The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1990-01-03

              Lawrence announces candidacy for Red Lake chairman
— Red Lake Tribal Council elections slated for May	
By Mark BosweH
Contributor
For one enrolled member of the
Red Lake Reservation the recent fall
of dictatorships in Panama and
Romania and the move toward
democracy in Eastern Europe has
inspired political motivations.
"Surely the movement for freedom
cannot be far behind for the Red Lake
Reservation," said William J.
Lawrence, publisher of the Ojibwe
News, who has announced his
candidacy for the office of Chairman
of the Red Lake Reservation on Jan. 1.
Lawrence has chosen the beginning
of the new decade for his statement
because he believes "it's important
that this be the first official
announcement to set the tone for the
forthcoming campaign."
His campaign platform will
include a rigorous criticism of the
current tribal administration and
plans for sweeping and significant
changes to current tribal policy.
"Two events pursuaded me to run
for Chairman, "said Lawrence.
"First and foremost is the recently
released Final report of the Senate
Special Committee on Investigations
setting the stage for a new Federal
Indian Policy and its implications
for a new beginning in Indian
Affairs." The report, published this
winter, has been criticized by current
tribal Chairman Roger Jourdain.
Lawrence feels that the document is
a valid critique of tribal affairs.
"Second, "explained Lawrence, "is
our reservation's frustration with
locating a viable candidate for
chairman who is capable of leading
our ticket to victory in the 1990
election."
He believes that there are several
potentially good candidates, but sees
himself as the best candidate.
"It became readily apparent, "he
said, "that based upon my educational
background, work experience, and
personal independence, I simply have
the most to offer the tribe."
Although the general election is
not scheduled until late May, he
believes this is an opportune
moment to begin a campaign.
Lawrence announced his
candidacy with some trepidation.
"The decision to become a candidate
was not made lighdy, "he said.
"As late as a month ago I didn't
have the slightest interest in running
for political office." Now, with a
long list of pertinent issues to work
for in his platform, Lawrence has
begun work on toppling the 32 year
reign of Jourdain's influence on the
office of chairman in Red Lake.
"With a satisfying and rewarding
career at Honeywell, and as
publisher of the Ojibwe News, I
didn't think that I'd be interested in
becoming a candidate for political
office," he said.
Lawrence believes that a complete
overhaul of reservation business is
necessary. "In the forthcoming
campaign," he explained, "I will do
my best to see that the relevant
issues confronting the tribe are
addressed in open debate."
His platform, based upon the
Fighting Indian alcoholism
Alcoholism affects all races, but
the illness has disproportionately
ravaged American Indians. Now
Indians are fighting back. Last
weekend more than 1,000 members
of various tribes gathered at the
Minneapolis American Indian
Center for what was billed as a
celebration of sobriety, Indian style.
We can't think of a better way to
start the next decade.
The three-day "On the red road to
sobriety " powwow and "alkathon,"
which was open to the public,
included entertainment, story-telling
and Indian food and music. But most
of all it provided an opportunity fdr
Indians recovering from alcoholism
to celebrate their new lives and
support each other in recovery.
This event is part of the trend of
Indians taking a more active role in
combatting alcoholism. "It's not OK
to be drunk anymore," says Rudy
Pacheco, chemical-dependency
director at the center.
Indain-sponsored treatment centers
are growing and enjoying increased
success. One Canadian reservation
boasts of having 95 percent of its
Ogema man arrested in
connection with murder
By Mark BosweH
Contributor
Michael Wayne Kiehl, 24, of
Ogema was arrested on Dec. 23
near White Earth in connection
with a homicide that occurred
Dec. 16 in a St. Paul bar. Leon
VanWert, Keihl's cousin was
murdered in the shooting incident.
Also arrested in connection with
the murder was Janet Leib, 28, of
St. Paul.
In addition, Kiehl plead guilty to
burglary charges in Becker
County Court yesterday. He was
wanted in Becker County for a
first degree burglary charge and a
violation of probation. The
burglary charge involves the Sept.
4 break-in of the Leonard
Andersen home near White Earth.
John Sieling, chief deputy for the
Becker County sheriff's
Department said Kiehl is also
wanted by Wisconsin authorities
on a violation of probation charge.
Prior to Saturday's arrest, Kiehl
had been on the run from
authorities. Considered armed and
dangerous, the Becker County
Sheriff's office alerted the Special
Operations Group in that county
to spearhead the search and arrest.
Tom Hunt, head of SOG, said a
stakeout was set up late in the
afternoon near a White Earth
house after—information about
Kiehl's whereabouts was received.
Around 8 p.m., the suspect and
Lieb left the house and got into a
car. SOG agents rushed the car.
Kiehl attempted to flee on foot but
stopped when ordered to by the
authorities. He was armed with a
•357, but threw the weapon down
when officials ordered him to.
Kiehl was transported to Becker
County where he is presently in
custody. He was arraigned on
Dec. 26 and is being held on a
$50,000 bond.
At the hearing in connection
with the burglary charges Kiehl
presented a four page document
that stressed his innocence in the
shooting.
"The reason that he plead guilty
to the burglary yesterday," said
Petr Kotz of the Detroit Lakes
Tribune, "is that he wants to get
expedited to St. Paul as quickly as
possible to clear this up." Kotz
went on to explain that Kiehl
alleges the murder occurred in
connection to drug trafficking
between the reservations and St.
Paul. Kiehl denies responsibility
for the murder and has voiced
concern about the safety of Leib,
who has been released.
Kiehl alleges that a network of
drug traffickers will pursue him in
retaliation for his involvement in
the incident.
"Kiehl believes," explained
Kotz, "that if he goes to Stillwater
Prison for this killing they're
going to ice him."
"The guy who pulled the trigger,
from Kiehl's standpoint is some
big dope dealer in the Twin
Cities," said Kotz.
A presentence investigation is
expected in relation to the
burglary charges. A hearing date
has not been set.
Kiehl will be transferred to St.
Paul or Wisconsin for further
court procedings after appearances
for the Becker County burglaries.
Another man, Bill Libby of
White Earth has been aquitted in
relation to the burglary.
Sgt. David Harshman, of the St.
Paul Police Department's
homicide division, said his office
is glad to know Kiehl has been
arrested. According to Harshman,
the maximum sentence for second
degree murder is 40 years.
Information in this article was taken
with permissionfrom a Detroit Lakes
Tribune story appearing in the Dec.
28 issue.
creation of open tribal council
meetings, is structured for full
participation by the people of Red
Lake.
"It has always been my vision that
Red Lake could be a fun, enjoyable
and rewarding place to live and
work, and I would like to be a part
of making that happen."
In order to insure that the 1990
election is conducted in a fair and
open manner, Lawrence intends to ask
the Minnesota Congressional
Delegation to set up a meeting with
representatives of the Bush
administration to request that a team
of impartial persons be provided to
monitor the election and certify its
fairness.
"I want them to make sure that this
is a legitimate election and only
recognize the election if it is so
certified," he said.
Lawrence stressed the
consequences of an uncertified
election by referring to the Senate
Special Committee report that
suggests the denial of funding to
reservations that do not comply with
certifiable election procedures.
The upcoming elections should be
an interesting time for Red Lake,
Lawrence is looking forward to the
political race with enthusiasm.
"With this being only the third day
of the new decade, I think it's
important that the tribe look to solid
leadership for the 90's and prepare
for the 21st century, "said Lawrence.
See related article on page 2.
"V^oice  o-f?
A*^
Fifty Cents
Founded in 1988
Volume 2 Issue 12
January 3,1990
' Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1990
residents alcohol-free.
Pacheco attributes the change in
attitudes toward drinking to
educational advances made by
Indians, and to a major commitment
by the state to combat Indian
alcoholism. Minnesota is the
national leader in developing
government-sponsored programs for
helping Indians recover from
chemical dependency. Hennepin
County is at the center of the
activity.
This is the second year the center
has hosted the powwow. Sponsors
admit that even a few years ago
attendance at such an event would
have been minimal. The success of
the powwow and of the state's
Indian alcoholism programs in
general are proof that education and
carefully aimed government services
can be effective at reducing even the
most stubborn problems.
[This item appeared in the Minneapolis
Tribune, Dec. 29,1989, on the Editorial
page before the pow wow was held, we
have used Robert White's words and
ha ve updated the information.]
A Bi-Monthly Publication
iNfew
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
William J. Lawrence, publisher of the Ojibwe News, recently announced his candidacy for the office of Chairman of Red Lake. Photo by Mark Boswell.
Inouye should hold hearings
on treaty rights controversy
Madison, Wis. (AP) - The
chairman of the U.S. Senate's
Select Committee on Indian
Affairs should hold Wisconsin
hearings on the treaty rights issue.
Gov. Tommy Thompson says.
Thompson said Friday at a news
conference that the problem was
created by the federal government,
so the government must play a role
in solving it.
"If (Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii,
the committee chairman) wants to be
of help, he can come in here, hold a
hearing in northern Wisconsin, listen
to  both   sides,   get  back  to
Washington with the congressional
delegation and change the treaties,
amend the treaties," Thompson said.
"The federal government has the
dominant role to play. They have the
responsibility, plus the authority."
The governor also said the state
should not co-manage its natural
resources with the Chippewa
Indians.
He said state officials can
cooperate on fishing, hunting,
timber and other resources, but a
federal judge has ruled only the
state government has authority to
manage those resources.
Low income housing addressed in Bemidji
by Mark Boswell
Contributor
"We had a situation," said Joe
Bellanger, Community Relations
Specialist with Indian Employment
in Bemidji, "where the building had
already been condemned. One tenant
said "I've had it, I'm not leaving.
I've paid three hundred dollars to
stay here, and they'll have to drag
me out of here before I will leave."
Such scenes are typical in the
Bemidji area, where sub-standard
housing, a long-time problem for
those seeking adequate housing in
that city, is commonplace.
The Bemidji City Council met
Tuesday night to address this difficult
problem by passing resolutions
enabling the construction of 20
low-income dwellings in the city.
The project, expected to begin in
the spring, will give the housing
situation in Bemidji a much needed
shot in the arm.
Bellanger sees this as a positive
move but hopes to see the process of
getting more and better low income
housing available to Indian and
non-Indian tenants alike to move
quicker.
A workshop on low-income
housing and housing discrimination
in Bemidji was held in November to
discuss a wide variety of housing
and tenant/landlord issues.
Sponsored by the Minnesota
Housing Partnership (MHFA),
Beltrami County Affordable
Housing Coalition, Bemidji State
University Social Work Club,
Bemidji Tenants Union and other
organizations, the workshop occurs
in conjunction with a recently
completed study on housing
problems in the Bemidji area.
The study, to be officially ratified
in January by the Bemidji City
Council, outlines the need for
affordable housing that would be
targeted toward low income
families. Since a great number of
Native Americans live in low
income dwellings, this study direcdy
affects them.
"In the housing study we didn't
break anything down by race,
although we did collect information
for race, we looked at the issues of
housing quality strictly by income,"
said Tim Flathers, author of the
study from Community Development in Bemidji.
There's a greater number of
caucasions living in low income or
sub-standard housing," explained
Flathers, "but American Indians are
more likely to live in sub-standard
housing."
"I get two or three calls a week
concerning Indian housing
problems," stated Bellanger. He
believes that Native Americans, as
tenants and renters do not
considered alternatives to their
living situation. "They're living in
the type of situation where—well,
they've been living like that for so
long that it becomes internalized,"
he said.
According to the housing study,
28% of the housing in Bemidji is
sub-standard. This amounts to over
1000 dwellings out of 4100 in the
city.
There is a need for additional
quality low income rental housing in
Bemidji. Low income elderly renters
in Bemidji live almost exclusively in
standard quality units. "Basically,"
said Flathers, "elderly people are
well housed in Bemidji,
unfortunately this is not the case for
low income families."
The housing study reveals that
almost 80% of the sub-standard
housing units are occupied by lower
income households. This is the
situation in Bemidji where 57% of
the city's rental property is
sub-standard. Since Native
Americans in the city are more
likely to rent than own, this affects
them greatly. Not only do they rent
HOUSing/ see page 2
m
Tribal Corruption:
When the United States Senate established the Special Committee on
Investigations nearly two years ago, they were asked to uncover fraud,
corruption and mismanagement in American Indian affairs, no matter
where or to whom it led. The Ojibwe Newshs published the document
as it appeared in the final report of the Senate Select Committee. In this
issue we present the first part of the report that examines the larger
question about life in Indian Country: Why is the pattern of abuse
so prevalent? See pages 8-9.
aafen