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Sign the Open Letter: Drop All Charges Against Shawn Selway and Patricia Mills

1/15/2022

 

Please read and sign this letter requesting that Crown Prosecutors drop all charges against the concerned citizens targeted by Hamilton police while standing in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en water protectors. Use the form at the bottom of this page to add your name!


Ontario Court of Justice
To Whom it May Concern;

In the last few years the number of charges Hamilton Police are laying against protesters using civil disobedience within their environmental campaigns has ramped up. We have especially noticed this regarding individuals involved in protests or actions that are in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people, who are protecting their territory in BC.

The Wet’suwet’en are an Indigenous Nation who have not ceded their territory, as recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada in Delgamuukw v British Columbia, [1997] 3 SCR 1010, and so – as laid out within that ruling - retain their right to control what happens on their territory. Unfortunately, a corporation is constructing a large pipeline through their territory that will detrimentally contribute to climate change, risk the Wet’suwet’en people, as well as cause permanent destruction to the land, water, cultural areas and history.

We voice our great concern to you – the office of the crown prosecution – over the increased frequency of charges being laid by Hamilton Police against individuals who stand with this Indigenous Nation. It appears to us - the signatories of this letter - that the police, and court by way of choosing to prosecute individuals unnecessarily, are working to criminalize the act of protesting and deter individuals’ support of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.
Disruption and dissent have - and continue to be - essential to the betterment of our Nation.
We believe that continuing to prosecute Shawn Selway and Patricia Mills - individuals who have both been charged with mischief for their alleged actions in solidarity with the Wet’sweut’en - to be inherently against the public interest which the crown is tasked to represent.

In particular, we believe that pursuing new charges against Shawn Selway for allegedly painting a road in Hamilton in support of the Wet’suwet’en as he battles stage 4 cancer is unconscionable and should not be continued within the process of the courts. To do so risks even the basic public respect for the courts and our legal system.

We – the writers and signatories of this letter – encourage you to drop all charges against these two people. We understand that this ability – and responsibility - now lies solely with the crown. We also understand that extensive precedent exists to allow the crown to withdraw charges that are not in the best interest of the public to pursue. Public concern and encouragement has led to the dropping of charges against police officers, journalists, and houseless individuals who were over-ticketed.

Please respect the right to protest and consider the better public good. Drop the charges.

Respectfully,
Signatories are listed below​

Signatories

Jim Quinn, Professor, McMaster University. 
Ria Kleiman
Don McLean, Hamilton Gallery of Distinction; Honourary Doctor of Laws 
Rochelle Smith
Nathan Savelli, Master of Arts
Rita Bailey 
Atif Kubursi, Emeritus Professor McMaster University
Paul Costello
Ken Stone, Treasurer, Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War
Bruce Allen, Paralegal
John Kirk
Peter Appleton
Miriam Sager
Irene Schieberl
Ali Jones, BSW
Frances Murray
Max Brett, Teacher
Timothy Bergen
Laura Palumbo
Joshua Tabh, PhD. Environmental and Life Sciences
Chris Gusen
Alex Wilson
Omorowa Eguakun, Coordinator of Volunteer Programming and Community Engagement, OPIRG Guelph
Emma Cole
Carolina Gama
Dr. Egla Martinez, Associate professor, Human Rights and Social Justice, Carleton University
Scott Neigh
Henry Evans-Tenbrinke
Quin Lawrence
Iqra Abid
Brian Dias, Unifor Delegate Local 1459
Andrew Levine
Wayne Poole
Jessica Vorstermans, PhD, School of Health Policy & Management, York University
Catherine Clase, Professor of Medicine, McMaster University
Arlene Slocombe, Executive Director - Water Watchers
Bryce Kanbara, You Me Gallery
Catherine Brown, MA, MEd, B.Ed, retired teacher
Adrienne Lee
Steve Chalastra
Kay Basham, Member of Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War
Cynthia Meyer, Cofounder of Community Permaculture Lab
Amy Gowling, R/TRO
Dr. George Sorger
Jennifer Sherwood
Doreen Nicoll
Nancy Hurst
RACHELLE SENDER, MD, CCFP, FCFP
Olivia Watkin-McClurg
Veronique Audette, Charity Directorate, the Ascension Foundation
Susan Wortman, BSc, MLIS, Registered Psychotherapist
Rose Janson, MA
Jason Hindle
Peter and Shirley Hutton
Darren Ranawaka, McMaster University Student 
Sue Markey, Retired teacher
Anusha Gulatee
Don Brown
Roberta McGregor, Masters degree in Anthropology/President and Volunteer Coordinator for Recycling Revisited Inc.
Douglas Rich USWA LU.1005, Retired
Jean Jacobs
Jill Nielsen
Kathleen Chung, MA, University of Toronto
Ed Reece
Amy Angelo
Leanne Grieves, PhD
David Mivasair, Rabbi
Esme Allen-Creighton
Sonia Mataj
Becky Katz
Francesca Morreale
Nicole Jessome
Jess Glegg
Kelsey Burns
Maia De Graff
Lia Hamelin
Susan Radford, BSc. BSW
Connor Bennett
Linda Lannigan, Fix Our World
Keisha Quinn
Cole Nielsen, Student
Nala Ismacil, Torch - Toronto Coalition for Housing 
Julia Karpiuk
Scooter Jay
Rachel Dubeckyj
Ian Walker
Jeanette Eby
Dorar Abuzaid
Ronald Clayden
Dan Ashworth
Theo Vittore
Souheil Benslimane, Abolitionist
Vania Pagniello
Destiny Pitters
Sherly Kyorkis, Ward 7 Resident, Hamilton
Arwen Ballentine
Nancy Dingwall
Lorraine Green, Co-Chair, Grandmothers Act to Save the Planet GASP
Alex Jacobs-Blum
Rehoboth Dekamo
Robinson Inkster
Kayla Hagerty, B.A
Jill Fran
Jim Fitzgerald
Judy Snider
Teba Faisal
Brian Tammi
Kristen McMinn
David Nguyen
Hailey Dash
Alison Pipe
Megan Myke
Elliot Currie
Riley Wignall
Emily Hubbard
Kostyn Petrunick, B.A., M.A.
Emma Ditchburn
Rachelle Gibbs, RECE
Gillian Fenwick, BSocSc Public Administration; Co-Chair of the Capital Pride Youth Committee
Haley Reap
SG Hurlburt
Raquelle Bultje
Meaghan Ross, Staff, Southern Ontario Human Rights and Equity Office 
Laura Stewart
Stoness Verda
Shelley Stevens, B.A. M.Ed. 
Jeff Higson
Gail Lorimer
Alex Verman
Sarah Perkins, OMP, M.OMSc, B.Sc, Co-Director of Flourish Therapy Practices
James Lambert
Josie Rudderham
Emmali Branton
Alexandra Weinberger
Sophia Foss
Katherine Walker-Jones
Riley Pineros
Meaghan Hannah
Amy Notdorft
M Davies RPN
Susie O'Brien, Professor, McMaster University
Shunmathi Shan
Eshan Merali
Kevin Intini
Mymoon Bhuiyan, Project Coordinator Mac Divest
Tyler MacDonald
Stephanie Springgay Director, School of the Arts McMaster
Nafisa Afsara Chowdhury
Craig Cassar
Zoe Keary-Matzner
Alex Wagstaffe, PhD student McMaster University 
Aseja Dava
Felicia Smith
Anthony Matthews
Sonya Fedotcheva
Steacy Easton
Ailidh Gray
Apryl Lark
Justine Kiely
Hannah van den Bosch, MA
Jessica Wan
Marika Brown, PhD Candidate & Instructor, McMaster University
Isabella Graceffa
Adrienne Quinn
Ali Soerensen
Wei Chun Kua
Talat Hakim
Kalyn Salmon
Alexandra (Oliver) Basekic, Poet, academic 
Genevieve O'Grady
Anahita Martyn
Don Wells, Professor Emeritus, Labour Studies & Political Science, McMaster University
Maja Terzic
Claire Peace
Kelsey Denise
Emily Scherzinger, Instructor, McMaster University
Jacqueline Huo
Sue Carson
Linzey Corridon, PhD Researcher, McMaster University
Art Heidebrecht, Professor Emeritus, McMaster University
Pam Beatson
Elizabeth Ann Martin
Laëtitia Eyssartel, Resident of Hamilton
Stephanie Rico
Johannah Bird, PhD Candidate, McMaster University
Payton Carne
Sarah Hopen
Sonia Persaud, PhD Candidate, 
Robyn Vardy, B.A. Social Psychology. M.A. Counselling Psychology
Mary Love, Master of Information Science
Aseel Sultan, McMaster University Student
Aislyn Sax ​

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