No reason for racist comments, say Innu mother and owner of a burnt bar after a demonstration against crime

A Sheshatshiu mother is warning her children to stay away from Happy Valley-Goose Bay because of racist comments made following an anti-crime rally.

Florence Milley, who lived for a time in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and now lives on her home reserve in nearby Sheshatshiu, said it is not safe for Innu.

Comments on the social media posts included threats to shoot and kill Innu across the city.

“We're actually really good, humble people. A lot of us are sober,” Milley said.

“It's just heartbreaking,” she said, describing how she felt reading the online comments.

A simmering situation in the town escalated early Saturday morning when the Sand Bar Lounge burned to the ground. A 36-year-old Natuashish man was later charged with arson and other offenses, and police said more people could be charged.

Falon Wilson, owner of the Sand Bar Lounge, who spoke at a subsequent community rally on crime and public safety, said the community's focus needs to be on crime prevention and accountability – not on any particular group.

WATCH | A bar burned down, but now residents are pointing the finger at it:

This bar owner says crime in Happy Valley-Goose Bay is out of control

Falon Wilson's bar in Happy Valley-Goose Bay was burned down in a suspected arson. Police have charged one person, but Wilson says there are bigger problems in the community. Some residents have started to blame Innu, and Wilson says there is no place for racism. CBC's Heidi Atter reports.

“This has to stop because it's more than a race,” she said. “And right now it's causing chaos in the city.”

Wilson said that while fires were predictable and preventable and she has asked the RCMP to increase patrols and presence, crimes are committed by people of all backgrounds.

The specter of racism in Happy Valley-Goose Bay is linked to a homeless problem that has long existed in the town of about 8,000 residents, with increasing numbers of people living in the trail network over the past decade.

Racist rhetoric spreads after rally

Monday night's rally outside City Hall drew a large crowd, including local politicians, who expressed concerns about the perceived inadequacy of the province's policing and engagement.

During the rally and afterward, racist rhetoric specifically against Innu spread. Individuals called for Innu to return to where they came from, demanded that the shooting of homeless people should be legalized, and said that a “clean-up night” would solve safety problems.

Wilson and Milley said discrimination and racist comments have increased this week.

Although not all people living in the trail system are Innu, Milley said, there are Innu among the group. Many people in this situation, she said, struggle with complex trauma, addictions and mental health issues.

Milley said there is no point in discriminating against Innu, attacking Innu and believing that all Innu in Happy Valley-Goose Bay are criminals.

“We don't want retaliation. We don't want Goose Bay to look and say, 'I hate the Innu,'” Milley said.

“I’m so scared someone will get killed.”

Milley, who believes there are not enough RCMP personnel in the region, including Sheshatshiu, said she understands people's frustration.

“But I don't want our children to see us arguing because we have to set a good example, not hurt each other and not hate each other.”

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