Inside Policing: Whos watching the watchers?

Mayuk Manuel will find out if she’s going to jail on May 2. That’s when she and three other land defenders will appear in Kamloops. Provincial Court for a sentencing hearing. Their various convictions stem from a violent altercation with a pipeline company’s security personnel and RCMP officers on Sept. 15, 2021. Mayuk, her partner Isha Jules, Trisha Charlie and Sami Nasr were arrested and charged with 11 counts that ranged from mischief, damaging equipment in excess of $5000, break and enter and, in Isha Jules’ case, assault causing harm. The incident took place in a small remote British Columbia town called Blue River. That’s where a worker’s camp was built that was large enough to house 500 workers there to help construct the Trans Mountain Pipeline. They are all part of the Tiny House Warriors. A group set up to oppose construction of the camp – and the Trans Mountain Pipeline Extension, or TMX as it’s also known. They have a fleet of mobile homes dubbed “Tiny Houses” and have set up an encampment right on the fence line of the camp. The altercation kicked off when five of the Tiny House Warriors blocked the entrance to the work camp, not allowing a semi-truck to leave the site. Drone footage showing the altercation between Tiny House Warriors and workers at the site. Taunts and insults were hurled back and forth across the fence. Mayuk Manuel was using a microphone hooked to a loudspeaker. Tiny House warriors began to hurl rocks at the mixture of TMX security and pipeline workers. Things escalated when Sami Nasr started smashing solar panels with a rock in her hand. The panels powered a bank of security cameras, a source of provocation according the tiny house warriors. Security attempted to apprehend Nasr and she was brought to the ground. At this point, video shows a number of land defenders rush in to assist Nasr believing he was in a chokehold. The video also shows Isha Jules separated from the main group. He punched security guard Glen Vogstad, knocking him down, causing injury. Jules then squared up with three TMX employees. He punched security lead Bryon Hodgkin and knocked him to the ground. Another security lead was Stuart Morse, a former RCMP officer with 20 years of experience. He can be heard on his body cam footage hurling insults and expletives at protestors all morning. At one point, saying “Time to start choking people out.” He justified this on the stand, saying he meant “pushing people back.” This prompted defense lawyer Joe Killoran in his final submission to state, “He came to this court and he lied — a lie that is insulting to the intelligence of everybody in this room.” Mayuk Manuel testified that they were upholding Secwepmc law, but Provincial Court Judge Lorianna Bennett didn’t buy it. The Tiny House Warriors were convicted on all charges. Watching the Watchers is the third in a three part series on policing in Canada. Watch all the episodes here: APTN Investigates – Inside Policing Continue Reading