Federal Commission Admits "Civil Rights" in South Dakota "Disturbing"
On March 28 a federal commission which had worked with a local South Dakota advisory group issued a report entitled "Native Americans in South Dakota: An Erosion of Confidence in the Justice System." The report concluded that the feelings of hopelessness and helplessness in Indian country can't be overemphasized. They claim there is a long standing and pervasive belief among many Indian Americans that racial discrimination permeates all aspects of life in South Dakota and that prejudice and bigotry play out on many levels, including the workplace, schools, business and public accommodations.
Hello! Is anybody home?
Any American citizen who is unlucky enough to live on or near a newly
invented racist "Sovereign Nation" is now beginning to realize that
suddenly there are no longer any Fourteenth Amendment guarantees of "the
equal protection of the law." How can they keep blaming the racism of
others as the reason for the plight of Indian Americans when they purposely
ignore the simple fact that it is the federal Indian policies themselves are
blatantly racist and destructive?
The report does not mention that on January 16, a hundred Pine Ridge
reservation residents took over tribal headquarters in an action they compared
to the famous AIM takeover of Wounded Knee in 1973. According to a Minneapolis
Star Tribune article of January 20 there has been an undercurrent of animosity
that has prevailed on the reservation since that time. Leaders of the takeover
claim that tribal leaders have stolen or mismanaged tribal funds and they plan
to remain until heads roll and records are audited.
A Lawless Society
The federal commission's report goes on to say, "despair is not too
strong a word to characterize the emotional feelings of many Indian Americans
who believe they live in a hostile environment." We strongly suggest that
the commission add the words "pain" and "fear" to their
report. I personally have met two Indian women who have been evicted from their
homes and escorted off their reservations and another who was beaten twice,
causing her to leave in fear.
You wouldn't believe the fifteen recommendations this federal commission
is sending the State of South Dakota and Washington, D.C. More commissions, more
studies, more lawless, unaccountable courts, more despair, more fear and more
pain.
Hello Again! Here We Are!
Other concerns in the report are that "many Pine Ridge residents have little or no confidence in either the Federal or State judicial systems and there is an absence of civil rights organizations and civilian oversight mechanisms to address grievances." They forgot to mention CERF and CERA. We're a group of Indians and non-Indians educating all of America about the abuses perpetrated by racist federal, state and tribal policies.