solution and a visible public statement.

Gangs, lack of education, substance abuse - these problems are
pre-existent in these First Nations communities. The problems didn't
just happen over night, they happened over time. As the inner city
kids in Chicago have problems stemming from race, drugs and crime, the
Samson Cree First Nation has its own share of problems. With 14,000
residents - half under the age of 18 - and 13 known operating gangs,
the solution is to push the trouble makers out and create a culture
within the community that focuses on education, prevention and inclusion.

Kids are not attending school, parents are sleeping on their couches
to keep one eye on their family and the other on possible stray
bullets coming through their homes. Gangs are an increasing problem.

Drug dealers are in the business of making money - if it becomes
harder to do business, less profits are made, the becomes less
profitable, then the business will start to dwindle.

Every community has its own set of issues to overcome.

That is the problem. Until the core issues are dealt with, nothing
will change. Strength comes from the community by standing up to those
who cause harm to that community.

Change has to start within the communities themselves. The people in
the community need to start within themselves - they way they think,
the choices they made, they way they react.

Although much larger, the City of Los Angeles saw crime fall for a
ninth straight year. Known for its gang activity and drug trade,
community policing, a crackdown on gangs and partnerships with other
agencies are some of the reasons for the change.

In Hobbema, RCMP are running preventive programs at Samson Cree; a
cadet corps which draws about 200 children on an average evening, a
domestic violence unit and partnerships between the RCMP and an
outreach worker, a social worker and two elders. An anti-gang strategy
is also in the planning stages, modelled after a program that worked
successfully in Chicago. There are more than 42 RCMP officers posted
in Hobbema - one of the highest officer to person ratios in Canada.
This move is a sign the community is rejecting the culture of drug
abuse and violence.

Developing a relationship between police and community members is key.
Maintaining is paramount. It may take a village to raise a child, it
takes the strength of a community to change a way of life.