White Pony Lodge, courtesy Facebook.
Another gang has formed in Regina’s most dangerous neighbourhood, but this one is aimed at reducing crime and making the streets of North Central Regina safer.
The group, called the “White Pony Lodge” has nearly 200 members on Facebook, and six team leaders. Among them an elder and a pastor.
White Pony Lodge was organized by Shawna Oochoo, a resident of North Central. She says community members are tired of living in fear.
“I worry about my children, every time they walk out the door,” she says. “I wonder what they might be walking into. That is kind of what motivated me – enough with the fear.”
White Pony Lodge is model led after a similar group in Winnipeg called the Bear Clan Patrol. It was recently revived after the murder of a 15-year-old aboriginal girl whose body was wrapped in a blanket and dumped into the Red River.
Over the past 12 months there have been more than 5,000 crimes reported in North-Central Regina, including the first two murders of this year.
Here is a video of Elder Archie Weenie lifting prayers at one of the events.