Angry in the Great White North

On July 20, Ken Hill, a prominent Native businessman charged with assault related to a violent episode during the Caledonia land dispute, was supposed to make an appearance in court:

Prominent Six Nations businessman Ken Hill had his case come up briefly in court yesterday.

Hill didn't appear, but was represented by a lawyer.

He is charged with assaulting Steve Tong and Quinton Chausse on June 4 and has hired high-profile Hamilton lawyer Dean Paquette.

Hill will be back in court on July 26, when he's expected to apply to have the terms of his release altered -- an application that requires him to be there in person.

If you need a refresher, remember that Ken Hill was in Germany only a week after appearing in court and being formally charged. I haven't been able to find any mention of him being seen in Canada since that court appearance before he left for Europe.

As it turns out, he's back. But that doesn't mean he's going to be seen, at least by most locals in Caledonia:

A Six Nations businessman facing assault charges in connection with the Douglas Creek Estates protest will be allowed to drive through Caledonia as long as he doesn't stop.

Ken Hill, 47, of Ohsweken, is charged with assaulting Steve Tong and Quinton Chausse during an altercation in Caledonia near the protest site on June 4.

Hill was prohibited from communicating with the complainants or their families and was not to come within 500 metres of Douglas Creek Estates. That would have effectively barred Hill from driving through town, a route he uses to get to the Cayuga courthouse.

Yesterday, a justice of the peace allowed Hill to pass through. But he still won't be allowed to stop, to shop, or enter the occupation site.

Of course, Ken Hill was already ignoring a court order barring the occupation of the Douglas Creek Estates when the fight took place. I expect he'll obey this court order though, if only because he's made his point. But now that he has made his point, what does he do next? Will he try to turn his legal difficulties into credibility and political power within the reserve? And if so, to what end?