epares for

   

The Jury Pr

Deliberation

    

 

GUSTAFSEN LAKE TRIAL

Doug Whitlow

 

he longest running, largest and

most expensive jury trial in
Canadian history is nearly at an end.
After almost eleven months of testi-
mony and a total cost of nearly $40-
million, the trial of the Ts‘Peten
Defenders has concluded.
As the Other’Préss
releases this article, the
fate of the 18 men and
women on trial for the
Gustafsen Lake incident
of 1995 is being decided in
a locked chamber some-
where in the Lower Mainland of
British Columbia. Although this trial
has consumed much time, money and
effort, very few people outside the
immediate geographical area are
aware it has happened at all. This is

  

Hi
Ce a

River continues...
those other worlds. One of those
places is where the Alouette flows into
the Fraser.” | woke up then.

| am swimming in the Alouette.

| have been in the water a minute
that is folding out into forever. “God,” a
friend of mine told me, “is not safe, but
he is good.” This place is so good | can
taste it. But this is good that makes no
sense because there is no evil to make
it good. This is just blank eyes in a
river of monsters and those people

nC News

e media ha
already found

bits
defendants
ert Ltay]

 

symptomatic of larger problems of
racism in government policy and the
portrayal of natives in the mainstream
media. Throughout the trial, which
began on July 8, 1996, only a very
meager amount of information was
released by any of the national media
sources. What coverage
there was, was gener-
ally biased againstthe
defendants and
almost never re-
ported anything
which reflected both
sides of the story.
Many times during the
trial this reporter heard phrases
from prosecution witnesses who said
that the public has a right to know the
truth, but this was almost never printed
and released to that public. As the
prosecution concluded its final submis-

sions to the jury on May 2, 1997,
media people were present outside the
courthouse attempting to photograph
the defendants as they exited the
building. When asked what the photos
were for, one reporter said they were
preparing for the sentencing of the
people on trial. It was obvious to
everyone there that the media has
already found the defendants guilty as
charged, and are not relying on the
jury at all. When the final verdict does
come down this reporter will be in
attendance and will report the whole
truth to the public. »

Beats out field of six

New
COLLEGE
PRESIDENT

he OP welcomes, for the second

time in a year, a new president to
the College. Susan R. Witter was
chosen above five other candidates for
the position.

In choosing Witter, the presidential
search committee decided to keep the
position at home. There had been
applications from outside of BC as well
as from America, but Witter is familiar
to the BC college scene. She has
eighteen years of experience in senior
college administration and is currently
the Dean of Access and Continuing
Education at the University College of
the Fraser Valley (UCFV).

Witter is scheduled to begin her new
position on July 23. »

 

who think that nature is cute aren’t
alive and those people who don’t
understand why God makes carnivores
need to see the peace in this
lifebreeding death and those people
who think that nature is inspirational
but aren’t on their knees in terror need
to be this cold. | can’t stay any longer.

| splash out onto the shore where the
last of the sunlight warms the smooth
gravel. The air is cool on my wet body.

The water is far away. @