The man leading the petition to keep the Chippewa Secondary School name feels a presentation he made to Near North Board trustees last night may have had a positive impact.
Steve Brown presented a 3,000-name petition to the trustees and spoke of why he believes the Chippewa name should live on.
See: Brown brings Chippewa concerns to school board. Police officers also on hand
"I want the Board to take a step back and revisit it and engage with the people that voted them in," Brown told BayToday Wednesday."
He believes his presentation may have changed minds, and that some trustees are listening to the voice of the people.
"Absolutely, I could see it in their mannerisms and smiles. There are a lot of people in the school board that don't want this either."
One thing struck Brown as odd.
"During the meeting, I kept directing my comments, as per the Board's bylaw, to Erika Lougheed as she's the Chair. She was continually saying 'It's not just me you know, it's the trustees here as well,' like she was trying to take away the criticism from her. and pass it on to the other trustees, like she's just the messenger."
Brown promises to keep up the pressure if there is no change in direction and his next step is the Ministry of Education and MPP Vic Fedeli.
"It's an injustice that they haven't interacted with the people on this. It's like a sneaky way of trying to slide something through without any debate and that's where they're falling short. I would say there are people on that Board that were influenced by my statements."
Brown points out that there is nothing on the Board's portal for the name change that makes keeping the Chippewa name an option.
"There is no option to keep Chippewa. It's not on there and that seemed to raise a flag with them. This isn't over yet. I know I've ruffled a lot of feathers, but it's nowhere near over. I'm really hoping they'll take another look and make this work for the people
"I told them, you got voted in, you can get voted out."
Brown says today it's been non-stop texts and emails with people expressing themselves. "They're upset." He also points to public support from a former Chippewa principal.
See: Former Chippewa Principal: Don't change the name
Over a dozen people showed up at the meeting to support Brown, and 53 tuned into the Zoom feed, which reports indicate the quality was inadequate and some getting error messages.
The supporters were calm and peaceful noted Brown adding two police officers were in the boardroom.
"I know there were some other police cruisers located across the street.
"I'm hoping the Board will proceed cautiously, revisit this and make the right choice."
The Chippewa people have a long history in this area. The governing body of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians says on its website, "The Anishinaabeg (which can mean “Original People” or “Spontaneous Beings”) have lived in the Great Lakes area for millenia. Some of the oldest legends recall the ice packs breaking on Lake Nipissing and archeologists have found Anishinaabeg sites from 3000 B.C. Legends speak of immigrations to and from the Great Lakes over the centuries."
