Shay Lynn Sampson is a member of the Gitxsan Nation and is the Youth Engagement Lead with Indigenous Climate Action (ICA). She was one of 32 arrestees after RCMP violently and forcefully raided the territories on November 19. Nickita Longman, ICA’s Community Engagement Lead, caught up with Shay Lynn to see how she has been coping a few weeks after the incident.

Content Warning: Shay Lynn shares about her experience, which includes police violence.

ICA: First of all, how are you doing?

Shay Lynn: I am pretty tired. It’s been a pretty wild few months and I’ve been really busy with all of it. There aren’t many breaks in this work. Of course, I still feel mad, and I feel angry about the way things went down on the 19th, but I am trying to channel that energy in a productive way. I want Coastal GasLink to know this fight is far from over and that they cannot come into Indigenous territory and remove the people from the land. Their actions are completely horrific.

All that said, I am still ready to go and throw down however I can.

I am doing my part to stand in solidarity while protecting the water sources of my territory that nourishes us.

ICA: What was the camp like before RCMP presence became a threat for the third time?

I got to Coyote camp in September when it was still green and sunny, but recently there was a lot of preparation for winter. We had to figure out shelter and prepare warming stations. There are a lot of folks who have different skill sets, so there’s building happening around camp; other folks are meal planning and getting food together for meal sharing; and others step up to do the dishes and clean up. There are a lot of sweet moments, like musicians coming out to sing songs, or community events with Matriarchs and chiefs and other folks coming together, and these moments are really special, despite the police presence.

There’s no running water out here, so even just supplying water is a big job. It’s a lot of work but it really puts things into perspective. The water is so crucial to our existence on land, as well as the salmon that runs through it.

ICA: Tell us about how things shifted at camp once it became clear RCMP were getting ready for a raid?

We always are aware that the state would intervene at some point. To a degree, you’re kind of always prepared for that. There was a lot of planning and organizing for the impending raid while mentally and spiritually preparing for that. We had a lot of Indigenous folks around and of course we know what Indigenous people and frontline folks face when it comes to police interactions.

They arrested 15 people on the first day at Gidimt’en checkpoint, including an Indigenous Matriarch and plenty of Haudenosaunee allies. A lot of the interactions were quite violent. They detained a media person right away so there wasn’t the ability to record what happened, as well as legal observers. Their strategy to go for these people first really indicates that they were ready to pull some shit. I was about 20 kilometres away at Coyote Camp, so I wasn’t there to witness that, but I knew a lot of the folks that experienced that. There was a blatant disregard for our safety. There were Indigenous peoples in ankle shackles, while other allies were in handcuffs.

I didn’t feel a lot of fear, just because I knew folks on the outside would be watching and would not stand for this violence again. I knew we had the truth behind us, and thousands of years of our ancestors behind us. I thought about my family and the future generations that are going to rely on these waters. That’s why we are all there to begin with.

They burnt down the cabin on the drill pad site after we were all arrested.

ICA: Tell us about your arrest and the time in jail?

It was really bizarre with my time in jail. The treatment was horrific. On the first day that we were arrested we didn’t get water for over eight hours, and food for over 10 hours. I was in a holding cell with four other people, and eventually we were transferred to Prince George (five hours away from Wet'suwet'en territory). The thing that kept me going in there was that I was with people who were in solidarity with me and supported me. Eventually, we all got out on bizarre conditions.

We were told that a large part of the arrestees are not allowed to go back to the Yintah. It’s a huge infringement on our constitutional rights as Indigenous people who are able to access their lands fully.

The removal of Indigenous people from their territory, the lack of regard to UNDRIP, and now these conditions are a very dangerous game. It’s all really devastating.

ICA: Now what? What does this arrest mean for the future of the camps?

My conditions are that I must appear in court and must protest lawfully, safely, and peacefully. I am allowed back on the Yintah only for hunting, fishing, and trapping and cultural activities, and I cannot be within 10 meters of a Coastal GasLink worksite.

For me, I am really frustrated with these conditions and the way I access these territories because these people out here are my family. I will continue to attend cultural activities on the Yintah. I also feel afraid to drive on these roads alone right now. I am afraid that I will be pulled over or arrested alone, so there’s this new layer of planning that needs to be in place in order to go back. It’s really unfair that the court gets to determine who we are as Indigenous people and how that implicates the land we access. It is a challenge to not be able to communicate and be in relation with one another. But it’s not an accident. This is intentional.

ICA: What are some urgent things folks can do to amplify what’s happening over there?

If there are people who are interested, we need you out here. This fight isn’t over as long as the RCMP are violently raiding and Coastal GasLink remains on these territories. Out of the 32 people who were arrested, only around four are able to return the Yintah with conditions, and the rest are not allowed to return at all. We need more boots on the ground.

Solidarity actions are always helpful to spread messaging. Consider targeting investors, TC Energy or RBC, and other pipeline insurers, because it’s really important that the people who are investing in this pipeline know that there’s pushback and that this will not be built.

And remember, all five clans of the Wet'suwet'en have all said no pipelines will be built on the Yintah. Calls to action and shows of solidarity are huge. They’ve raided three years in a row now, but we know what it means to fight for our land. We need people all over the world to be standing with us because this has an impact and sets a precedent for all of our human rights in the future. 

To stay on top of what’s happening on the Yintah, follow Gidimt’en Checkpoint on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Donate to the legal defense fund here, or plug into their call for action in denouncing RBC’s funding of the pipeline while amplifying the voices of the Gidimt’en Checkpoint.