BANISHMENT LAW BEING REVISITED

Drug Dealers Beware

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake is looking at bringing the Banishment Law
back to the forefront. MCK Chief Lloyd Phillips said this movement was
spurred by ongoing drug awareness meetings between the MCK, Kahnawake
Shakotiia'takehnhas Community Services, Peacekeepers and the Kahnawake
Education system.

Members of these organizations have been meeting monthly since October to
look at ways to combat the drug problem in Kahnawake. The Banishment Law is
one of the most important of the initiatives to come out of these meetings.

"We're looking at the law enforcement, educational and political aspects of
the drug problem," Phillips said.

The Banishment Law will focus on drug dealers and not on drug users.
Phillips said that there are many treatment programs and support groups for
users.

Several years ago the Banishment Law was put in a draft form, but for one
reason or another it was put on the backburner. It was during these drug
meetings that new life was brought to the issue. The group agreed that the
Banishment Law is a needed tool to rid Kahnawake of drugs. The issue was
brought before the MCK on two occasions and it was decided that they would
move forward on it. Phillips said that since Chief Arlene Jacobs had worked
on the law previously, she was selected to take the lead on the file now.

Phillips said within the next few weeks copies of the draft Banishment Law
will be made available to the community. Once it's made available,
community members will be asked for feedback on the law. Phillips said the
feeling was to at least get something official and then work from there. He
also said that within the law there will be a process that will lead to
banishment. If someone is convicted of being a drug dealer the process will
begin. The process, Phillips said, is included to prevent any type of
witch-hunt against innocent people. He also said that there will be a
method to determine for how long someone will be banished, whether it be
two years, five years or forever.

"Hopefully we never have to use it," Phillips said of the Banishment Law.
"It will serve as a good deterrent for drug dealers (in Kahnawake)."

Phillips also said that there is the possibility that the Banishment Law
could also extend to crimes committed outside of Kahnawake. For example if
a Kahnawakehro:non is arrested in Montreal dealing drugs or is caught
crossing the border with large quantities of drugs the Banishment Law may
apply. Phillips said that these people are abusing our collective
border-crossing rights and making it harder for the average Kahnawakehro:
non to cross into the United States.

Whether or not this is included in the final version of the law will be
determined through the consultation process.

This group is also discussing other initiatives to combat Kahnawake's drug
problem. They are working closely with the Peacekeepers to try to get
community members to use the tip line more often. The purpose of the tip
line is for community members to give the Peacekeepers information
anonymously about crimes and other police-related issues within the community.

Phillips also said that the Peacekeepers will be provided with the proper
resources needed to combat the drug issue. He said that the onus will be on
the Peacekeepers to provide the MCK with the type of equipment that is
needed. They are also discussing getting the drug detector dog Rocky to
become more visible within the community. Phillips said that they are
working on the legalities on how Rocky could be used without violating
people's rights. By having Rocky in the community more the group believes
that will serve as yet another deterrent against drugs.

Phillips said that through these meetings Connie Lahache developed a drug
awareness curriculum that will be proposed to the Combined Schools
Committee. He also said that the MCK is looking to implement a random drug
testing policy for all community organizations.

"We should be leading by example," Phillips said.