Protesters remain at the Brady Road dump for a day after the order is issued
A small group of protesters remained at the Brady Road landfill in Winnipeg on Saturday despite a preliminary injunction preventing them from blocking the main road into the city’s facility that took effect at 6 p.m. CT on Friday.
“There are people on the front lines who are ready when the police come,” said Melissa Morrisseau, who has been at Camp Morgan — a protest camp set up at the entrance to the Brady Dumping Ground — for more than a week.
“No violence or anything like that or aggression, but ready to take a stand to be arrested if necessary.”
Camp Morgan has had a presence near Brady Road for months in support of calls to search the Prairie Green landfill site north of Winnipeg. Police believe the remains of two First Nations women they say were murder victims — Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran — were brought to Prairie Green last year.
The main entrance to the city-owned Brady Road landfill was blocked on July 6 in response to the county government’s decision that it would not support a search of Prairie Green.
Manitoba District Attorney Sheldon Lanchbery said Friday that while the protest is valid and protesters can stay at the site, the city must get permission to operate the dump and the roadway can no longer be blocked.
About a dozen people remained at the blockade on Saturday afternoon.
One of those people was Melissa Robinson, Harris’ niece. She remained adamant that the dump should be searched.
“I will not bow to searching the dump. It has to be done. Our women have to be brought home,” she told CBC on Saturday.
“It’s sad that we have to sit here in the rain, rain through and beg our government to listen to us.”
Robinson said the group is generally in a good mood and encouraged more people to come down and support.
“Let’s show our city, let’s show our government that we are in solidarity.”
That support is lacking, according to Tracy Fiddler, who was also at the blockade on Saturday.
“You claim that you support what is going on with the missing and murdered women. Where are you?’ Fiddler said.
“Come to the Brady dump. Come support us. Come support your sisters who are missing.’
Morrisseau said it currently feels only arrests at the site will raise awareness of the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and bring justice to the families of the victims.
“When the police come, we don’t want a confrontation — we don’t want a confrontation with anyone,” she said.
“But…we take directives from the family. Whatever the family wants, that’s what we do.”
LOOK | The protest continues at the Brady Road dump on Friday after the order is issued:
A police liaison officer addresses protesters who blocked the entrance to the Brady Road landfill in Winnipeg on Friday, July 14, 2023. The city served a court order to the group that evening, authorizing police to arrest and remove people. Many at the venue on Friday said they wouldn’t be leaving as they set fire to the order.
People were on their way on Saturday to deliver food and water to protesters. Cars and trucks occasionally honked in support.
Protesters have said they intend to remain peaceful, but also say they are determined to search the Prairie Green landfill.
For Long Plain First Nation Chief Kyra Wilson, protesters are not leaving until that search is complete.
“Even though we don’t know the outcome, we should at least try,” she told CBC National News on Saturday.
Winnipeg police have not said whether they plan to carry out the court order this weekend.
“We generally do not provide information about police operational plans,” said Const. That’s what Dani McKinnon said Friday.
