The opinions in the program that follows belong to one of Cortes Radio’s volunteer producers and are not necessarily shared by Cortes Community Radio Society, its board, staff, employees, volunteers or listening audience.
One of Cortes Radio’s volunteer DJs, who broadcasts under the name ‘Hiway Hippy’, believes that a clip of semi automatic ammunition he found at Fairy Creek belongs the RCMP.
Cortes Currents reached out to the RCMP for confirmation.
“This magazine likely belongs to a Smith & Wesson model 5946, which is the semi-automatic pistol issued to most members of the RCMP,” replied RCMP media officer Sgt. Chris Manseau.
While there have been multiple allegations of police brutality at Fairy Creek, none of them to date have involved firearms.
Manseau stressed the fact that the magazine was RCMP property and must be returned.
Hiway Hippy has every intention of doing this, provided mainstream media, a legal team and Pacheedaht elder Bill Jones are there to witness the hand over. He will lead the RCMP to where the clip is stored.
“Mainstream media needs to know what has been going on there up on the mountain, and they don’t know.”
His radio program, “End of the Road Show,” has been broadcast from Fairy Creek most Fridays since the RCMP started enforcing the injunction against logging protests in the Fairy Creek watershed last May.
Fairy Creek is believed to be the last intact old growth watershed in Southern Vancouver Island, outside of parks.
Hiway Hippy says he has a video showing one of “the green men” (the RCMP Emergency Response Team) taking his motorcycle away. He claims they smashed the ignition of another of his vehicles, then hot wired it to drive 7 miles. On Tuesday, Sept. 7, Hiway Hippy says the RCMP destroyed a the van occupied by an elderly woman.
Sgt Manseau responded, “The RCMP is not responsible for the moving or towing of vehicles. All vehicles that are found obstructing the travel portions of the roads, are removed at the decision of industry. The vehicles are then transported to a secure compound where the owners can make arrangements to have them released,”
“The RCMP has not recommended or given direction to “flatten” any vehicles with any machinery. I have been in contact with the media relations officer on site who said that yesterday, Tuesday September 7th, an abandoned vehicle was moved by industry and it was later towed away.”
The RCMP press release issued on Tuesday, Sept. 7, mentions 16 arrests, as well as a helicopter being used to bring the protesters supplies. The total number of people arrested reached 882.