Writing news releases, speeches and books, preparing her appeal, working at the prison library and acting as "Jail Mom" isn't enough to exhaust Betty Krawczyk's seemingly endless energy. Betty has also been sharpening her legal skills at ACCW. She's been helping Laurie Dolan fill out the perplexing forms and legal paperwork to file an appeal, after her house was destroyed and her daughter committed to a Mental Health Institute by her ex-husband as part of an insidious attempt to confiscate votes on the Reserve. Betty has applied to appear in court with Laurie on September 19th, six days before her planned release. Betty provides more details.
Tsawwassen Treaty Collides with Inmate at Alouette from Semihamoo
Dictated by Betty Krawczyk from Alouette Correctional Centre for Women in Maple Ridge, BC.
So what is this about?
Laurie Dolan, an Alouette inmate, claims that both she and her daughter, Jennifer Dolan were illegally moved from the Semihamoo reserve in order to confiscate their vote. The Semihamoo reserve is a small reserve of 75 people, but just recently made a fuss that might have stopped the Tsawwassen Treaty because they claim some of the land on the Tsawwassen reserve.
However the two bands are now in the process of working out their difficulties, and that deal with the government is set to close soon. However, Laurie Dolan claims that this is fraudulent because her vote and the vote of her daughter have been stole. They had been chased off the reserve by Laurie’s ex-husband, who is also Jennifer’s father - And this expulsion from the Reserve was in collusion with the Semihamoo Chief, Willard Cook.
These two men expelled Laurie and Jennifer from the reserve by destroying their houses on the reserve, so they would no longer have addresses there, and without an address on the reserve, not entitled to vote. Further, as Jennifer Dolan is accusing her father of rape as well as destroying her house, the father had her committed to a Mental Health Institute, under the auspices of the Semihamoo band. And when Laurie Dolan objected to this treatment of their daughter, he had the Reserve police arrest Laurie for uttering threats.
So at this moment, Jennifer Dolan is confined to a Mental Health Facility, her mother Laurie Dolan is in prison, and the Semihamoo “Yes” vote was safely delivered in favour of the Tsawwassen Treaty.
Legal aid refuses to give Laurie a lawyer to appeal the Uttering Threats charge. I have applied to appear in court with Laurie in Court on September 19th as a McKenzie friend of the court, as she has no lawyer, little formal education, and has difficulty with legal language.
Justice in BC is increasingly for sale, and increasingly politicized. When a huge Aboriginal treaty, like the Tsawwassen Treaty could go forward on the back of outright Reserve voter fraud and criminality is pathetic.
Interview by Betty Krawczyk
Blog: http://bettysearlyedition.blogspot.com/
Books: http://www.booksofbettyk.com/
Betty's Welcome Back Bash
Wednesday, September 26, 2007, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Vancouver Law Courts, Hornby and Smithe
speakers: Chief Capilano, Rex Weyler, Joe Foy, Adriane Carr, David Eby, Sue Rowan, Tzeporah Berman or Valerie Langer, Cameron Ward, Damian Kettlewell, Conrad Schmidt, Monika Sheardown
To write to Betty Krawczyk:
Alouette Correctional Centre for Women
P.O. Box 1000,
Maple Ridge, BC V2X 3K4
For more information contact
Monika Sheardown
direct: 604.733.4884 cel: 778.865.0664
monika@greendreams.com
Good luck to you. Amy
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