Samson Cree Nation
HUB
Koren Lightning-Earle 3 Social Indicators of Trouble
• Presence of Gangs • Children in Care • Truancy Rate 2011/2012
Presence of Gangs • By 2005 250 known members in 13 gangs • By 2013, 8 homicides • Spring of 2008, 23 month old toddler shot in the stomach • Summer 2011, baby and teen shot. • Last spring,1 teen shot with an arrest warrant released for another member of our community. • 3 yrs ago, RCMP report 3 active gangs…
Children in Care • In June, 2011 we had 440 children in care which is approx. 14% of our child population. Alberta average is 6% of child population in care. • Lately it has dropped from 420 to now approx. 320 children in care. • Drop in rate also comes from a change in direction in child care. Focus more on prevention, not apprehension. Children NOT in Truancy 2011/12 School K4 95 4 year olds 190 95 K5 131 5 year olds 206 75 Grade 1 140 6 year olds 193 53 Grade 2 128 7 year olds 197 69 Grade 3 99 8 year olds 215 116 Grade 4 108 9 year olds 172 64 Grade 5 106 10 year olds 179 73 Grade 6 118 11 year olds 165 47 Grade 7 123 12 year olds 192 69 Grade 8 134 13 year olds 198 64 Grade 9 131 14 year olds 212 81 Grade 10 181 15 year olds 208 27 Grade 11 100 16 year olds 196 96 Grade 12 80 17 year olds 209 129 18 year olds 218 218 Total 1674 19 year olds 190 190 Total: 3140 1466 Who is Samson Cree Nation? Who Are We? • Approx. population of 14,061 people within Four Nations • As of April, 2015, Samson has 8,109 people. 999 live off reserve. • We have 52% of the population of the surrounding reserves. • Wetaskiwin’s current population under age 19 is 27%. Hobbema’s population below age 19 is 52.8% of the total population. RCMP Stats-Domestic Violence in Oct, 2011 (before HUB) • Victim • Abuser – 52% self report – 89% alcohol related alcohol abuse – 52% drug abuse – 18% self report drug abuse related – 27% report suicide – 32% report suicide ideation ideation – 49% report – 30% report gang previously assaulted involvement – 21% receive • Samson takes 55% to serious injuries 60% of RCMP workload. – 21% spent time in women shelters • 60% domestic violence calls there are children in the home.
Historical Points of Interest 1980s
• Geoffrey York wrote that between 1980 and 1987, Hobbema held the highest suicide rate in all of North America. In the peak years between 1985 and 1987, there was “a violent death almost every week in Hobbema, and the suicide rate for our young men was eighty-three times the national average. There was as many as three hundred suicide attempts every year.” The Dispossessed, Geoffrey York 1990s
• In 1992, there were 12 suicides – an average of one per month. Edmonton Sun Dec 17, 1993 • Again, on July 21, 2005, the Edmonton Sun reported there were 12 suicides in Hobbema in 2004. In Samson, 5 were reported. 2000s • “Between 2000 and 2004 the number of reported assaults in Hobbema nearly doubled, from 490 to 899. Drug charges tripled to 105. During the same period, while the RCMP K Division average for Criminal Code cases per Mountie rose from 82 to 120, in Hobbema that average hovered between 259 and 292. Homicides peaked at three each in 2002 and 2003. And the number of ambulance calls rose 71% to 4,607 between 2001 and 2005. There are few worse places in Canada to be a rural cop.” Edmonton Sun May 15, 2005 Hobbema 2008
• By 2005, 250 known members in 13 gangs • By 2008, 7 homicides • Spring of 2008, 23 month old toddler shot in the stomach • Community responded by imposing a state of emergency; imposing a curfew; a gun amnesty program; and creating the painting crew. Oil Royalties • The violence and suicide has been attributed to the discovery of oil resources within the four nations of Hobbema. • One of the largest oil reserves was discovered in the 1950s under the Four Nations land that comprised the Pigeon Lake area. Much of that oil was “largely extracted by 2000, with limited gas production expected to be completed by 2007. Some small-scale drilling continues, but all four band councils stopped making annual royalty payments to their members in 1998.” Edmonton Journal June 5, 2005 Birth of Conflict Conflict • "The ethnic conflicts and insurgencies of our time, ...are not religious wars. They are not clashes between cultures or civilizations, nor are they the result of ancient ethnic hatreds. They are manufactured wars, born out of the collapse of civil societies, perpetuated by fear, greed, and paranoia, and they are run by gangsters, who rise up from the bottom of their own societies and terrorize all, including those they purport to protect." War is a Force that gives us Meaning. Chris Hedges HUB Started by addressing School Truancy Truancy - Confirmation
• Prior to HUB departments and schools found themselves working in SILOS. We also could not gather a complete picture about where our kids where at? • Working with Samson Membership, Social Services and the Schools we started in the summer of 2010 to try and gauge this number • What we found came as a surprise, we did not comprehend the extent of this truancy. large numbers of school age children did not register to attend school each year.
Four Bands of Samson Ermineskin Montana Louis Bull Hobbema (Maskwacis) Children not in 1495 255 110 439 school
Stats compiled Edmonton Journal, numbers supplied by Aboriginal Affairs. May 2012 Children NOT in Truancy 2011/12 School K4 95 4 year olds 190 95 K5 131 5 year olds 206 75 Grade 1 140 6 year olds 193 53 Grade 2 128 7 year olds 197 69 Grade 3 99 8 year olds 215 116 Grade 4 108 9 year olds 172 64 Grade 5 106 10 year olds 179 73 Grade 6 118 11 year olds 165 47 Grade 7 123 12 year olds 192 69 Grade 8 134 13 year olds 198 64 Grade 9 131 14 year olds 212 81 Grade 10 181 15 year olds 208 27 Grade 11 100 16 year olds 196 96 Grade 12 80 17 year olds 209 129 18 year olds 218 218 Total 1674 19 year olds 190 190 Total: 3140 1466 Prince Albert, Sask HUB
• Met early spring 2012 with HUB representatives from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. • They assisted us with their approach to interagency. • They gave us their blank database. • HUB concept is being utilized in Saskatchewan and Manitoba Utilizing a HUB Concept in a
Reserve Model
• HUB Work with the RCMP to build partnerships to reduce crime. SCN took the lead to implement this model for the first time in Alberta. • Went live with the HUB program Sept 18, 2012. Met and continue to meet weekly. • HUB is Interagency with power players. • Motto: Leave your policies at the door.
Chief and Council Maintain Direct Maintain Direct Links to Home Links to Home Agency Chair: Council Agency Member
Depts. HUB Depts.
• RCMP • Restorative Justice • Education • Ambulance • Social Services • Maskwacis Youth • Community Wellness Initiative • Probations • Child Welfare
• Housing • Home Liason Families at Risk
Note:Instead of the marginalized comingindividualto programs, What is HUB?
• Brings together: NOTE: Member who come – Police to HUB are the Managers of departments who have – Social Services the authority to make – Education NOW decisions. – Health – Child Welfare – Corrections – Other marginalized groups relevant to
our community. individual. the marginalized to come The programs
HUB to date
• In 2 ½ years operation,108 cases closed; 9 currently active • In 2012 we started with truancy related issues. We now deal with Mental Illness issues; parents borderline child apprehensions; Elder abuse; suicide ideation; and a few hard core wannabe gangsters. Role of our Law Enforcement
• Before HUB, average 55 people every weekend in jail • RCMP questioned has a substance abuse become a justice issue? • RCMP cannot solve the causes of Crime. • Causes: poverty; lack of education; unemployment; substance abuse; etc. • To the RCMP it is why HUB matters: RCMP are not the solution to Crime, but they need to be part of it. HUB Process Notes…
• HUB meets once a week. Thurs 10 am. • HUB is a model of practicing accountability • HUB is not a department • A non-per diem gathering • We have no administration office (like CORE). Thus, we have no paperwork • Confidentiality is a verbal/body process
Potential Is this a HUB If No, Could Case is file? (It has to be for INFO Presented have a level of elevated risk) only
If yes, 1st ask If Yes, Can this be Supporting handled depts meet Admin? privately
If no, a HUB file is opened (only those who contribute to file share Names)
Tasks are File Opened assigned and using Acronyms followed up weekly Database Case #327 Young Gangster
• 15 years old, grade 9, Risk assessment done, part of a gang • Mother & Father name recorded • School called meeting, parent did not show. Parent also has another child registered in school & has a meeting at 1 pm today, Sept 26. Make aware of supports available. HS Report next week results. • Dad never involved • Suggestion to keep child from school cause is disruptive to all students • Child suspended from previous school for weapon possession & threats; was involved in bear mace/machete incident • Suspended from local recreation building. Has made threats (i.e. burn down house, tagging, etc.) • Parents offered transition out of community. • All involved: RCMP, Child Welfare, mental health, school HUB changes lives…
• Case #399: Children having trouble in school • Case #429: 2 special needs children • Case #417: Baby girl with no ID Success stories
• Culture of Silence has lifted. • By 2013, HUB relocated 38 known gangsters. • 108 case files closed • We saw a growth in student enrollment • Saw a big rise in special needs children finally attending school
To Date
• To date: RCMP reported a 16.2% drop in total criminal code. 800 less people incarcerated last 2 years (500 2 yrs ago with 300 to date of last Nov). • Ambulance report a 1% drop in calls 2 years in a row. 70% of ambulance calls are for 40 years and younger versus off-reserve it 70% of calls are for 40 years and older. Weakness/Challenges
• Continued attendance by members • Safety issues still with at-home visits • Still some lack of programming for clients • Elections, change in council could affect whether program continues or not • Administrative changes Strengths
• Community warming to idea of HUB • SA report people feeling someone cares; class attendance for programs up • Communication amongst departments; can refer clients between departments • Knowledge building between depts (silos disappearing). It is a TEAM approach. • Schools better prepared to understand the background of children at risk by sharing with other departments • Ambulance report a reduction of risk, recidivism Authority on a Reserve
• Why HUB works in our reserve is the presence of a council member in the HUB circle. • The council member brings authority to the group. • My opinion: without the presence of council, Interagency meetings would eventually die off… What policy changes come from HUB • Bed Bug Program • SA: kids have to be in school to receive SA (has contributed to rise in kids in school) • Now we are discussing on how a smaller HUB style model can help our Child Welfare keep families reunited (keeping Children from Care) • Further, starting a new program this year to have life coaches assist Parents who have apprehended children to get their lives back on track • Housing is looking at residency policies. • Gave extra dollars to Education to address literacy and adult upgrading
Where do we go from here?
• Development of a Mobile Health Crisis Team • Looking at the suicide issues in our community • Need to develop a system whereby systemic HUB families can be addressed at a greater level • Council/Admin working towards repairing and supporting the family structures…
Trends
• We transitioned from suicide in the 1980s/90s to violence in 2000s Suicides per Year in Samson to April 20 2015 • As we dealt14 12 with hard 10
core gang8
violence, 6 our
suicide rate4
has been2
0 going up. 1992199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015
Series1 Suicide vs Crim Code Activity
Year Suicides Crim Act
• 2011 • 5 • 3,404 • 2012 • 8 • 3,347 • 2013 • 7 • 2,646 • 2014 • 12 • 2,624 • 2015 • 7 Our Hubettes…
• Samson HUB work recognized by RCMP K Division and received an award for work in creating community safety on March 11, 2014.
Ekosi
• Questions?
• Koren Lightning-Earle: 780 721 2345 email: [email protected] • Vernon Saddleback: 780 585 3793 email: [email protected]