A Winnipeg Police Service shoulder badge is seen at the Public Information Office in Winnipeg, on September 2, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski)
Winnipeg police have laid charges after a group gathered Wednesday night to confront a man who unloaded yard waste near protesters at the Brady Road landfill last week.
Police say a group of 40-50 people gathered in the area of Cecil Street and Elgin Avenue at around 6:45 p.m. and were causing a disturbance outside a home.
Video and photos on social media show a group calling for the man to come outside. Red painted hand prints could also be seen on the front door of the home.
Multiple police officers responded to the residence to maintain a peaceful gathering.
A 19-year-old man threw a rock through a window of the home and was arrested on scene. He has been charged with mischief under $5,000 and was released.
The crowd eventually dispersed and the homeowner wasn’t harmed.
The group gathered after the man attended the landfill blockade and unloaded debris from the back of a pickup truck while verbally confronting protesters. The mulch and other items were poured onto a mural painted on the roadway honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls on Sunday.
“The Winnipeg Police Service respects the right to freedom of expression and lawful assembly,” police said in a release.
“The expectation for all citizens participating in such assembly is to behave in a peaceful, and respectful manner. Violence will not be tolerated. Police must balance the rights of individuals to gather with the need to ensure public safety and keep the peace.”
Dozens of protesters have blocked the main road to the Brady Road landfill demanding a search of a different landfill north of the city, called Prairie Green, where it’s believed the remains of two slain Indigenous women were dumped last year.
The City of Winnipeg filed an application Tuesday to the Court of King’s Bench seeking the removal of protesters.
The blockade began last week after Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said the province would not support a search of the other landfill, pointing to a study that said it could cost $184 million, pose safety risks and not have guaranteed success.
Federal Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller called Manitoba’s move heartless and says it made arriving at a decision on the search this summer “logistically impossible.”
— With files from The Canadian Press
