Remembering the Aboriginal misrepresentation before the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

The recent Aboriginal misrepresentation in the Natural gas dispute reminds me of the Aboriginal misrepresentation right before the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. For those of us who were here, everyone remembers the Vancouver Winter Olympics as being a very positive experience for the entire city. Most of us don't even remember the wingnuts trying to stop it, but I do.

I was with a volunteer group at the time when the Anti Poverty Committee from the DTES started disrupting family events leading up to the Olympics and even started throwing rocks at civilians who attended the pre Olympic functions. They were the Anarchists we warned you about.

I brought my daughter to one of these events with a friend of mine at City Hall in Vancouver. There were hereditary chiefs there from the Squamish First Nations and surrounding areas in Whistler where the Olympics were going to be held. The thugs from the Anti Poverty Committee were there and started yelling "No Olympics on Stolen Native Land!"

We all wondered WTF they were on about. The Hereditary chiefs there were in support of the Olympics and signed an agreement where they financial benefited from them and were permitted to showcase their culture at the event. When the elders started speaking the thugs started heckling them. Even during a song on the prayer drum. That's when I lost it. I started heckling the hecklers and yelled out real Natives Respect their elders.

My point is the clowns from the anti poverty committee did not respect the Hereditary Chiefs from the Squamish First Nations and surrounding areas. They had their own agenda and they were using violence and abuse to exploit and misrepresent the First Nations community just like the fake environmentalists are doing now. In hindsight, nobody remembers that. Everyone just remembers what a positive event the Olympics were for all who attended.