First off, I agree we do need to get tougher on crime as a community, meaning we need to provide better support as to not set people up for failure after incarceration, and hold all members of community accountable not just "the natives" or lower income. Targeting our lower-level gang members and common street dealers isn't going to solve anything. It goes much deeper and more corrupt then anyone can imagine, right to our politicians and business owners. Your "blame it on the residential school" rant is disgusting and offensive. Residential school survivors may not be the ones over-representing the criminal population, but their children and grandchildren are.
The hurt inflicted and endured by those human beings is not something to be felt only by them but by their children and their childrens' children. When you take away someone's culture, power and children, how can you honestly expect anything but a self-fulfilled prophecy of failure?
The resiliency of Aboriginal people is very inspiring to me personally, but there's still so much damage to repair and apparently more ignorance to erase. Thank you for showing me that.
Amanda Wood
Prince George
