WARNING: This story contains disturbing details. Discretion is advised.
Members of Millbrook First Nation in Nova Scotia are in shock and two band councillors have resigned after alleged comments made in a group chat were made public.
The chat, which included almost a dozen men in the community, targeted women in the community and appeared to condone sexual assault in several cases.
Among the women mentioned in the private online group is Tia Googoo, who told Global News she found the whole situation “degrading.”
“I wanted to get sick to my stomach. I wanted to scream. I wanted it to go in frenzy mode, but I knew that wouldn’t help anything,” she said.
“It hurt for all the women they talked about, for my mother, for myself.”
Global News hasn’t independently verified the group’s contents or the identities of the people involved, but reviewed screen captures taken by Googoo.
The screen captures include sexually explicit and derogatory messages.
Facebook profiles appearing to belong to two Millbrook band councillors seem to show that they participated in the chats, with one comment from an account appearing to belong to Pius Knockwood saying “Pass out sex is the best eh … when there [sic] passed out.”
Googoo says she notified the band council last month, but no action was taken. She then decided to post the screen captures online.
The RCMP is now investigating.
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In a statement, Millbrook Chief Bob Gloade confirmed that councillors Garrett Gloade and Pius Knockwood submitted resignation letters, which were accepted by council.
“The activity in the group chat victimized many and has been devastating to read,” Gloade wrote.
“The Millbrook Chief, Council and administration is working closely with the proper authorities to ensure all relevant information is being gathered. The Millbrook RCMP is aware of the group chat and the allegations of discussions of sexual offences included in the chat. As there is an open investigation, we cannot provide further information at this time.”
The Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association is one of the groups that has been offering the community support, with one-on-one counselling and elder therapy.
Denise Pictou Maloney, an activist who worked for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, says the case highlights how Indigenous women are at risk.
“No matter where we are in this country right now, we are a risk,” she said.
“This is not just happening here. It is happening in locker rooms, it is happening everywhere across this country, and we need our men to stand up and to call it out and to hold people accountable.”
Googoo says a male friend in the chat showed her the messages out of guilt.
Since she went public, she says she has been accused of obtaining the screen captures by force, which she denies.
That allegation is also being investigated by RCMP.
“There’s this one thing that keeps sticking in my mind, and it keeps replaying, replaying. And it’s someone’s post on Facebook saying, ‘If there was no screenshots, would you believe her?’ And I already know the answer to that,” Googoo said.
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