Since August 5 a group of resisters have held up construction of an expressway through the last large green space in Hamilton. This group of natives and non-natives need your help immediately as the police threaten to close in this week.

Since August 5 a group of various individuals has held up the construction of an expressway through the last large green space in Hamilton. This week threatens to be the last week for us without help from outside now.
Arrests began this past week and Thursday saw the arrest of a native clan mother. It was sad for us to watch Hamilton police arrest her and as she leaned against the crusier and was frisked.
Everyone helped to build the Longhouse in the forest and close by that is the roundhouse and the sacred fire built by the natives. The sacred fire has been burning since mid-August.
Many people are afraid to join the resisters as the city has obtained an injunction that would allow them to put people in jail for three months. Arrests last week were for trespass fines of $70. and release. All those arrested have returned to the Longhouse in the valley. One man who went back to protect a tree nailed his hand to the tree as the chains were too easily removed.
The city lost no time in starting to cut the flaming maples and the dark walnuts even as the arrests were taking place on Thursday. The women were peacefully standing waiting for the female police and the trees were being dragged by smoke belching machines up the hillside and on to trucks.
The natives in the resisters are here to protect hunting and fishing rights enshrined in treaty. Others are environmentalists wanting to protect the 47,000 trees destined to be cut and to reduce the rate of asthma and pollution resulting from an 8 kilometer stretch of highway. Animal activists are there to protect the habitat of southern flying squirrels, deer and many migratory birds. This group of individuals with different philosophies have joined hands on the picket line, around the sacred fire and waiting to be arrested.
This police and the city security forces are about to move on the Longhouse this week and "clear it out". We need help immediately if we are to continue the resistance from inside the forest. Help is needed in the form of people. Help is needed with supplies such as body harnesses, rope(this stuff is expensive) and wood boards for platforms. Help could also come in the form of out of province media. The local media has been co-opted by the city government and is very conservative.
The city wants to get rid of the resisters this week as next week the municipal elections threaten to elect several anti-expressway candidates. They also want to cut as many trees as possible before the election to deflate our will to resist.
My name is Elaine Maion and I run an animal activist group in Hamilton. We need your help immediately but we will continue to resist from outside the forest if that's where we are.
When the picket started on August 5 to prevent the construction crew from access to the valley, no one thought it would last the day. Three days later we still all expected arrest.
Three months later we are still in the valley and there is a Longhouse and a roundhouse. No one is perhaps as surprised as the protectors. Hamilton is a tough, gritty town not given to admiration for dissenters. But you can help us in our resistance until next week's election. Please come and please help us any way you can.