The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1994-04-01

              The abuse goes on at 1800 Chicago Avenue
By Gary Blair
They're still beating up Indians at
1800 Chicago Avenue South in Minneapolis, the former home of Hennepin
County's detoxification center that was
closed over 16 months ago because of
client abuse.
According to Robert Olander, the
county's division head for chemical
health, whose office oversees the building, had heard about the incident but
hadn't taken any action as a result.
"I heard about it. We'll have to see
what happens next," Olander told the
PRESS on Wednesday.
The information on the latest assault
came from one ofthe Indian staff members who works at the county's shelter
which opened on the same site when the
old detox center was closed shortly
before Thanksgiving in 1992.
According to the source, an Indian
man who was under the influence was
forced from the building by security
guards who were posted at the
building's entrance. Once outside, the
guards let the man go and then turned
around and started making obscene
gestures at him when he started talking back to them.
When the guards went-back inside
this person followed them. Apparently,
the man had become indignant by the
actions ofthe guards and had followed
them back inside. That'swhenthebeat-
ing occurred. At that point the police
were called and the man was taken to
jail. As of press time this individual
hadn't been charged and it isn't certain
that he ever received medical attention.
Most recently there was supposed to
be a Native American detox center developed by New Visions Chemical Dependency Treatment Program for Native Americans as a result ofthe client
abuse. However, it appears those plans
will not be acted on.
Presently, the funds that were authorized by the county for the Indian detox
center are being audited by the county.
Allegedly, some of those funds were
illegally spent. PRESS sources say the
County Attorney's office has found
wrongdoing. Othersources say the county plans to pressure New Visions into
releasing the Indian detox center contract by agreeing to overlook their audit
findings if the contract is released without a fight.
Trouble broke out in January of this
year when one of the New Vision's
board members, Jerry Stafford, alleged
that the chemical dependency treatment program for Native Americans
was misspending the funds for the development of the Indian detox center.
Stafford recently filed a lawsuit against
the program's board of directors which
was dismissed. Since that time the
finger pointing has continued.
Twin Cities TV station KSTP channel 5 presently has a reporter looking at
other Indian programs that receive county funding. PRESS contacts with that
reporter indicate other Indian organizations, likewise, have outstanding funds
owed to Hennepin County which should
be repaid.
On Wednesday of this week Robert
Olander defended the county's use of
those taxpayer dollars. "Sure there has
been misuse of funds but those programs still had good intentions. You
show me someone that hasn't misused
their checkbook," he said. Hopefully,
Hennepin County taxpayers will be us
understanding as Bob Olander.
The money that's now in question at
New Visions totals over $300,000 according to Jerry Stafford.
When the PRESS asked Vicky
Abraham, program director for New
Visions, about the reports thatthe county
plans to cancel their contract with New
Visions for the proposed Indian Detox
center, Abraham said sarcastically,
"Isn't that what the Indian community
wants?"
When told of Abraham's remarks
Jerry Stafford responded, "How does
she know what the Indian community
wants, they've never been asked."
At the present time there are others
who have expressed i nterested in developing the Indian detox center for Hennepin County. Talk coming from behind the scenes indicates that at least
two other organizations are interested.
One of them is run by a private citizen,
a businessman who says he has a lot of
capital to spend and the other is another
local Indian chemical dependency program with a proven track record.
Just before press time we received
the following faxed copy of a letter
sent by Joe Big Bear, Program Manager for Hennepin County Community Services Department Chemical
Health Division. It was addressed to
Security and dated March 30, J994.
It appears from reading Bill
Thunderhawk's version of the incident that one of the security guards
was teasing a client and responded to
a verbal statement made by an intoxicated client.
This response antagonized and provoked the client. It is my opinion,
security acted inappropriately in this
situation.
I ask for a full investigation of this
incident and that a copy ofthe report(s)
be forwarded to me.
A meeting of American Indian employees (CHECK) will be discussing
this incident on April 4, 1994.
Carbon copies were addressed to
Lucy Olson, Todd Vandervort, Bill
Thunderhawk, and Bob Olander.
AIM Tribunal reports/ pages 1 & 2
NAP to challenge hiring at MAIC/ page 4
St. Croix Chippewa purch. casino mgmt. cont./ pg 3
plron Legs' has yet to meet with President/ page 5
North Amer. Indigenous Games Organizes/ pg 10
Voice oftheAnishinabeg (The People)
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1
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Volume 5   Issue 40
April 1, 1994
Copyright, The Opbwve Mews, 1994
St. Croix Chippewa casino workers to be eligible
for jobless benefits
St Paul (AP) The St. Croix Casino
and Hotel in Turtle Lake Wis., will
begin offering unemployment benefits
to workers thisyear, thecasino's Indian
owners say.
Casino workers who lost their jobs
previously had been ineligible for jobless benefits because the casino didn't
pay the Wisconsin unemployment lax.
Indian casinos are exempt from the tax
because of tribal sovereignty.
The St. Croix band of Wisconsin
Chippewa, the owner of the casino, said in
a statement Monday it voluntarily will pay
the tax retroactive to Jan. 1 for employees
of its casinos and hotels in Turtle Lake and
Danbury, Wisconsin.
In the statement, tribal chairman Lewis
Taylor was quoted as saying' 'we value
our employees and we value our rela
tions with the communities in which
our casinos are located."
The change comes four days after
tribal officialsannouncedan agreement
to buy out the management contract of
Buffalo Brothers, a non-Indian company that has managed the tribal casinos
since it opened in 1992.
The St. Croix Casino was one of more
than 20 Indian casinos in Minnesota
and Wisconsin that weren't part of state
jobless benefits programs.
Despite the change, workers at the
two Wisconsin casinos and hotel won't
be eligible for jobless benefits for six
months, a state official said. That's
because jobless benefits are based on an
employee's earnings over two quarters.
Benefits range from $46 a,week to
$243 a Week, and a full time worker
earning just over the minimum wage
can expect jobless benefits of slightly
more than $100 per week, according to
Dennis Hayden of the Wisconsin Unemployment Compensation Division in
Eau Claire.
Hayden said he hasn't heard of any
layoffs at the casinos.
Karen Nerison, a former cocktail t
waitress who says she was fired in 1992
when she was five months pregnant,
praised the tribe's decision to offer jobless benefits. "I think it's wonderful,"
she said.
But Nerison said it won't affect her.
She said she was paid jobless benefits
for six weeks after her dismissal, but
later was cut off and told to repay the
money because the tribe had made a
mistake.
Photo by Gary Blair
Betty Bissonctt and Valerie Johnson outside the JucI Fairbanks Drop-in Center Ibcated at 1068 Payne Avenue.
Juel Fairbanks Drop-in Center: A non-profit
program that works
Hennepin detox hopes in jeopardy
Minneapolis (AP) Hennepin County
is moving to cancel its contract with a
dispute-racked community group that
has failed to open a detoxification program aimed at Indian alcoholics.
A staff recommendation that the
contract with New Visions Treatment
Centerbeended isonthe County Board's
agenda next week. Associate County
Administrator Carol Ogren said she
expects commissioners to concur. If
that happens, the county would try to
gather a community advisory group to
develop new criteria for detox-program
proposals, according to Barbara Droher,
the county's adult services director.
Droher said the staff recommendation was based on both New Visions'
inability to meet a target date of March
1 for starting the detox program and
prospects that lawsuits brought by two
groups contending for control of the
New Visions would delay matters further. "Wedon'tseeanyendinsighton
that," she said Tuesday.
Canceling the contract could be politically sensitive. The push for an
Indian-oriented program grew from
requests by some Indian advocates after
a county-run detox center at 1800 Chicago Av. S. was closed amid allegations
that clients had been abused.
"I'm disgusted," said Joe Estrada,
head of one new Visions board faction
that is recognized by county officials.
He said the group had tried to meet
county deadlines but was hampered
first by a split in the board and then by
the suits. "The commissioners need to
takea hard look at what they'redoing,"
he said.
But commissioner Sandra Hilary,
chairwoman of the social services
committee, said yesterday, "I guess
we just didn't see things getting any
better." But she said the county
remains serious about opening an
Indian-oriented center.
The agency board's split arose over
differences in detox philosophy and
how $ 140,000 forwarded by the county
to New Vi sions to start the program was
being handled. The county has been
looking into allegations made by the
disputants. Based on a preliminary
audit, Droher said, "It'sbasically some
management problems that need to be
addressed."
New Visions has run a treatment
program aimed at Indian alcoholics for
years, but at times the program has had
financial, organizational and personnel
problems. It owes the county almost
$200,000 in overpayments for that program and is more than $40,000 behind
on employment taxes. Nevertheless, it
was the only agency to respond last year
to a county solicitation for detox-program proposals that demonstrated a
culturally specific background, and
county officials recommended a $1
' million contract.
That raises the issue of whether any
other Indian-oriented group will be
willing to step forward. That won't be
known until the county actually seeks
proposals, because other groups don't
want to be seen as undermining New
Visions, said Robert Albee, a former
New Visions board member. "There's
enough talent and skills to do it within
the Indian community," he said.
Since closing its detox center under
the threat of losing its state license,
the county has contracted for detox
services with several agencies. But
the only one in Minneapolis, where
street alcoholics are most noticeable,
is a small facility run by the Salvation
Army on the west side of downtown.
The New Visions detox program,
which was to operate in the county's
former detox quarters, would have
been able to handle alcoholics on
downtown's east side. There has
been perennial concern in the Elliot
Park neighborhood over street drunks
, panhandling, urinatingandvomiting
in public and harassing pedestrians.
By Gary Blair
The Juel Fairbank's Drop-in Cen-
terin St. Paul, Minnesota, has become
a popular meeting place and service
provider for Native Americans in the
Twin Cities. The center, located at
1068 Payne Avenue, offers its clients
more than just a place to get in off the
street.
Betty Bissonett, a Lakota from the
Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, is the center's manager and
Valerie Johnson, an Ojibwe from the
Roseau River Indian Reserve in
Canada, serves as the center's human
services technician. Both women have
been employed at the center since
November 1993.
Bissonett says nearly 100 people
use the facility per week.' 'About one
third of them use our client services," she explained. The center offers
services that include short term counseling; DHS Rule 25 assessment
(needed for chemical dependency
treatment); case management; referral; Alcoholic's Annonymous
meetings; advocacy and information
on cultural activities is also available.
Transportation or help with transportation to other social service agencys
is also one of the center's services.
The center is open Monday through
Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. AA meet-
ingsare held at 7:00 pmeach Tuesday.
Most noticeable is the center's advocacy service. Bissonet told the
PRESS, "Wewalkourclientsthrough
the process. We work with child protection workers, the courts and
anything else that has to be done. We
drive them to where they have go, we
walk in with them, we Find out who
they have to talk to and we do our best
to get things resolved."
"I do an average often Rule 25
assessments per week, but all the
treatment programs are filled up, so
most ofthe time people have to wait
for an opening. However, the assessment part for the client is the first step
in getting into treatment," Bissonett
said.
Johnson explained that she recently
started a women's support group at
the center and those meetings are
now being held on Wednesdays at
1:00 pm. ' 'There was also talk about
startinga men's support group," she
added, "but so far that hasn't happened."
In addition to the services mentioned above, the center offers an arts
and crafts program on Thusdays that
starts at 1:00 pm and the basic materials are proved. ' 'It's a place to have
a cup of coffee. We're also a place
where people can meet and talk,"
Johnson continued.
Bissonett pointed out that the center is open to the public and since she
has been there only one person has
come in while drinking.
On Tuesday evening of this week
there were over 25 people at the center
for the weekly AA meeting. Bissonett
says they've had upwards of 28 people
attend on Tuesday nights.
The center was opened seven years
ago and is operatedby the Juel Fairbanks
Chemical Dependency Treatment Program for Native Americans also located
in St. Paul, Minnesota. The drop-in-
center is well maintained and clearly a
nice place to be. Bissonett says people
start coming in the center just as soon as
the place is opened in the morning.
"They wait while we put a pot of coffee
on," she said.
AIM Tribunal convicts on two charges
Will reconvene in Minneapolis in September
Red Lake Fisheries Assn. holds annual meeting
Assn. conducts annual election and votes to terminate manager's contract
By Bill Lawrence
At the annual meeting of the Red
Lake Fisheries Assn., conducted last
Saturday at its Redby plant, Red Lake
Reservation commercial fishermen
and women re-elected incumbents Bill
May 68 votes, Tom Barrett 59 votes,
Rudy Johnson 49, Myron Kingbird
46 to one year terms. Elected to his
first one year term was Roy Nelson
with 43 votes from Ponemah, who
ousted incumbent Phillip Johns with
36 votes for the remaining seat on the
board. The only other contending
candidate was Millie Holthusen with
34 votes.
The board then elected its officers for
one year terms as follows: Bill May,
President; Rudy Johnson, Vice Pres.;
andRoy Nelson Sec./Treas. Otheraction
taken at the meeting was a 57-24 vote of
the membership to terminate the
employmentcontractoftheassociation's
manager Marleen Mountain Hanson.
No reasons were given for the assn.
vote to terminate Ms. Hanson's
contract. Financial reports were not
presented and were not available for
distribution because they were not
completed by the assn.' s auditor Henry
Kreigbaum & Associates of Bemidji,
MN. Fish harvests were also not
reported at the Saturday meeting.
Eighty-one members of the assn.
are reported to have attended the
meeting. Sources told the NEWS that
the assn. intends to advertise for a
new manager in the very near future.
By Shelley Davis, staff writer
News From Indian Country
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. ~ An International panel of Indigenous peoples
found Vernon and Clyde Bellecourt
guilty of subversion ofthe American
Indian Movement, and Clyde Bellecourt guilty of the use, sale and/or
distribution of drugs and/or alcohol
to American Indian people at the
Tribunal of the Autonomous Chapters of the American Indian
Movement, March 27, 1994.
The panel recessed the Tribunal
until September when the Tribunal
will reconvene in Minneapolis at the
Bellecourts' invitation, according to
the statement released by the panel.
The Bellecourts sentences have been
deferred until that time in which the
Tribunal is complete.
Clyde and Vernon, co-directors of
the National American Indian Movement, Inc., were found guilty of
Subversion of the American Indian
Movement (AIM), its principles and
activities.
After hearing the oral testimony of
about one dozen witnesses, and after
receiving documentation, the panel
was convinced the Bellecourts were
guilty of the "deliberate and/or reckless undermining of a legitimate
sourceof authority and decision-making; which includes deliberate and/or
reckless efforts to divide and/or discredit those dedicated to the 1 iberation
of American Indian peoples," as defined as subversion in the Bellecourts
indictments.
Clyde Bellecourt was found guilty
ofthe use, sale and/or distribution of
drugs and alcohol to American Indi
an people, according to the panel
statement.
The statement said, "Testimony
with enough effect has been presented
to this panel that we have no doubt
that Clyde Bellecourt has used, sold
and continues the distribution of drugs
and alcohol to American Indian people." It also states the panel found he
"has distributed drugs to persons regardless of their youth in a direct and
gross misuse of their trust."
"We unanimously believe that this
behavior is abusive, ongoing and reprehensible. How can we expect our
children to grow up continuing this
genocidal model," the panel stated.
Those two charges were then closed
for any further discussion to the Tribunal. Only one other charge was
Tribunal/ see page 3