Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2005-04-15

              INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY
NEWS BRIEFS
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS
2
3
4-5
Fond du Lac
Secretary-Treasurer
Dupuis questioned
by tribal member
Let's give RBC
a chance to show
their stuff
CLASSIFIEDS
7
'  nana A
Daae 5
Chairman Goggleye
spits in face of Leech
Lake voters
page 5
This week's Top 10
Rumors about Leech
Lake Reservation
Dictators
page 4
Freedom of the
press elusive at
Red Lake
page 4
Red Lake Shooting Updates
VOICEOF      THE      PEOPLE
By Bill Lawrence
After about two weeks of
silence regarding the Red Lake
shooting, several stories have been
released simultaneously. A Grand
Jury has been convened. A bitter
dispute rages on the Reservation
over the distribution of memorial
funds. After over three weeks in
intensive care, shooting victim
Steven Cobenais' status has'been
changed to "guarded condition"
from "critical condition." Lastly,
Victoria Brun, sister of the slain
security guard said a family
member had been subpoenaed to
appear before the Grand Jury.
Grand Jury - A Federal Grand
Jury convened April 13, 2005.
Numerous Red Lake students
have been subpoenaed and appeared. It is expected that more
will be called as witnesses. The
actual convening of the grand jury
constituted the only news since the
proceedings are secret. No one
who appeared gave a statement
about the proceedings to the media
in spite of a rush for information
by newspeople.
A Grand Jury is required by
the federal legal system under the
Fifth Amendment ofthe U.S. Constitution in order to bring charges
against a defendant. It is used for
all capitol crimes.  A minimum
of 16 jurors must be seated and
present in order to bring forth an
indictment. It is not uncommon
for a grand jury to take several
weeks or longer to reach a decision about a particular case.
The purpose of a grand jury is
to hear evidence and determine
whether a crime has been committed and if an indictment can
be made. Witnesses, because they
have not been charged, are not permitted to bring their attorneys into
the grand jury room. If a consultation is needed, a witness may ask
permission to meet with his/her
lawyer outside the jury room.
Normally only prosecutors, witnesses and the jury members are
present. In addition to individuals
called to testify, federal agents and
personnel are frequent witnesses.
Jurors for the Grand Jury are
selected through the normal jury
selection process. Selection for
Grand Jury duty is normally for
a one year minimum. The term
can extend from 18 to 24 months
depending on the complexity and
length of a proceeding.
Not surprisingly, U.S. Attorney
Tom Heffelfinger said he would
not discuss the question of how
many subpoenas have been/would
be issued, nor would he comment
"about the direction of our investi
gation." It is a federal crime for a
federal officer or agent to disclose
any infonnation regarding a grand
jury proceeding.
It is believed that some of the
subpoenas have requested DNA,
photographs and fingerprints.
Minneapolis attorneys representing individuals who have received
subpoenas say that a request for
DNA is unusual and indicated
such requests would likely be
challenged.
Former U.S. Attorney David
Lillehaug declined to comment on
why federal agents would request
such data. He indicated that it was
presumably just a part of a rigorous investigation and said, "You
would expect the U.S. attorney's
office and the FBI to pullout all
the stops on this investigation...
.[and] At the end ofthe investigation, the special agent in charge
of the FBI and the U.S. attorney
would want to look the attorney
general in the eye and say 'We did
everything we could.'"
Memorial Fund distribution
- An Associated Press story of
4/12 stated that an "anonymous
federal law enforcement source
said investigators have divided
people being questioned into
UPDATES to page 6
web page: www.press-on.net
Leech Lake
officials attempt
to refinance
Mdewakanton
loan
By Diane E. White
CASS LAKE-The Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe (LLBO)
unofficial report to PRESS/ON
and official report to tribal
members at the Reservation's
quarterly meeting is quite different than what they report to
potential financiers. Chairman
George Goggleye, Jr. has testified in St. Paul at the Capitol that
the Band cannot financially meet
infrastructure needs to improve
the Reservation.
In a statement from District 1
Representative, Burton "Luke"
Wilson, the Band's current cash
flow is so dismal it had prompted
the Reservation Business Committee (RBC) (without Secretary-Treasurer Arthur "Archie"
LaRose) to divert Special Revenue Funds into a gaming reserve
fund in order to present to the
Mdewakanton Sioux Tribe, the
lenders, that the Band is abiding
LOAN to page 3
MCT Executive Committee sets
Special Meeting on Leech Lake
Committeeman's irrevocable
resignation
Wilson and Garbow are confident
that Wilson will not be forced to
step down next Wednesday, April
20 in Fond da Lac.
By Diane E. White
On Wednesday, April 20, 2005
at 9:00 a.m., there will be a
Special Meeting ofthe Minnesota
Chippewa Tribe (MCT) Tribal
Executive Committee (TEC) at
the BlackBear Casino & Hotel
on the Fond du Lac Reservation
regarding the irrevocable
resignation of Burton "Luke"
Wilson, Leech Lake District 1
Representative. Arthur "Archie"
LaRose, Secretary-Treasurer,
although not sworn in yet at the
TEC level, sought out from other
TEC members enough signatures
to force this Special Meeting. The
TEC membership is made up
of the Chairman and Secretary-
Treasurer positions of each ofthe
six MCT Bands.
On March 25, LaRose presented
a motion to recognize Wilson's
irrevocable   resignation   at   the
LLBO Special Meeting. In
accordance with the MCT's
Election Ordinance #9, LaRose
motioned, "Said resignation shall
be irrevocable upon certification
of the tribal member who has
resigned as a candidate, and will
be effective upon the successful
candidate's assumption of
authority of the position for
which such member has filed."
LaRose's motion died for lack
of a second, which prompted
LaRose to seek redress with the
Executive Officers ofthe MCT.
In response to the news of the
April 20"1 Special Meeting, triba!
attorney, Michael Garbow cited
the Memorandum Decision of
Chief Judge Margaret Treuer
dated October 27, 2004,
which states clearly the LLBO
Reservation Business Committee
(RBC) complied with the court's
previous order allowing LaRose
to run for Secretary-Treasurer.
The RBC had denied LaRose
MEETING to page 3
Leech Lake Executives speak out on protests, jobs for tribal
members, MCT Constitution, Secretary-Treasurer's job duties
By Diane E. White
CASS LAKE—The Leech Lake
Band of Ojibwe (LLBO) Tribal
Attorney, Michael Garbow, gave
the PRESS/ON an invitation for
an exclusive interview regarding
the recent events on the
Reservation, including the recent
series of protests, jobs for tribal
members, the Minnesota Gaming
Equity Act, and the role of the
Secretary-Treasurer. During
the interview there were some
questions that only the District
1 Representative Burton "Luke "
Wilson coidd answer and he
graciously gave the PRESS/ON
an interview.
Michael Garbow is a graduate
of the University of Oklahoma
Law School and holds an
undergraduate Bachelor of
Science degree in Criminal
Justice. He is a veteran of
the Navy. His family moved
to Oklahoma when he was
in 9th grade for his mother's
employment with the Bureau of
Indian Affairs. He has worked
at LLBO and with Beltrami
County Attorney's office since he
returned to the Leech Lake area
several years ago.
Wilson is a devout Catholic
who cares deeply about how
the people of the Reservation
are faring. He is a foster parent
and believes he is frequently
misunderstood in his words
and actions. He works hard to
improve the Reservation and
attends many community events.
Over the weekend there were
two protests held on casino
property. On Friday afternoon
there was a protest in front of
the Northern Lights Casino in
Walker and on Saturday there
was a protest on the private
property directly adjacent to the
White Oak Casino in Deer River.
The protesters are demanding
a referendum vote to determine
the fate of any off-reservation
casino due to the costs involved
as well as the need for a limited
waiver of sovereign immunity.
They are gathering signatures
and hope to achieve 20% of the
voting population or roughly
550 signatures. They are also
gathering signatures for the
removal of Chairman George
Goggleye Jr. and the district
representatives, Donald "Mick"
Finn (District III) and Lyman
"DeDe" Losh (District II) and
Wilson [add reason here.]
During the Northern Lights
demonstration Wilson was
on   hand  to   direct  tribal   law
enforcement and by 5:00
p.m. had sent the protesters a
memo regarding the Ball Club
Community Center where they
planned to meet the next day at
2:00 p.m. According to Wilson's
memo, the tribal members were
instructed not to use the Ball
Club Community Center or any
tribal building for "unauthorized
political activity." Wilson
defended his action stating that
PROTESTS to page 5
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Crorp OoffSaya- fr, Oaaraxaa.
Arthur *AkKs*~ tai fat*. Sataftoayftramm**
HMfcl I
JttfOMI 'l+U~ *U*»
tamaam t~ tamh
Dste; April 7,2005
ATTINTHQN
The Ball Club Community Centers arc owned and maintained by Leech
Lake Tribal Govenunent operation*. Unauthorized political activity will not
be (derated, Absolutely no keys are to be given out without permission of
(he building Caretakers Roberto Rodriguez and Tom Howard.
A press release front the Pioneer Press states there is a protest and petition
meeting lead by former Tribal Attorney frank Bebeau and fonner Business
Corporation employee Wallace Storbakken on Saturday, April 9* at 2:00
PM. Both gentlemen are excluded from all Tribal properties. Thi* i* not an
authorized meeting, therefore absolutely no key* are to be given out.
Similar notices are being sent to alt Local Indian Councils by tbe Leech
Lake Tribal Council. If you have arty questions please call your District 1
Representative, Burton "Luke" Wilson.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Burton "Luke" Wilson
2«^S3g2home
7«M6»celt
J35-4404 work
Cc; Ball Club Local Indian Council
Community Members
Memo written by District 1 Representative Burton "Luke" Wilson, dated April
7, 2005 in response to protesters outside of the Northern Lights Casino.
Wilson defends his actions stating it is bad for business to have people
protesting in front of the casinos. Community centers not to be used for
"unauthorized political activity!" Wilson's response to community meeting
scheduled to be held in Ball Club on April 9, 2005.
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.  Copyright, Native American Press, 2004
Founded in 1988
Volume 17 Issue 43
April 15, 2005
METRO
CkSINO
Frank Bibeau and Wally Storbakken protest with the Unknown Radical. Picture submitted by Frank Bibeau.
Leech Lake constituents are concerned
over leadership
By Theodore J. White, Jr.
Leech Lake Reservation—
Committee members involved
in gathering signatures for
referendum on the Minnesota
Gaming Equity Act and the
recall of Chairman George
Goggleye, Jr., and District Representatives, Burton "Luke"
Wilson, Lyman "DeDe" Losh,
and Donald "Mick" Finn report
they have received enough signatures needed to trigger both
requests. They went out to each
community house to house to
ask politely if the household
would like to sign petitions
for recall and referendum on
the metro casino deal.
They found there were people
that are afraid to sign because
they fear loss of jobs or loss of
home. No threats were made
in writing to them; however,
people said they were verbally
warned not to sign the petitions
or participate in protests by
tribal officials. Employees of
the Band have stated they were
told not to honk their horns or
protest and if they did, their
jobs are at stake.
The people who are protesting in front ofthe casinos and
the Reservation Business Committee (RBC) headquarters noted
Luke Wilson and his associates are
verbally harassing them. They say
Luke is threatening to "disenroll"
them from the Band and prosecute
them for trespass by officially excluding them from RBC buildings
and casinos. So far the protesters
have reported no new exclusion orders. Frank Bibeau, a White Earth
enrollee and Wallace Storbakken, a
Leech Lake enrollee were excluded
from tribal properties prior to the
onset of the protests. Storbakken
was arrested on April 1 at the
Palace Casino just before for the
quarterly meeting.
Two women who are carrying the petitions around have
said they have witnessed a lot
of poverty. One petition carrier
said, "What little I have seems
rich compared to the people we
met." They report the houses they
have visited are small and crowded with as many as 15 people in
one house. Many families have
aunts, uncles, and grandparents
living with them and usually there
is only one person working.
The petition carriers said some
of the people they saw were substance abusers. They also said
some people claimed they had to
resort to dealing drugs to make
money to live on because they
can't find a job at the Tribe or
in the surrounding community.
They didn't think the people
who used drugs and alcohol
were happy. They thought they
were self-medicating and they
were depressed. Their feelings
were hurt.
The people who signed the
petitions want to work at the casinos and in tribal government.
They also need assistance with
home improvements, including
leaky roofs, serious plumbing
problems, and homes that are
made for those who are disabled
and in wheelchairs. The women
said they say an elderly man that
could not easily get through his
house because he was in a wheel
chair and his hallways were very
narrow. They also said an elderly
woman was denied plumbing assistance by tribal officials and she
was told to use a "slop bucket."
The petition carriers reported
they have collected enough signatures (estimated at 550) and
will continue to offer the petition to anyone who still wishes
to sign it.
Turnout thin
as Red Lake
school reopens
three weeks
after deadly
By Joshua Freed
Associated Press
RED LAKE, Minn. - Going
back to Red Lake High School
after a deadly shooting wasn't
easy, but sophomore Tom Barrett was ready.
"I think it's the perfect time
to go back," Barrett said. ~We
have to be there for each other
as a nation."
On Tuesday, Barrett was
in the minority. More than
two-thirds of the roughly 300
students stayed away as classes
resumed on the Red Lake Indian reservation school resumed
for the first time since a teen
gunman killed seven people at
the school.
Some people were worried
about another attack, said Pat
Mills, public safety director for
the Red Lake Band of Chippewa. ""It's a fear that goes
through everybody's mind,"
Mills said.
Journalists weren't allowed
on the school grounds.
Jeff Weise, 16, described as
a loner and an admirer of Adolf Hitler, killed his grandfather
and the man's girlfriend, then
went to his school and killed
TURNOUT to page 6
Jourdain says media and FBI
disrupting tribe
Reservation 'passports'may be reinstituted
BY Jim Ragsdale
Pioneer Press
RED LAKE, Minn. - Red
Lake tribal chairman Floyd
Jourdain Jr. said Wednesday the
intrusiveness of the news media
and the aggressiveness of federal
investigators have unsettled his
community as it tries to heal from
last month's shootings.
Jourdain said in an interview
that community members and
students believe the reservation is
safe. He challenged portrayals that
there may be a continuing threat
from those who had knowledge
of the plans of Jeff Weise, who
assaulted Red Lake Senior High
School on March 21.
He said the fact that his son,
Louis, was "swept up" by federal
investigators has unnerved f amilies
whose children also are being interviewed. Louis Jourdain, 16, was
arrested a week after the shootings
and remains in custody.
And Floyd Jourdain said the
reclusive tribe may respond to
the media deluge by requiring all
visitors to obtain "passports" to
visit the reservation, a policy that
could ban unwanted reporters and
other non-Indian visitors.
Jourdain's comments came
in his most extensive interview
since his son was arrested.
"It's delaying our healing
process," Jourdain said of the
intensive coverage. He cited a
news photo Wednesday of Lance
Crowe, a wounded freshman who
was surrounded by reporters as he
visited a memorial to the victims
on Tuesday.
"In Indian custom, that's a
sacred time for people," he said.
"That's a time when they are not
to be disturbed — when they are
in their moment of extreme grief.
It's just totally foreign to see these
big, giant trucks everywhere."
He said reporters' unsolicited
visits to people's homes for interviews are also unheard-of on
the reservation.
Federal investigators believe
Weise shot and killed his grandfather, who was a tribal pohce officer, and his grandfather's partner
at their home. He then took his
grandfather's pohce weapons and
attacked the school. Ten people
died, including Weise, 16, who
shot himself. Seven were injured.
Because ofthe seriousness ofthe
crime, the federal law-enforcement
agencies have taken over the probe
from tribal police. They have interviewed an estimated 200 young
people and confiscated computers
in an attempt to find links between
Weise and others.
Jourdain said he could not discuss his son's legal status. But, he
said, "From what I'm gathering
from people, they don't feel that
there's actually any threat.
JOURDAIN to page 6