The building that used to be home to the Kanesatake police station was destroyed in a fire early Monday.
The cause of the fire is unknown and no one was hurt in the blaze. Firefighters from surrounding municipalities were called in to help extinguish the flames.
Investigators are looking into the cause of the fire, but already many in the community have their suspicions.
“This is violence. This is a reflection of what is in the hearts of our youth who are out at night,” said community member Cheryl McDonald.
The police station was the site of a standoff in 2004 between police and Kanesatake residents.
Then-grand chief James Gabriel’s house was burned down after he decided to try crack down on organized crime in the community.
Gabriel, who was a divisive figure during his 10-year tenure as chief, called in police officers from other Native communities to help with the operation. A group of protesters who disagreed with his methods was tipped off to their arrival and showed up at the station, barricading the police officers inside.
The standoff lasted about 30 hours before Quebec’s public security minister reached an agreement with the protesters. Soon after, policing in the community was transfered to SQ, which is now investigating the cause of the fire.
Kanesatake's current Grand Chief Serge Simon says there's no electricity in the building, which has been empty since 2004. He believes vandals set the fire here and across the street at a former school two years ago.
"They are frustrated youth. I know that there's no opportunities in the community, band councils are limited in what they can do. But let's face it Ottawa holds the purse strings," he said.
He says more funding is needed to create jobs. Meantime, he fears the fire will hurt his community, which he says has been "red zoned" by insurance companies.
However, he says the building was a reminder of tumultuous times he won't miss.
