SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A family evicted from a campground last week is protesting the decision, alleging park officials and RCMP overreacted to the situation and questioning whether race played a role.

The Casaways were camped at Fred Henne Territorial Park from the night of Aug. 2 onward. Several relatives were in town for a funeral on Saturday, and between eight and 10 people were staying at the campsite on any given night. The family was served an eviction notice and told they had to leave because of noise violations. Park rules require campers to be quiet after 10:30 p.m.

"Yes, we will admit that the first night ... we did drink and we did party," said Ruth Casaway, who came up from Medicine Hat, Alta., for the funeral. She said park officials came and told them they had to be quiet by 11:30 p.m. that night, and they complied.

Regardless, they were served with a notice on Thursday that required them to leave within 24 hours.

"They're not being tolerant or ... understanding," said Mark Casaway, adding they told the park officials they were not going to leave. Two RCMP officers and two patrol cars arrived later that evening.

"He was trying to intimidate me," Mark said of one of the officers, who Mark claimed was swinging his gloved fist into his palm. "He pointed right in my face and said, 'I'll talk to you later.'"

Despite appealing to Bob McLeod, minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment - whom Mark said he knows personally - the family left the campground last Friday evening and checked into hotels.

Kevin Todd, regional superintendent of ITI, said the government could not comment on a specific case, but acknowledged that he was "aware of the situation."

Todd said park officers could evict campers under certain circumstances, such as breaking the posted rules.

"We have to ensure that the parks are safe for the public," he said.

The Casaways insisted they were on good terms with all of their neighbours at the site, but Todd wouldn't comment on how many complaints were received.

"Often when people are disturbing the peace, their neighbours (at the campground) are afraid to complain," he said.

There are very few evictions at territorial campgrounds each year, said Todd, adding that they are only used when necessary.

"You have to take into account the safety of the people you don't want in the park as well as the safety of the public," he said. Parks officers, he added, "do their best to use their best judgment and be reasonable, but sometimes things do go beyond that."

As per policy, park staff are not permitted to comment on cases. They referred all questions to Todd.

Ruth Casaway and her family plan to lodge a formal complaint regarding the handling of the situation by parks officials and the RCMP.

"This is harassment, pure and simple," she said. "Is it because we're native? If it was a bunch of white people ... nothing would be done."

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