In August 2016, Gerald Stanley encountered a group of young men in his farm yard attempting to steal his property.
In February 2018, Sam
Olson got on his digital gofundme horse, reared it, and neglected to mention
that the vehicle carrying “a group of young men” was in fact carrying three young
men and two young women who had spent the day doing what many young people do in
this country, particularly in rural areas, and that’s drive around, go
swimming, shoot highway signs, drink alcohol, and when things get messy, like a
flat tire, try to fix it, which can also get messy -- but is by no means an act
that deserves to be met with framing hammers and semi-automatic weapons.
Olson concludes his already
erroneous first sentence by stating that the group who arrived on Stanley’s
farm intended to steal Stanley’s quad, when in fact only one of the young men jumped
on the quad and tried to start it. We have no reason to believe that this young
man tried to steal the quad, just as we have no reason to believe that he would
ride off on this (one-seat) vehicle and leave his friends behind.
This young man was, as
the English say, in a “holiday mood”, and jumping on Stanley’s quad and trying
to start it belongs not to theft but to the nature of that mood. For anyone to
think otherwise is someone whose biases are fixed, clung to
and sharpened daily. And I am not talking of Stanley’s bias against indigenous
people so much as his bias against young people, a bias that might well have
been formed in Stanley’s own youth through his exposure to and participation in
a culture of violence, a bias that clearly extends to his son who attacked the
vehicle that the four young people arrived in, an action that, rather than
defuse the situation, only accelerated it.
Unfortunate events to follow led to, what was
proved to be, a freak accident, which cost the life of one of the young men.
What followed from this
first act of violence on the Stanley farm that day -- Stanley’s son driving a
framing hammer into the driver’s side of the front windshield -- led to the
driver putting the vehicle in reverse, backing up and, in trying to leave the
farm in a forward gear, backed into another Stanley vehicle. This is the freak accident, Sam Olson, not the one you can't bring yourself to mention in the “Story” portion of your gofundme campaign. It was only
after this freak accident that an enraged Gerald Stanley fetched a semi-automatic pistol, fired a
couple of shots at the fleeing quad jumper, then made his way to the vehicle that the young
people arrived in and, despite what Stanley says about trying to pull the keys out
of the ignition, shot Colten Boushie in the back of the head.
It was a terrible situation and circumstance
and it was entirely
preventable if Gerald Stanley is the kind of man that you, Sam Olson, would
like us to believe he is. But Stanley is not that man, and on
Friday February 9th 2018, Gerald was acquitted
not
of the charge he acquired
but of second-degree murder.
That you struggle to write a sentence is not what I take issue with here. What I take issue with, apart from
what I have written thus far, is that in not stating the charge laid against
Gerald Stanley, you are in fact erasing it, as if it was a mistake, when it was
not a mistake. Sure, Stanley was
cleared of any and all wrongdoing surrounding
the events of that day
but he did do wrong that day, and so did his
son, who contributed to these events when he introduced violence to the narrative
in the form of a hammer to the windshield of the vehicle that these kids rode in on.
As I can imagine, the Stanley family has spent
thousands upon thousands of dollars surrounding this ordeal.
I have an imagination too, Sam Olson. But no
one with any sincerity initiates a gofundme campaign by imagining what someone
has spent on something. If you really want to help the Stanleys, you would quit
fueling this fire, stop asking people to help them
recoup some of their lost time, property and
vehicles that were damaged, harvest income, and sanity during this entire
difficult situation they have been dealing with over the past two years
and focus your efforts on derailing the cycle
of violence that produces a Gerald Stanley, who in turn passed on that violence
to his son. Because what you are doing in initiating this gofundme campaign is increasing the upset, sharpening the biases that Stanley, his son and
others like them have sharpened all these years, and will continue to sharpen, hammering and shooting at anyone or anything that sits on their fucking quad. Your solution
is unsustainable, Sam Olson. Your effort to compensate the family of the man
who killed Colton Boushie is only making a
terrible situation
worse.
Good thing u stated your a fictional writer, sure is full of shit check your facts.
ReplyDelete“Realities” like what happened at the Stanley farm are putting fiction writers out of business. But many of us do our best with what the media tells us. My piece was based on what was available to me through the court reporting media, which I drew on in an effort to understand what happened on the day Colten and his friends arrived on the Stanley farm. Gerald Stanley and his son did not know anything about what these kids were up to prior to their arrival (the break-in attempt involving another vehicle, etc.). Moreover, anything that these kids said while on the Stanley farm was uttered in a drunken state (a “holiday mood”), which should have been apparent to the Stanleys based on the behaviour of these kids. Fair to say? And if so, if they recognized that these kids were drunk, is the best way to deal with them through violence? I’m not so sure. I have spent enough time in smaller communities to know that when dealing with marauding drunkenness, the best approach is a defensive positon, where you “safe up” and call the police. You don’t draw your weapons. And you certainly do not go into attack mode. Indeed, this is the crux of my piece -- the cycles of violence that have wound their through smaller communities and have manifested in stand-offs like the one that happened at the Stanley farm. We are in a moment of transition in this country, and those of us who have the means, those of us of settler stock, have to break this cycle of violence and take the high road. Jake, I thank you for bringing to my attention that “rural crime is rampant and getting worse.” That is the issue that should be coming from Saskatchewan’s rural settler communities, not a defense of someone who took violence to the brink and is now suffering the consequences. I am devastated by the killing of Colten Boushie, I am devastated by the trial that acquitted Gerald Stanley, but no, Sam Olson, I am not devastated by the court costs incurred by the Stanley family, nor am I devastated by their loss of property as a result of Gerald and his son’s actions. The Stanley family is intact, the family of Colten Boushie is not.
DeleteAre you shitting me? You are from Vancouver and clearly know NOTHING about this case. All you are doing is spewing lies about what happened that day. If you actually did some research and followed what was said in trial, you would know those thieves in the vehicle admitted to going to a previous farm, with a loaded rifle, trying to steal before making their way to Gerald's farm to do the same thing. You started off your story saying that young people in rural communities spend their days drinking, then driving, with a loaded rifle (which they were even banned from having FYI), and shooting highway signs. Let me tell you, I am one of those young people from those rural communities and I can tell you I don't spend my days drinking my face off (they admitted to drinking a 66oz of crown and a 26oz of vodka) and destroying other people's property. I work, I stay off of others peoples land and I sure as hell don't drink and drive. Get your fact straights before you start more story telling. And by the way, I PROUDLY donated to Sam's campaign.
ReplyDelete“Realities” like what happened at the Stanley farm are putting fiction writers out of business. But many of us do our best with what the media tells us. My piece was based on what was available to me through the court reporting media, which I drew on in an effort to understand what happened on the day Colten and his friends arrived on the Stanley farm. Gerald Stanley and his son did not know anything about what these kids were up to prior to their arrival (the break-in attempt involving another vehicle, etc.). Moreover, anything that these kids said while on the Stanley farm was uttered in a drunken state (a “holiday mood”), which should have been apparent to the Stanleys based on the behaviour of these kids. Fair to say? And if so, if they recognized that these kids were drunk, is the best way to deal with them through violence? I’m not so sure. I have spent enough time in smaller communities to know that when dealing with marauding drunkenness, the best approach is a defensive positon, where you “safe up” and call the police. You don’t draw your weapons. And you certainly do not go into attack mode. Indeed, this is the crux of my piece -- the cycles of violence that have wound their through smaller communities and have manifested in stand-offs like the one that happened at the Stanley farm. We are in a moment of transition in this country, and those of us who have the means, those of us of settler stock, have to break this cycle of violence and take the high road. Jake, I thank you for bringing to my attention that “rural crime is rampant and getting worse.” That is the issue that should be coming from Saskatchewan’s rural settler communities, not a defense of someone who took violence to the brink and is now suffering the consequences. I am devastated by the killing of Colten Boushie, I am devastated by the trial that acquitted Gerald Stanley, but no, Sam Olson, I am not devastated by the court costs incurred by the Stanley family, nor am I devastated by their loss of property as a result of Gerald and his son’s actions. The Stanley family is intact, the family of Colten Boushie is not.
DeleteWhile you are quick to correct you neglected a few facts. The other young men in the vehicle admitted the group was trespassing on at least one other farm. At which they tried to break a window of a pickup truck with a 22 rifle. A rifle that no one in the vehicle was licensed to have. A number of occupants also had court ordered weapons bans. It was also left loaded in the vehicle after the stock was broken. One also testified in court that upon entry to the farmyard one male immediately exited the vehicle and attempted to steal it (admittance of theft- not the "holiday mood" you're somehow justifying it with). When the Stanleys approached and confronted them they admitted to trying to run his son over. Whether that was before or after he hit the window is irrelevant as you've stated yourself a material object(windshield) is not worth a life (Sheldon). Mr Stanley retrieved his handgun and fired warning shots in the air ( which is legal). The SUV drove into a parked vehicle. The driver of the SUV had an inoperable but loaded rifle next to him. In a heated moment a quick glance would not tell you it's inoperable, yet Stanley never once said it was in self defence despite the fact the group had been trespassing/attempted theft/attempted to run over his son. From the very beginning the Stanleys phoned the police. Mr stanley and family said it was an accident and retold the story the same way everytime. The group of young men and women were caught lying multiple times despite being granted immunity. One of them never even showed up to trial. The crown and defence had equal opportunity to select the jury and 750 people were called. 200 showed up. 12&2 were chosen because they were seen as unbiased unlike the other 186 people both white and indigenous. Rural crime is rampant and getting worse. The media and everyone else involved needs to quit playing the race card and start speaking the truth.
ReplyDelete“Realities” like what happened at the Stanley farm are putting fiction writers out of business. But many of us do our best with what the media tells us. My piece was based on what was available to me through the court reporting media, which I drew on in an effort to understand what happened on the day Colten and his friends arrived on the Stanley farm. Gerald Stanley and his son did not know anything about what these kids were up to prior to their arrival (the break-in attempt involving another vehicle, etc.). Moreover, anything that these kids said while on the Stanley farm was uttered in a drunken state (a “holiday mood”), which should have been apparent to the Stanleys based on the behaviour of these kids. Fair to say? And if so, if they recognized that these kids were drunk, is the best way to deal with them through violence? I’m not so sure. I have spent enough time in smaller communities to know that when dealing with marauding drunkenness, the best approach is a defensive positon, where you “safe up” and call the police. You don’t draw your weapons. And you certainly do not go into attack mode. Indeed, this is the crux of my piece -- the cycles of violence that have wound their through smaller communities and have manifested in stand-offs like the one that happened at the Stanley farm. We are in a moment of transition in this country, and those of us who have the means, those of us of settler stock, have to break this cycle of violence and take the high road. Jake, I thank you for bringing to my attention that “rural crime is rampant and getting worse.” That is the issue that should be coming from Saskatchewan’s rural settler communities, not a defense of someone who took violence to the brink and is now suffering the consequences. I am devastated by the killing of Colten Boushie, I am devastated by the trial that acquitted Gerald Stanley, but no, Sam Olson, I am not devastated by the court costs incurred by the Stanley family, nor am I devastated by their loss of property as a result of Gerald and his son’s actions. The Stanley family is intact, the family of Colten Boushie is not.
Delete