Andru McCracken, EDITOR
Last week my article about the violent confrontation between three men and a woman and the Tiny House Warriors provoked a strong reaction from some in the community of Blue River.
Missing from that piece was the experience of the locals. That was an oversight, and thanks to the backlash, we may have found some folks who are willing to go on the record with their experiences of the protest group.
We’re going to try and do a better job of covering the Tiny House Warriors and the impact they are having on Blue River.
The community’s perspective on the Tiny House Warriors to date has been underreported.
We’ll examine some of the reports we’ve heard about the movement and their interactions with residents and visitors, including their May 2nd call for an end to all tourism between Jasper and Kamloops.
I’m hoping that the Tiny House Warriors will engage, despite the fact that they have on several occasions refused to talk to the Goat.
We want to open lines of communication, but even if we are unsuccessful we need to take a look at their impact.
I’ve mostly experienced the warriors through their videos on twitter. The warriors are abrasive and confrontational like a really bad community member. It’s unpleasant, but it certainly qualifies as community news.
What gets me is that the people of Blue River have become the target of the protestors.
Antagonizing the residents of the place that you have chosen to protest seems beside the point.
Blue River residents cannot veto the pipeline, so what gives?
Are they just a part of Kanahus’ reality TV show, props used to get more hits?
In last week’s piece I paraphrased Naomi Klein’s assertion that the fight for Indigneous rights and title is inseparable from the fight for a habitable planet.
In a tweet linking the story we wrote about the attack, Kanahus Manuel pulled that line.
Is there another place where Naomi Klein sanctions being a dick to low-level pipeline workers and the residents of the community where indigenous people are protesting?
One thing is for certain. Tension at the protest camp will increase as construction forges ahead. That’s something we’ll be keeping an eye on and covering.
Originally published May 25, 2020 EDITED: July 27, 2020 for accuracy and fairness.
