Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2003-10-31

              INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS 4
CLASSIFIEDS 7
Seneca Nation
launches anti-tax
media campaign
page 3
Tribes move towards
wind energy
page 4
Preview: New book
on well-known
Ojibwe Anishinabe,
Emily Peake
page 4
Former mining project
manager says Crandon
mine is dead
page 5
Violence and fear in the
native communities
page 4
Five charged with armed robbery, burglary on
Red Lake Reservation
VOICE      OF      THE      PEOPLE
FBI press release
On 10/23/03, a Federal
Criminal Complaint was filed
in United States District Court,
District of Minnesota, Bemidji,
Minnesota charging Brandon
George Howard, age 22; and
Remberto Howard, age 20, aka
Remey, with one count of Robbery, one count Burglary In tlie
First Degree-Person Present,
one count Burglary In The First
Degree-Possesses A Dangerous
Weapon, one count Burglary
In The First Degree-Assaults
A Person, one count Assault
with a Dangerous Weapon and
one count Assault Resulting
In Serious Bodily Injury. Two
Juvenile males have also been
charged separately regarding
this case. The charges are related to an alleged home invasion that occurred on the Red
Lake Indian Reservation shortly
after Midnight, 10/4/03. The
complaint states that on the
night of the alleged incident,
four masked males, armed
with baseball bats and at least
one firearm entered tlie home
shouting "Police! Search warrant!". Two of the adult victims
in tlie house were then bound
with duct tape and violently
assaulted and were threatened
with death. The robbers also
threatened the lives of two
small children and a teenager in
tlie house. Remberto Howard
was arrested on 10/24/03 by
Red Fake Law Enforcement Officers and is currently in Federal
custody. Brandon George Howard remains a fugitive at large.
Both Remberto and Brandon
Howard are enrolled members
of tlie Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.
On October 24, 2003, a Federal Criminal Complaint was
filed in.United States District
Court, District of Mimiesota,
Duluth, Mimiesota charging
William Dallas Chaboyea,
age 27, aka Billy Chaboyea,
aka, William Chaboyea, aka,
Kevin Adrian Anderson; and
Peter James Thompson, age
23, aka "P.J." Thompson, aka,
Peter Leigh, aka, Michael Peter
Thompson; and Rhonda Lee
Buck, age 27, with one count
Robbery, one count Burglary In
The First Degree-Person Present, one count Burglary In The
First Degree-Possesses A Dangerous Weapon, and one count
Burglary In The First Degree-
Possesses A Dangerous Weapon.
The charges are related to an
alleged armed burglary at a residence on tlie Red Lake Indian
Reservation. The complaint
states that in die early morning,
hours of September 1, 2003, tlie
victim was awakened to someone knocking at his front door.
The victim opened the door and
was confronted by a male who
pointed a revolver at tlie victim.
At the time, tlie victim also noticed another male standing by
a car, carrying a rifle. The two
male robbers eventually held the
victim and two sleeping teenagers at gunpoint. The victim
followed both robbers out of
the house as they fled and saw
that they were accompanied by
a female who told the robbers to
hurry up. The victim contacted
a Red Lake Police Officer shortly after tlie robbers departed.
Officers of the Red Lake Police
Department broadcast the car
description mid, in short order,
a RLPD Unit spotted the car
(this car was reported stolen on
August 30,2003), which began
fleeing at a high rate of speed.
The Officers found the vehicle
in the yard of a residence, but
the occupants had already fled.
Chaboyea, Thompson, and Buck
remain fugitives at large.
Chaboyea and Thompson
are enrolled members of tlie
Leech Lake Band of Chippewa
Indians. It is unknown whether
Buck is an enrolled member
anywhere.
Leech Lake finances uncertain
By Diane White
The Leech Lake Band of
Ojibwe's most recent audited
government financial statements
for fiscal year July 1,2001 to
June 30, 2002 report Liabilities
exceed Assets by $ 1.5 million;
however tlie Assets carry an
"Allowance for Doubtful Accounts" balance of ($2,453,563).
Most of the "Allowance for
Doubtful Accounts" is a carryover from the 1990s when
tlie Tribe gave "loans" to uibal
members without providing a
procedure for Band Members
to repay die loans. This account
balance was a problem area
for fonner Secretary-Treasurer
Linda G. Johnston who did not
collect tlie balances owed nor
write them off tlie books. This
balance now is somewhat of a
misrepresentation to tlie Band's
financial statement. A "Note"by
die auditing firm, Joseph Eve
& Company, reports, "Management expects all other recorded
receivables to be collected in
full. Therefore, no provision has
been established for these receivables." It appears this would
mean tlie Band's Accounting
DeparUnent will develop a
procedure for billing tlie loan recipients and for collecting upon
these loans. However, the Accounting Finn's repeated recommendation is, "The Band should
review all outstanding monies
that are owed to it and either attempt to collect the balance or
write off any remaining balances
that are old and not collectible."
Two areas of concern for the
auditors were: 1) tlie fixed asset
account was incomplete because
receipts and inventory records
were not consistently kept by
the Property Department. In addition, nil fixed assets purchased
(includes Land, Buildings and
Equipment) are immediately
expensed off regardless of tlie
value; and 2) subsidiary record
(accounts) were not adequately
maintained and therefore tlie
dollar amounts listed in tlie account records were not reliable
and tlie auditors could not verify
them.
'The primary government financial statements, because tlie}'
do not include tlie financial data
of component units of die Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe, do not
purport to, and do not present
fairly the financial position of
tlie Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
as of June 30,2002," states auditors Joseph Eve & Company.
One interesting missing account is the Reservation Tribal
Council members private accounts which showed how much
each Tribal Council member
used for personal expenditures.
This account was frozen when
Archie LaRose was elected into
Office; however, each Tribal
Council member during this
audit's fiscal year did make expenditures from dieir personal
accounts and these expenditures
are absent from the audited fi
nancial statements. This audit
also reveals there is no budget
for this fiscal year. LaRose
halted operations in order to get
a budget prepared and operating
when he first became the Secretary-Treasurer, in July 2002.
The Band recently sold their
Centennial Bank stock, which
comprised most of tlie Investments account in tiiis (2002)
fiscal vear. These stocks cost
$259,650 (1,029 shares) and carry a market value of $356,919.
The selling prices of these bonds
FINANCES to page 3
FBI releases crime statistics for 2002:
Crime rates continue downward trend
By Jean Pagano
Crime rates in die LJnited
States continue to fall, as they
have gradually over the last
12 years. Crime rates among
die general population have
dropped to 4118.8 per 100,000
individuals, a slight decrease
from the previous year's rate of
4162.6 per 100,000.
A total of 9.8 million arrests
were listed in the FBI's Uniform
Crime Reports. Of this total,
130,636 arrests were attributed
to Native American/ Alaskan
Natives. This number represents
1.3% of all anests in 2002.
Some of the top arrest categories were for non-aggravated
assaults, driving under the influence, dmnkenness, liquor laws,
and larceny.
Of this total, 20383 were for
Native individuals under the age
of 18. This number, as with Native adults, accounts for 1.3%
of arrests. Many incidences of
arrests were for property crimes,
larceny, liquor violations, disorderly conduct, and drug abuse.
Native peoples account for less
dian 1 % of the American population.
Similar to the overall percentages for arrests, Native youths
and adults in urban areas were
responsible for 1.2% and 1.3%,
respectively, of arrests. Lower
numbers were found in suburban settings where Native accounted for 0.7% of arrests.
In rural areas, Native anests
were more than doubled than in
urban environments. Tlie 25.918
Native arrests rurally were 2.9%
of all anests. The numbers for
Natives under die age of 18
were even higher, widi an arrest
percentage of 3.1 %.
Native Americans are also
included in hate-crime statistics,
as victims and also as offend
ers. A total of 62 hate-crime
incidents against Native peoples
were reported in 2002, comprised of 68 offenses against 72
people. 43 Native Americans
were anested for hate-crimes
in the same time period. Wliile
the 43 Natives arrested represent less than % of 1% of all
hate-crimes, it is still significant
that a few Natives are perpetrating hate-crimes against others.
Across all racial boundaries,
there were 203 hate-crimes reported in Minnesota in 2002.
The FBI has administered the
Uniform Crime Report since
1930. The report's primary use
is to provide a reliable set of
statistics for use in law enforcement and administration, but
over die years, die Uniform
Crime Report has become a
gauge for whedier crime is increasing or declining.
BIA approves Meskwaki election results, more work
to be done
Associated Press
TAMA, Iowa - Although the
U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
has recognized results of a recent Meskwaki tribal election,
several steps remain before die
tribe's casino can be reopened.
Tribal officials say once the
new council is in place, the National Indian Gaming Commission, which closed die casino in
May over a tribal dispute, will
conduct an audit.
Casino managers also must
fill any jobs left vacant by
employees who went to work
elsewhere during the shutdown,
probably fewer than 100.
Tom Jochiun, a spokesman
for die Meskwaki tribe, said die
casino could reopen widiin a
mondi.
"There is no reason it
couldn't be open before Thanksgiving," he said.
Many hope last week's election will settle once and for all
a leadership dispute that began
seven months ago and will clear
die way for die casino to reopen.
However, Alex Walker Jr.,
a fonner tribal chainnan, contends the recent election was
illegal and has pledged to continue the fight.
Walker and his council were
ousted March 26 after failing to
respond lo recall petitions filed
last fall. The hereditary chief
picked a new group of leaders,
diree of whom were elected to a
new council last week.
web page: www.press-on.net
Native
American
Press
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.   Copyright, Native American Press, 2003
Founded in 1988
Volume 16 Issue 20
October 31,2003
Author Jane Pejsa at a book signing of her new book titled "The Life of Emily Peake-one dedicated Ojibwe." Ms. Pejsa along with Nodin Press publisher Norton Stillman (on the left)and Ojibwe
elder Vincent Hill greet well wishers at the Mpls. American Indian Center at Monday's signing. Mr.
Hill wrote a review of Ms. Pejsa's book, which is printed on page 4 of this edition.
Famous Dave's nomination hits a snag in Senate
The hold was placed by an
anonymous senator, although
there's no open opposition to
Anderson leading the BIA.
Sen. Dayton plans to support
him.
By Kevin Diaz
Star Tribune Washington
Bureau Correspondent
WASHINTON, D.C. The
Minnesota barbecue entrepreneur Dave Anderson got
a taste Wednesday of politics
a la Washington, where tlie
Senate has put a hold on his
nomination to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
Wliile Anderson's nomination has not sparked any
public opposition, the hold,
placed by an anonymous senator, could indefinitely delay
a Senate vote.
The development came to
light as Sen. Mark Dayton,
D-Minn., said he intends to
support President Bush's
nomination of Anderson.
Until Wednesday, Dayton
has been uncommitted; indicating that Republicans had
not sought him out or briefed
him on the nomination.
Anderson's failure to con
tact or visit Dayton before his
Senate nominating heating on
Oct. 22 was widely seen on
Capitol Hill as a political gaffe.
Dayton mid Anderson are
scheduled to talk today for the
first time.
"I'm not aware of any con-
troversy," Dayton said of Anderson's nomination. Asked if
he would vote for Anderson, he
said, "I would expect to based
on what I know now."
Senate rules permit even a
single law maker to hold up a
nomination—even anonymously— for almost any reason. The
maneuver is often a tactic to
draw attention to an individual
member's issues or concerns.
Communications directors for
Dayton and Sen. Norm Coleman said they did not know
who placed the hold on Anderson. A spokeswoman for Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist
of Temiessee, who controls the
timing of floor votes, said his.
office generally does not comment on senatorial holds.
Anderson, an Ojibwa and
Choctaw Indian known for his
successful Famous Dave's restaurant chain, sailed through a
nominating healing before the
Senate's Indian Affairs Committee, which approved him unanimously,
"It's pretty sad that petty
politics would get in the way of
such a qualified nomination,"
Coleman said Wednesday in a
prepared statement. "That's the
kind of silly and shallow political gamesmanship that needs to
stop in Washington:"
Even before the hold was
placed on Anderson's name,
there were indications that some
senators wanted more infonnation about his views on the BIA
which has been beset by questions about mismanaged Indian
trust fluids.
Anderson has also faced questions about potential conflicts
of interest concerning his ties to
several Indian casino management companies.
Mark Pfeifle, a spokesman for
tlie Interior Department—where
die BIA is housed—said Anderson is responding to written
follow-up questions posed by
several senators about his Senate testimony. He said questions
have come from both Republicans and Democrats,
kdiazfs'mcclatchvdc.com
Pombo furious at language added to Interior
spending bill
By Robert Gelirke
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Language
tacked onto an Interior Department spending bill has infuriated House Resources Committee
Chainnan Richard Pombo, and
could delay House approval of
$3 billion in forest fire funding.
The provision prohibits the
Interior Department from starting a court-ordered accounting
of how much the government
owes American Indian landowners for mismanaging their
land for more than a century.
Pombo, R-Calif., whose committee handles American Indian
issues, was furious that he was
kept in tlie dark on the language
until just before it was added to
tlie bill Monday. He will oppose
tlie spending bill when it conies
to die floor Wednesday,
"As it stands, it's a threat to
the whole bill," said Pombo's
spokeswoman, Nicol Andrews.
"■Throwing stuff in at the last
second under die guise of wildfire legislation with people losing their lives in California is
just shameless."
John Scofield, spokesman for
the House Appropriations Committee, said the Indian amendment is backed by tlie White
House, congressional leaders
and Democrats and Republicans
in both Uie House and Senate.
"It's a lonely crusade here"
for Pombo, Scofield said.
A White House spokesman
did not immediately return calls
about the bill. Sen. Byron Dor-
gan, D-N.D., has voiced concerns about whether Congress
should be telling courts how to
interpret tlie law.
Leading the opposition to the
Interior bill poses a problem for
Pombo since the bill also provides S3 billion to combat forest
fires at a time that large parts of
Pombo's state are bunting. Any
delay in passing the bill, however, would likely be temporal}.
U.S. Disuict Judge Royce
Lamberth told the Interior Department in 1999 to account for
die oil, gas, timber and grazing royalties that should have
been paid to Indian landowners
since 1887. For generations, the
money was mismanaged by the
go\ eminent, with impoverished
Indians denied what the} were
owed for the use of their land.
The Interior Department estimates that it could cost between
$6 billion and S13 billion to do
the court-ordered accounting.
House appropriators don't
want to spend that much on a
BILL to page 7