SIX NATIONS — A section of Cayuga Road north of Fifth Line and the neighbouring I.L. Thomas School remained closed Tuesday following a march on Sunday outside a Cayuga Road home.
Six Nations residents were demanding action against an alleged drug house next door to the school, and one of its occupants, Brett Elliott.
Six Nations Police Chief Glenn Lickers told the Two Row Times Elliott has had an outstanding warrant for nearly 10 years on charges related to an incident at the Caledonia reclamation in 2006.
Six Nations Police Chief Glenn Lickers told Two Row Times that there is now a new warrant for Elliott’s arrest connected to new information collected by police — but requested the details of that warrant not be published.
Lickers says although the situation is ongoing, community members should be assured that police are pursuing Elliott and says it is not a matter of ‘if’ he is taken into custody, but ‘when’.
Lickers said Elliott was also involved in an altercation with police but did not confirm if that altercation resulted in charges.
Community members suspect drug materials found on the schools playground were coming from the home. One elected councillor and a number of community officials called the home a “known drug house” during a police briefing meeting at the Elected Council chambers on Monday morning.
Six Nations Police Chief Glenn Lickers acknowledged the presence of local media from Six Nations at the meeting and requested details of the discussions not to be published at this time out of respect for the safety of community members.
Two Row Times asked Six Nations Police about the nature of the drug materials found which included baggies with traces of unknown substances, a needle observed to have blood remaining in it and a crack pipe along with a used condom. Police officials confirmed the items were found but said they could not confirm what substances were in those items. Six Nations Police officer Rocky Smith said the items will be sent away for forensic analysis to confirm if they contained the deadly drug fentanyl or any of its derivatives.
The demonstration and march brought out approximately 100 community members including at least two elected band councillors — District 6 representatives Melba Thomas and Mark Hill.
Police said in a statement “a number of occupants came out of the residence armed with firearms to confront the protestors.”
Eyewitnesses to the event said at least two children were seen on the property of the home while those occupants were armed. Police would not expand on that matter, only saying Six Nations child protective services were notified and “on standby” to investigate the children’s safety.
Residents also raised concerns that the owner of the home, reportedly a 99 year old elderly woman and Elliott’s mother, also resides there and has not been seen in months. One community member asked police to file a missing persons report out of concern for her safety.
Six Nations Public Works closed Cayuga Road in the area surrounding her home. Six Nations Elected Council confirmed this was done in the “interest of public safety”.
In the interest of student safety I.L. Thomas Principal Joe Restoule posted a message to the schools Facebook page Sunday, saying the school would be closed on Monday. That closure is now extended through to the rest of this week and through the March Break. Classes and trips for the school were also cancelled.
Parents gathered at the Six Nations Elected Council chambers through the week to express their fears and concerns about the pending investigation into the items found, the school’s handling of the matter and to ask Elected Council to intervene and make resolutions for change to community residency standards.
Six Nations Elected Councillors were applauded by community members at Monday’s meetings and thanked for their quick response to the situation and willingness to follow the community members lead to restore safety to the I.L. Thomas schoolyard.
Six Nations District 6 Elected Councillor Mark Hill said “I feel good about is how our community is coming together on this issue. It’s not a council issue, it’s not a policing issue, it’s a community issue — and it’s going to take every stakeholder including community members, families, everybody in order to get this issue to the forefront and to start doing something about it.”
