Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2005-06-17

              INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS 4
CLASSIFIEDS 7
Information,
directon to MCT
Special Elections,
Referendum Process
page 4
Leech Lake Housing
Board, Staff held to
different standards
page 4
Campbell exclaims,
"Red Alert"
page 4
Writer responds to
Eli Hunt's letter
in Pioneer
page 4
Red Lake Summit
never got off the
ground
page 4
Red Lake Education Summit
By Bill Lawrence
Tribal Chairman Floyd "Buck"
Jourdain presided over an Education Summit June 14 at the Red
Lake Community Center. The
meeting was planned before and
independent of the recent school
shooting. The evening meeting
attracted tribal officials, staff
and about 30 parents. The Summit also drew two high profile
visitors—Minnesota Education
Commissioner Alice Seagren
and Bill Modzeleski, associate
assistant deputy secretary for safe
and drug-free schools of the U.S.
Department of Education.
Discussion lasted nearly three
hours and ranged from praise and
recrimination of teachers, calls for
Ojibwe language courses, "culturally sensitive curriculum" as well
as teachers who were sensitive to
the reservation, its history and
culture.
There was general agreement
that the system was in need of
.. .the system [is] in
need of major change
although no significant
recommendations
for such change
immerged.
major change although no significant recommendations for such
change immerged. High dropout
rates, low graduation rates and test
scores were cited as evidence of
the legitimate and longstanding
problems of education on the
reservation.
Participants raised several possible explanations for the condition of education at Red Lake.
Several speakers identified a lack
of economic development, which
limits the number of jobs available on the reservation as one of
the puzzle pieces of the problem.
Inadequate school security was
raised as a contributing factor,
parents and others pointing out
that the children were not returning to school because they did not
feel it was safe. But low school
attendance has been a long-term
problem, not just a recent phenomenon such as a response to
the shooting in March.
Parents said their children
weren't getting what they needed
in the school system to take them
from one level of education to the
next higher one. They expressed
frustration and dissatisfaction
with the system. Others were
concerned about tire need for their
children to leave the reservation
for more schooling or because
they regarded the reservation
schools as inadequate in meeting the educational needs of their
children. Some, who had left
to obtain higher education, said
they'd been disappointed upon
their return when they could not
find work at the reservation.
One parent, a former middle
school employee, raised the
problem of bullying at the middle
school. She said bullyism was
responsible for keeping kids out
of school. She further expressed
concern that the teachers did not
seem to be able to control it,
whether through lack of training
or lack of will to address it.
Calling attention to the fact that
the problem lias existed for a considerable amount of time, Chairman Jourdain showed an April 21,
1999, newspaper article about the
Columbine Colorado High School
shooting. The paper also told of
a Red Lake. Community meeting
called by former Chairman Bobbie Whitefeather to discuss similar
concerns.
The aftermath studies of the
Columbine shooting have indicated that bullyism was present
to a shockingly high degree at the
high school and was considered to
be the number one motive for the
shooters.
SUMMIT to page 6
Leech Lake Secretary-Treasurer Archie LaRose
tests judicial waters
Judge Anita Fineday appointed to Leech .Lake Tribal Court
Chief Judge Margaret Treuer's
contract was not renewed.
Judge Fineday put a question to
the parties, "Is this a political
question or a legal question? "
after hearing both sides ofthe
elected official's "perks" argument.
By Diane White
CASS LAKE, MN-On Monday, June 13, 2005, a frustrated
and angry Secretary-Treasurer
Arthur "Archie" LaRose submitted a petition he completed without the help of Ms attorney, Frank
Bibeau, into the Band's Tribal
Court to seek relief in the manner of an Ex Parte Order. Despite
Chairman George Goggleye, Jr.'s
campaign promises of separation
of powers and allowing tribal
members to elect the Band's
judges, as in state and federal
courts, the Leech Lake Reservation Business Committee (RBC)
appointed Anita Fineday to the
Band's court to serve as Judge.
LaRose is testing the waters with
Judge Fineday in spite of what
he states is a conflict of interest
between them. LaRose indicated
he did not vote to hire Fineday to
replace former Chief Judge Margaret Treuer. Judge Treuer's contract for services expired and the
Goggleye Administration choose
not to renew it and speculation
surrounding the move centers on
Treuer's rulings which at times
Archie LaRose
went head on against die Goggleye RBC.
In last week's edition of die
PRESS/ON, Bill Lawrence's
editorial addressed many of the
Secretary-Treasurer's obstacles
since being re-elected and seated
on February 25,2005. The effects
are long-term to all elected officials wiUun the entire Minnesota
Chippewa Tribe (MCT) and to
newly elected tribal members
onto Band RBCs, because what
the Goggleye administration has
done was remove Arthur "Archie" LaRose, the person, from
an office (and job) in which he
was elected into by the people.
The Secretary-Treasurer is not
an employee of the RBC and
as such is not required to be a
rubber stamp to make official
business deals such as Governor
Pawlenty's Tribal State Casino
or the $17,000+ security system,
which in effect privatized the
Band's Headquarters. Instead, in
a court order dating back to June
2004, and also in accordance with
the Band's Budget Ordinance, die
Secretary-Treasurer can widihold
signature as a means of keeping
checks and balances within the
system.
The last straw happened on
Monday, June 13,2005, after the
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe's
(LLBO) Gaming Commission
snubbed LaRose by not informing him and not inviting him to
the three-hour morning meeting
The Secretary-Treasurer is a
member of the Gaming Commission and the motive for disallowing him into the meeting occurred
when Judge Treuer ruled that the
Gaming Commission/Goggleye
Administration could not exclude
LaRose from any gaming building as it is inherent in his elected
position to conduct business there
and that die year long "internal
investigation" has not produced
one scintilla of evidence against
him and therefore in accordance
with legal standards regarding
trespass, the Goggleye administration had not met dieir burden
of proof to order LaRose out of
gaming buildings. The Gaming
Commission simply ignored the
WATERS to page 3
VOICEOF      THE      PEOPLE
Leech Lake
dismisses recall
petitions
By Diane White
CASS LAKE, MN-Accord-
ing to a published report in the Pilot Independent newspaper [dated
June 15, 2005], the Leech Lake
Band of Ojibwe (LLBO) Tribal
Attorney Michael Garbow issued
a press release stating the Band
has dismissed the recall petitions
[on June 10,2005] against Chairman George Goggleye, Jr. and
District I Committeeman Burton
"Luke" Wilson and District III
Committeeman Donald "Mick"
Finn, because the Reservation
Business Committee (RBC)
was not served with the original
petitions. Instead Deb Geving,
spokeswoman for the petitioners,
provided die RBC with copies of
the petitions and the originals to
Shirley Van Alstine, Bureau of
Indian Affairs (BIA) in Bemidji,
Minn., for safekeeping.
The PRESS/ON received a
copy of a receipt for the original
petitions placed with Gary Frazer, Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
(MCT) Executive Director. The
petitions were provided to Gary
for safekeeping purposes. Tribal
Attorney Michael Garbow provided Mr. Frazer with the original
petitions on July 15,2004. [See
copy of receipt.]
Spokeswoman Deb Geving has
been in contact with the B.I.A.
in Washington, D.C. in order
to pursue the mandated MCT
constitutional remedy of a recall
election or removal. "Nowhere in
the MCT constitution does it say
they can dismiss the petition!"
Deb said.
Leech Lake Assistant Police
Chief Wind still on the job
By Diane White
CASS LAKE, MN-As of
Thursday, June 16, 2005, Alvin
John Wind is still on the job. At
approximately 11:45 a.m., Mr.
Wind answered the ringing telephone in the Police Chief's office
when Press/ON called to inquire
whether Mr. Wind was working
or not. Mr. Wind indicated he
was conducting interviews in the
Police. Chief's office.
During the initial call, the
dispatcher informed this writer
that the Police Cliief was in and
when I provided her my name he
was suddenly on another call and
I waited. Last week, following
Press/ON investigation and report
of this matter, Press/ON received
a police department diree-mondi
duty schedule and Mr. Wind is
not scheduled to be in die office at
all, but Chief Day's memo on the
work schedule was addressed first
to Alvin J. Wind. According to the
note on the schedule, no officer is
allowed to deviate from the schedule per Police Chief Day's order.
As previously reported in
Press/ON, Assistant Police Chief-
Alvin John Wind was ordered to
be on Administrative Leave as of
April 7, 2005, which states, "Mr.
Wind is not to act in any official
capacity for the Leech Lake Tribal
Police Department—this includes
working in an administrative role
or in a capacity in which he is a
representative of the Leech Lake
Tribal Police Department." In
speaking with Rocky Papasodora,
Deputy Director, he stated Police
Cliief Steve Day is responsible
for supervising Mr. Wind and the
Goggleye administration is not
willing to comment on the matter.
Mr. Wind is scheduled to have
an arraignment in Cass County
Court on Monday, June 20, 2005
at 1:00 p.m. in Courtroom 2. He
is charged widi Criminal Sexual
Conduct in the 4th degree, with
a maximum penalty of 10 years
in prison and/or $20,000 fine; and
also with Criminal Sexual Conduct
in the 5th degree, widi a maximum
penalty of 1 year in detention and/
or $3,000 fine.
Updating die hit and run accident and outstanding $100 fine
at the time of last week's edition,
Press/ON contacted the court for
the current stams of the payment,
which was due by May 26, 2005
and according to the Leech Lake
Tribal Court, Mr. Wind completed
payment of the fine by bringing in
$100 on Friday, June 10,2005.
Red Lake youth charged with assault
A Red Lake resident, 20 year
old Jeremy Lee Neadeau, was indicted Tuesday, June 14, 2005, by
a federal grand jury on one count of
assault. The indictment alleges dial
Neadeau assaulted another Native
American causing serious bodily
injury on February 17,2005.
Neadeau faces a maximum penalty
of ten vears in prison and/or a fine
of $250,000 if convicted of the
assault charge, ederal Bureau of
Investigation and Red Lake Law
Enforcement conducted the investigation that led to the indictment.
Ann Anaya, Assistant Landed States
Attorney, is prosecuting the case.
web page: www.press-on.net
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American
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We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.  Copyright, Native American Press, 2005
Founded in 1988
Volume 18 Issue 1
June 17,2005
Wednesday's LLRBC protest was an informational campaign to get as many tribal members as possible to July, 1, 2005 quarterly meeting for the Leech Lake Reservation. Protesters are concerned that the majority faction of the LLRBC will try to make additional
illegal changes to the governing by-laws. The quarterly meeting will be at the Palace
Casino at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and rolls. Traditionally, quarterly meetings are later in the
day so membership can easily attend. The quarterly meetings usually include a full lunch
for those who attend. Protesters point to the unusually early time and intent not to share
a meal as methods to discourage attendance, especially amoungst the poor and those
who live over an hour away.
Red Lake
safety director
says schools
need to decide
on security
Associated Press
RED LAKE, Minn. - Security
at Red Lake schools will revert
diis fall to a shadow of what it
lias become after a student went
on a killing spree in March unless the school board acts soon,
die reservation's public safety
head has warned.
The district hasn't hired any
new security officers, nor has it
agreed to pay die tribal police
department's costs for providing school security, said Pat
Mills, director of die Red Lake
Department of Public Safety.
"I hope die school system is
prepared because we can't do
what we' ve done for the last two
mondis," Mills said. "If they're
going to get more security, diey
need to hire them now. If diey're
going to have armed officers,
diey need to advertise now and
get them hired.
vv There are a number of
tilings they need to do, and
they' re just dragging along,"
he said.
Stuart Desjarlait, superintendent of Red Lake schools,
declined to respond.
"Pat Mills has his opinion,"
he said. "I won't comment on
that."
But Mary Kay Klein, an attorney for the district, said die
school board is still trying to
detennine what kind of security
it should have'when classes resume Sept. 1.
"They're working on it," she
said. "Beyond diat, I don't have
any additional infonnation at
diis time. Quite frankly, to some
extent, what we're doing about
security isn't something we
want publicized, unless it's obvious. It's not creating a secure
environment if we're revealing
SECURITY to page 3
Students urged to tell story of
American Indians
Associated Press
VERMILLION, S.D. - Wilma
Mankiller said American Indian
journalists can break down barriers just as she did 20 years ago
when she became die first woman
in modem history to lead a major
Indian tribe.
"This is a time when the unique
perspective of Native American
journalists is needed," she told
25 smdents and odiers attending
die American Indian Journalism
Instimte here Tuesday.
Few congressional members
know the Indian life and culture, except for negative articles,
Mankiller said.
"Perception is as much of a
threat as anti-sovereignty legislation. We have to regain control of
our image," said Mankiller, who in
1985 became principal cliief of die
Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the
second largest tribe widi more than
140,000 enrolled members and an
annual budget of $75 million.
American Indians can accurately portray diemselves and dieir
many issues and accomplishments
by training more Indian journalists through programs such as AIJI,
Mankiller said.
"There are dangerous stereotypes. We have to tell our own
stories," she said. "If we don't
frame the issues, someone else
will frame the issues for us."
Mankiller said, for example, the
story needs to be told diat American Indians have the best rmlitary
service record of any edniic group
in the United States.
She offered recommendations
for success to die college students: critical thinking, standing
up for American Indian values
and culture, educating others
about tribal traditions and history,
and responding with education
rather than anger or impatience.
"The Mohawks said they teach
young people to respond not with
anger, but to always look forward.
They say it's hard to see die fumre with tears in your eyes," she
said.
"I add diat it's hard to see die
fumre widi anger in your heart and
tears in your eyes."
She challenged die smdents to
uncover and share important stories affecting American Indians.
"There are wonderful, inspiring
stories that never get reported,"
she said.
Report finds slowing growth in
gambling at Indian casinos
Associated Press
ST. RAUL - Wliile gambling at
Minnesota's tribal casinos is still
growing, the growth rate slowed
in 2004, according to an annual
industry report.
The state slipped from third to
fourth nationally in tribal casino
revenues, according to the annual
Indian Gaming Industry Report.
Overall revenues grew 1.2 percent
in 2004, down slighdy from the
previous year.
In all, Minnesota's tribal casinos pulled in $ 1.3 billion from slot
machines and blackjack tables in
2004. That's about 7 percent of
die gambling revenue from all
tribal casinos in the country.
Alan Meister, an economist
widi the Analysis Group, a national consulting firm, wrote
the report. He said it's not clear
if the state gambling market has
reached a samration point _ but
said greater growth could have
been limited by the failure of
gambling proponents to build
a state-tribal casino in die Twin
Cities, which might stimulate new
revenue.
Over the past several years,
proponents including Gov. Tim
Pawlenty have pushed for either
the state-tribal casino, a combination race track and casino at
Canterbury Park or some amalgam of both. Efforts have stalled
GROWTH to page 3