McConnell House

1935 Part 1

The moment I heard the whistle I knew we were in deep shit. Arthur Evans had just gotten on top of the stage to speak when it went off. RCMP members poured out of vans by the sides of the Market Square, like one hundred clowns out of a toy car. They quickly formed in a line and approached us, billy clubs and baseball bats out and ready. The RCMP were wearing riot gear, army helmets and shields. They were ready for war. Marching quickly, they took the crowd unaware. They approached the crowd and started to bust heads, RCMP members started firing tear gas to disperse us.

“Look behind us, they are coming out of the buildings!” Someone yelled. I turned and looked, behind us the local Regina police were rushing out of a garage, clubbing people back there already, causing mad panic. Protestors were dashing for side streets to try to escape the chaos.

“STAND AND FIGHT, STAND AND FIGHT, STAND AND FIGHT!!” a man was running past, yelling it to everyone. He shouldn't have bothered, most knew this was inevitable, and we were mad as hell. How dare they do this, after all we've been through to get here.

One thousand men had left the B.C. Relief work camps on a protest march. We were paid twenty cents a day, had no rights, not even to vote, and were not allowed to leave the camp. In other words, we were slaves. The Relief Camp Worker's Union was formed, and set off from Vancouver to Ottawa. Thousands of others joined us on the rails, we faced the hardships of the Rockies, riding the box cars, some inside, some on top. Nothing stopped us. In Calgary, Bennett's home seat, we marched down the streets, as if we were going to war. No one could stop us.

When we hit Regina, the authorities evicted us from the box cars, not allowing us back on. We took up residence in a stadium on the Regina exhibition grounds. Local support for us was strong, as it was all along our trek.

Most people at the protest weren't even Trekkers, but local people out to enjoy Dominion day, and show their support of us. We had agreed to stop in Regina, while our leaders went to Ottawa to speak with Prime Minister Bennett, to find a solution to our demands. Instead they were kicked out in disgrace. They had cut our transportation out of town, not letting us ride the rails anymore, telling us we were going to a relief camp up north. They had blocked the exits of the City, so we couldn't get out on our own. Prime Minister Bennett was determined to send us to the relief camp, squashing our cause flat, showing he was Caesar of Canada.

“Look, they are arresting Arthur and George!” someone yelled. Plainclothes policemen had them in cuffs, leading them back to the vans. Arthur Evans and George Black were two of our leaders who had come back from Ottawa.

The RCMP sent men on horse back into the crowd, scattering us to the winds. I ran with some others to a side street, not knowing where I was going, just trying to get away. I could hear screams behind me from the square, as the RCMP and Regina police continued to beat down the people there.

“Ty!  Over here!  Help me!!” I looked around at the mention of my name, and saw Joseph at the end of the street, rolling a car across it. I had worked in the camp and rode the rails with him, becoming good friends.

“What the blue blazes are you doing?” I said, as I ran up to him to help move the car.

“Let's block the street, stop the coppers here, so their horses can't get by.” he said, already running back to move the next car. Others saw what Joseph started, and came to help. By the time Bennett's hatchet men came our way, we had blocked the street with various vehicles, and even a horse carriage. That didn't stop the RCMP, as they fired tear gas our way, and then charged the barricade.

I grabbed the closest thing at hand, a typewriter, and chucked it at the approaching horde. Trekkers and citizens alike started throwing a variety of items at the RCMP and police, making a steady rain of it. The coppers started to finally slow their approach, realizing for the first time that we weren’t harmless prey as they thought we were. They took out their firearms and started firing over our heads, showing who had the true power in this duel.