Kanesatake bracing for parties at local shops

Every year, summer weather brings strawberry juice, lake swims, and walks in the aromatic Pines for Kanehsata’kehró:non.

But every year, locals also prepare for the loud noises and crowds from local cannabis shops as outdoor party season restarts.

“It’s not one evening, I can hear the shops every night,” said one community member who requested anonymity for fear of being targeted.

“I can usually hear about three to five of them. It’s very common for the shops to bother community members - some have changed doors, windows, and put black-out curtains.”

More than 50 cannabis shops operate in the community of about 2,000 people. Not all shops host large parties and concerts, but many community members share they have no recourse to stop those that blare loud music and invite crowds into the community into the wee hours of the night.

Caretaker council member Brant Etienne urges those with complaints against these events to come forward so that the council may better pressure government and law enforcement to act.

“We see chatter and we hear secondary comments, but nobody comes and talks to us and actually talks about the problems,” said Etienne.

“Talking amongst themselves, talking amongst their family isn’t going to solve anything. They have to come forward and tell us what’s going on … silence is the enemy.”

In the past, attempts to curb parties and crowds have either been stifled by the government, Quebec police, or the community, said Etienne. He said more support from locals will help initiatives that could help curb loud parties moving forward, such as rules to curb parking on the side of the road and having more police presence in Kanesatake.

For Melissa Kahnekiio Gabriel, manager of The Green Devil cannabis dispensary, the loud noises from other stores have aggravated new and existing animosities between people in the community.

“It’s insulting to be lumped into and compared to these stores,” said Gabriel.

“Our store is a cannabis store. We don’t have parties, we don’t have a bar, we don’t gamble, we don’t have a casino here, we don’t even hold parties, we’re about selling cannabis, buy your stuff, go home. If you want the lifestyle, go home and do it. You’re not going to stay here and do it. We’re about selling cannabis, we’re not about selling lifestyle.”

Reaching out to the stores have yielded mixed results, said the anonymous community member.

“You can ask the owners to compromise and I’m sure some do, but it comes back to ‘I have a business to run’ or ‘I’m Native too, I can do what I want, this isn’t a municipality’,” said the community member.

Many in the community fear reaching out to the police for help.

For now, the council is working to secure more permanent funding for the Kanesatake Perimeter Security (KPS), a team providing security for the community and who collaborates with the police and first responders intervening in local emergencies. But the KPS is not a police force and cannot issue tickets or arrests.

“The KPS is limited,” said Etienne. “But we aren’t helpless. The only thing playing our hands is people’s silence.”

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Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter