Dakota Tipi First Nation's Chief and Council recently decided to demolish a house due to allegations of drug trafficking at the location. Darryl Pashe lives there and his partner Sabrina says the band office issued a letter, dated October 11, 2023, giving them a week to leave the home.

"I went there with him the next day and I told them, by law, it's 30 days," says Sabrina. "There is no seven-day eviction. Then they jumped it up to one month. And now they said today (Thursday, November 16) they're supposed to come and escort everyone out of the house and tear down the house; demolish it. And under all false accusations, saying he's a drug dealer. And that's not even what goes on here. There's a lot of traffic because he fixes computers, he fixes TV's, and phones. A lot of people come here. He's a mechanic, too. He has proof of all that, plus all the parts he has inside."

Melissa Pashe is also facing the same situation.  She says she has a letter that she received dated September 13th. 

"I didn't receive this letter till October 31st," says Pashe. "This is the first letter I've received and it states that it's an eviction notice, and it states that I placed band members in danger. I was told the reason why I got this letter is because I sold somebody some heroin and they OD'd (overdosed). I don't sell heroin. I don't like that because my kids are addicted to it and it's a very dangerous drug to have. With that being said, it says I'm supposed to be issued a warning letter. I never received a warning letter. I have called various times to ask for a meeting to see why I'm being evicted, and with this stating that I put my band members' lives in danger. The guy overdosed on October 28th. So, whoever wrote this, predicted five weeks later that somebody was gonna OD on September 13th. So, how was that possible? It doesn't make any sense to me that I received this letter on October 31st."

Pashe says there is no date outlined for a deadline.

"It says effective immediately as of September 13th, which I didn't receive till October 31st. So, they waited for something bad to happen for them to blame me," adds Pashe. "That's why they're picking me, which I don't get. So, I mean, it doesn't make any sense to me. I've asked Jordan's Principle for a privacy fence, so the traffic would stop from my yard. I never received that. There was a meeting yesterday with Jordan's Principle director, and they refused to let me go into the meeting. All the other people were there that were involved with Jordan's Principle, which I am involved in, but they've refused me services since two months ago."

Pashe says she hasn't been able to receive any services from them for herself and her children, noting they've refused her of any kind of services from Jordan's Principle. 

"They also cut me off from social assistance, while I'm on disability. I'm on insulin. I'm an insulin diabetic," continues Pashe. "I haven't eaten in three days. I've asked for assistance -- for food assistance -- and it's just been nothing. Nobody answered me back. So, I almost barely made it here. My auntie had to pick me up. It's hard. It's hard because they're pointing fingers at me."

While Pashe acknowledges she has been convicted of drug trafficking charges in the past, she says she's trying to better herself and her life now.  

"With all this going on, there's nothing in the future that is looking good. It just all just has to be wait-and-see, I guess. And hopefully, things look up. Even for my cousin here (Darryl Pashe);  you may see a lot of stuff in his yard, but like I said, he fixes a lot of things, and he helps a lot of people with their new clothes. He made my kid's bike from scratch in the summertime. Sometimes, he charges little to nothing. So, I mean, he's he's doing the best he can just try to survive, too."

Sabrina adds they're being told they have addictions, and says the people aren't certified to make such claims.

"Only a NNADAP (National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program) worker can confirm that," says Sabrina. 

Pashe says they haven't been offered any treatment, as well. 

"If they're thinking that's the case, then they should be saying, 'Hey, maybe you guys need some treatment. You guys need any help?' They haven't even offered us treatment or any kind of support. They haven't done drug tests or anything. They haven't come to our home to say they have proof that we have drugs in our home. I've said many times, 'Go ahead and search my home. Have the RCMP coming and search my home, or even to do a drug test.' I have no problem with that. I'll do drug testing, whatever you need to do, but just don't keep accusing me of something that I haven't done unless you guys have credible evidence."

Darryl Pashe says they aren't kicking him off the reserve, but just tearing it down. The house has been condemned but it has never been inspected. 

The group noted that one of the councillors is on their side and is against the demolition. They would not name him at this time, but they said they had a meeting with him Wednesday evening. 

After the interview, Sabrina informed PortageOnline that they were notified that the home will now be torn down Friday morning at 9:00 a.m. with RCMP officers present.

 

(PortageOnline News does not confirm these claims nor can endorse them, but only reports what has been stated by the people whom we have interviewed)

 

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, PortageOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the PortageOnline app.

Related Stories