On the morning of April 5, 2023 I was having my morning coffee as I switched on the television News.
before me were scenes of distress and chaos in the downtown core on Hastings Street.
the decampment of the unhoused tenters was underway. Police, protesters, city workers and the supporters were clashing as tents and belongings were shoveled into trash compacters.
I though aloud “I need to get down there with my Smudge pan and pray with them”.
I gathered the four sacred medicines in my medicine bag, Sage, Tobacco, Cedar and Sweetgrass, put on my Ribbon Shirt, Beaded Cross, Eagle Feather and headed out.
when I arrived I lit my smudge pan with a prayer for the people struggling and a prayer for peace and comfort.
I walked slowly throughout the Hastings and Main area with my Eagle Feather fanning the sweet smell of smugde.
Many people came to me and asked to be cleansed and prayed with. Many thanked me and said “this is exactly what we need down here, at this time, thank-You!”
I walked throughout the neighborhood for a couple of hours, refilling my smudge pan as needed.
As my medicines were almost exhausted I walked towards Hastings and Gore to my vehicle in plans to leave.
I arrived on Gore Street to a line of 23 police officers standing shoulder to shoulder blocking Hastings with many emergence vehicles behind them.
They need prayer and smudging too, I added the last of my medicines to the smudge pan and began smudging.
one by one I feathered the smoke towards the officers as I looked each one in the eye and said “Creator Loves You”.
Some looked away, some gave me mean looks, a few thanked me.
After I had smudged all, I knelt on one knee in the middle of the line and placed 23 ciggarettes on the ground to offer more prayers for each officer. I closed my eyes and prayed, I asked Creator to enter their hearts and prayed for peace and reconcilliation. I prayed with my eyes closed and my Eagle Feather held up before them for about 4/5 minutes.
during this time I heard three comments from the Vancouver Police.
“Who the fuck does this guy think he is”, “Oh look at this, we got a sober one here” and “what the hell is this bullshit”.
I prayed harder. I forgave, I percivered. As I stood up, leaving the pile of tobbacco before them, looked at them all and said
” you are all my relations”.