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my name is zaagasige giizis and I came to wet'suwet'en territory in early december as an ojibwe land defender in solidarity w #unistoten. I was one of fourteen arrestees during the violent RCMP raid of the gitdimt'en checkpoint. 
our time at the gitdimt'en 44km checkpoint was great until the fucking pigs showed up. we ate moose eyes, tongue, and cheeks. drank water from the wedzinkwa. and shared so many laughs and memories together.
one of my favorite memories was the night we had a fireworks show off the bridge checkpoint during the last day of the gregorian calendar. so many wows! and oohs! lol.
from the early days of the gitdimt'en checkpoint. the first few nights, we had ten plus people rotating in and out of a little kitchen wall tent; all taking shifts on bridge duty; backing the bus in and out to let traffic through.
video from the second night of the gitdimt'en checkpoint while listening to local radio news about the gitdimt'en checkpoint.
morning before the raid. the night before, houston motel parking lots were seen filled w RCMP trucks and large trailers. for myself, this is when the strike first felt imminent and the high-alert felt justified.
around 9am, a stingray device was detected on our VPN, meaning our phones were being monitored. branch snaps were heard near the wedzinkwa. later, a warrior checked the river and found tracks. SWAT had completed recon of the camp.
then, RCMP liaisons came up to the gate. I remember how composed molly wickham, gitdumt'en spokesperson, was; even as they gave an ultimatum: let them pass or they would use force to dismantle the gate.
then the raid happened and the RCMP breached the gate. I was the first one arrested. it was such a whirlwind; hard to recall every detail. but I remember as the biggest + darkest native on the frontline, they came after me hard. w anger.
it took probably at least four RCMP officers to take me down. one tightly pressed his knee on my right shoulder. others tightly crunched bracelets on my hands. they used three bracelets in total.
one said, "are you gonna walk out and make this easy or are you gonna make this difficult?" I said, "you're gonna have to drag me out." I said that I didn't care if it hurt and so they made it hurt.
four pigs carried me out by my cuffed hands (which was extreme torture) and feet + dragged my face through the snow. I could hear screaming in the background. RCMP offered me a chance to walk several times but I refused each time.
1st night, we were at the houston detachment. next morning, we went to prince george. w five others, we refused to recognize the crown. but that afternoon, gitimt'en leadership asked us to sign (which we did quickly), except the judge had stormed off.
and then we were booked off to the price george corrections centre for the night. inside, inmates treated us like heroes. it was surreal seeing the coverage on TV. next afternoon, we went to court and signed and I managed to keep my pants.
I was managing + accounting for the trauma of this experience really well until a few days later when I went back to the camp to collect my stuff. seeing RCMP at the 44 km was triggering and it FUCKED ME UP.
the checkpoint gate was just tossed away in the snow. it was such a heartbreaking and traumatizing experience to witness this. moreso than the police violence and remand. I remember putting tobacco in the creek and crying to myself.
I'm feeling much better now though + I'm so proud I got to stand w these deadly warriors. will never forget before the raid. we knew the RCMP were preparing an assault. helicopters were circling in the air. and when they came, we stood our ground.
