Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2005-08-19

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SBBRHHi
INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS 4
CLASSIFIEDS 7
Morongo Tribe delivers
construction materials for
Habitat for Humanity
page 6
Opening doors for
students of diverse
backgrounds
page 3
Open letter to NCAA
from U of North Dakota
President Charles
Kupchella
page 4
Identity theft by Leech
Lake Tribal Council
page 4
Defeated Lower
Sioux Council
members seek
new election
page 4
Lower Sioux Community election results challenged
By Bill Lawrence
The outcome ofthe Community
Council election at Lower Sioux
community in Morton, Minnesota,
is being challenged by the incumbents. Three individuals calling
themselves the Slate of Three won
by substantial numbers over Ann
[Pendleton] Larsen, President; Bob
Larsen, Vice President, and Brian
Pendleton, Secretary/Treasurer.
Two of the three incumbents, Ann
[Pendleton] Larson and Brian
Pendleton, are joined in their Notice of Protest by Cathy Pendleton,
Russ Pendleton, Candice Berry
and Charles Watterson. All six
have signed the notice.
The protest states they have retained attorneys Lindquist & Ven-
num of Minneapolis, to represent
them in their protest proceedings.
Bob Larsen filed an individual
Notice of Protest but failed to
present it within the stipulated
time frame.
The Slate of Three is composed
of Sheldon Peters Wolfchild,
Scott Adolphson, and Shannon
Blue. All three are lineal descendants of the 1886 Mdewakanton
Sioux who were given land by the
federal government. All three are
members of the Minnesota Mdewakanton Dakota Oyate and are
also plaintiffs in a lawsuit against
the federal government in Sheldon
(Plaintiffs) v. U.S. Government.
The lawsuit was heard last year
in the Federal Claims Court and
the decision favored the plaintiffs
against the U.S. Government. The
case is currently under appeal.
The Slate of Three challenged
the incumbents' record while in
office, as well as the Community
Council's decision to file an amicus curiae brief, siding with the
federal government against the
plaintiffs. The plaintiffs charge
that U.S. Government agencies
erroneously identified individuals as being Mdewakanton Sioux
and illegally awarded land to individuals who cannot trace their
lineal descent from individuals
named on the 1886 census of
Mdewakanton Sioux. Only those
persons whose names appear on
the census (or their descendants)
are legitimate members of the
Mdewakanton Sioux.
The three campaigned as a team,
stating that in order to be effective
in office, it would be essential that
all three be elected.
Each side—the Community Council and the Slate of Three—issued
harsh criticism of the other. The
Slate pointed out they are of legitimate lineal descent and had
been duly nominated from a slate
of seven for election by voters of
the Lower Sioux Community. In
response to the charge they were
'newcomers,' they replied that
they are "relatives"and members,
and, that while they have been
RESULTS to page 4
LaRose serves
Cass County
Board with
notice of suit
By Diane White
Remer, MN —At the August
16, 2005 Cass County Board of
Commissioners regular meeting
in Remer, Minnesota, Wallace
Storbakken (Leech Lake Band
member) accompanied by attorney Frank Bibeau (White Earth
Band member) served a "Notice
of Claim" pursuant to Chapter
466 of Minnesota laws, Section 5,
Subdivision 1, of their intention to
sue the Board and the Leech Lake
Band of Ojibwe (LLBO).
The claim stems from the arrest
of Arthur "Archie" LaRose, LLBO
Secretary/Treasurer, on two dates,
February 25, 2005 and March 17,
2005, respectively. LaRose was
sworn in on February 25, 2005
following his reelection after having been removed from office July
2004 by a 4-1 vote of the LLBO
Tribal Council
The Notice of Claim is pursuant to
the Cooperative Law Enforcement
Agreement between the Leech Lake
Band of Ojibwe, Cass/Beltrami/
Itasca/Hubbard counties, and the
City of Cass Lake, which was
entered into on October 5, 2000.
Under that agreement, the Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe (LLBO)
waives sovereign immunity to be
subject to liability for the torts of
its officers, employees, and agents
acting within the scope of their
employment or duties arising out
of the law enforcement function
conferred by Minnesota Statute
Section 626.84, Subd. 1(h). The
Band also waives their sovereign
immunity with respect to claims
arising from this liability.
During the meeting, Sheriff
Randy Fisher and Deputy Sheriff
Tom Birch were present to hear the
claim. Storbakken and Bibeau were
not allowed to name or speak about
any one individual police officer or
deputy. They were allowed to generalize several situations where the
Leech Lake Tribal Pohce failed to
act to protect LaRose during an alleged assault by Jasper Finn, son of
District IU Representative Donald
"Mick" Finn's. Bibeau and Storbakken allege special treatment
occurred when Jasper Finn not
charged for physically threatening
and verbally assaulting LaRose
during business hours.
Tribal member, Gloria Wright on
Tuesday, August 16, 2005, served
the claim on the Leech Lake Band
of Ojibwe Chairman George
Goggleye, Jr.
Leech Lake Rep Finn's son receives
special treatment in court
WALKER, MN-Christopher
Dale Finn was a no show for an
Omnibus court hearing on August 15, 2005 in front of Judge
Harrington. He is charged with a
Gross Misdemeanor, Driving after
Cancellation and faces $3,000 fine
and/or one year in jail.
On July 31, 2005, at 12:00 a.m.
Finn failed to signal a turn and
his vehicle was stopped by the
Leech Lake Police Department.
His driving records indicate Finn
is "inimical to public safety" and
he was arrested and booked at the
Cass County Detention Center. He
bailed out for $1,000.
Cass County Attorney Earl Maus
requested a bench warrant for
Finn, however, Judge Harrington
refused stating, "We know Finn is
around. Give him another week."
Chris Finn is the son of District
UI Representative Donald "Mick"
Finn. Finn's next court appearance
is August 22, 2005 at 1:00.
Accused Leech Lake Tribal Council
held farce hearing
By Diane White
CASS LAKE, MN-On Friday,
August 12, 2005, as promised,
the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
(LLBO) Tribal Council Chairman
George Goggleye, Jr. dismissed
petitions against himself, District
1 Representative, Burton "Luke"
Wilson and District 3 Representative Donald "Mick" Finn. The
petitions were initiated by band
members protesting the actions of
the LLBO Tribal council and were
signed by over 700 members.
The hearing, by all accounts, was
a farce. In front of the people of
Leech Lake, Chairman Goggleye
shamelessly violated their right to
question elected officials for their
behavior while in office.
Chairman Goggleye proceeded
opened the hearing, claiming the
position of the Chief Judge, despite the fact he is one of those
accused of numerous violations
of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
Constitution.
Numerous tribal members
shouted out saying that he is the
accused and should not also be the
He looked directly at the people,
and with a very stern look, replied,
"I am running the hearing."
He also voted to dismiss the
charges against himself, and the
accused representatives.
The people wanted to present
their case against each of the accused, but did not get that chance.
They represent over 700 petitioners who accuse the Tribal Council
of violations of the Constimtion.
Under the Minnesota Chippewa
Tribe, the Band has a right to petition for removal of the elected
officials.
The Band's official Secretary-
Treasurer Arthur "Archie" LaRose
HEARING to page 5
Leech Lake Reservation hit with
another drug bust
By Diane White
CASS LAKE, MN-On August
9,2005, agents from the Paul Bu-
nyan Drug Task Force executed
a search warrant at an address
located down Stoney Point Road
in rural Cass Lake. The address,
14871 Rosebush Lane, is listed in
the phone book to Lila M. Brown.
A search of the premises resulted in
seven individuals being taken into
custody for offenses ranging from
drug charges to existing warrants.
Her father, Martin "Mutt" Robinson, who serves as the Chair of
the Leech Lake Housing Authority
Board of Directors, accompanied
the suspect, Ashley Jean Robinson,
in court. Press/ON attempted to
reach Mr. Robinson for comment,
but he was out on leave from his
office.
Sheriff Randy Fisher reported
in a press release on August 10,
2005 that four adult men, two adult
women, and one juvenile female
were taken into custody during
the search of the home at 14871
Rosebush Lane. Fisher reports that
suspected illegal substances were
seized along with approximately
$1,800 in cash.
The following individuals were
picked up on an outstanding
Beltrami County warrant and
transported to Beltrami County
Detention Center: Terrance Jones,
Richard Norton, and Bradley
Larsen.
Kenneth Hare was arrested on a
Cass County warrant and booked,
BUST to page 5
Reservation for death
Jeff Weise's murderous rampage
at the Red Lake Indian reservation horrified the nation. But in
this closed and despairing world,
shocking levels of violence are
normal. A Salon exclusive.
By Kimberley Sevcik
Aug. 8,20051 The first time Jeff
Weise tried to commit suicide, in
the spring of 2004, he couldn't
bring himself to complete the
task. He sliced his wrists with a
box cutter, but he lived to chronicle
the incident on the Web in characteristically dramatic prose. "I had
went through a lot of things in my
life that had driven me to a darker
path than most choose to take,"
he wrote. "I split the flesh on my
wrist with a box opener, painting
the floor of my bedroom with blood
I shouldn't have spilt."
The second time Weise tried to
kill himself, a few months later, he
looped a belt around his neck and
pulled it taut. A friend found him
and called the tribal pohce on the
Indian reservation of Red Lake,
Minn., home of the Ojibwa tribe.
As the squad car pulled away from
his house, Weise leaned toward the
officer in the front seat and said, his
voice raspy and strained, "I need
help."
The third time Weise attempted
suicide, the 16-year-old not only
pulled it off but also took nine
people with him. Last March, in
an incident that has been classified
as the worst school shooting since
Columbine, Weise shot his grandfather and the woman who lived with
them, and stole his grandfather's
12-gauge shotgun, Glock .40-cali-
ber semiautomatic handgun, and
police cruiser. He then drove to
Red Lake High School, where he
killed an unarmed security guard,
a teacher who summoned God for
help, and five students, before turning the gun on himself.
A few weeks after the shooting, a
memorial was erected on the chain-
link fence that runs in front of the
high school. Posters and teddy
bears and dream catchers were
gaffer-taped to the metal, as were
notes from high school smdents
from around the country: "I know
it sucks for you right now, but hope
will prevail," read one. "Sorry for
your shooting," read another. In
the midst of it all was an unsigned
poem, the only tribute to Weise
among the dozens of photos and
prayers that had been dedicated to
his victims.
Cold as winter, strong as stone
He faced the darkness
All alone
A silver god, a reflection
not his own...
He stares down at a shattered
youth
A shattered mirror shows
The shattered truth
Jeff Weise was raised in a mobile
home behind a pickle factory in
Minneapolis, the only child of an
alcoholic, abusive single mother.
From time to time, she would shuttle Jeff up to Red Lake, four hours
northeast, to see his father, Dash
Weise Jr. Dash was known to his
neighbors as "a real nice guy when
DEATH to page 7
VOICE       OF       THE       PEOPLE
web page: www.press-on.net
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.   Copyright, Native American Press, 2005
Founded in 1988
Volume 18 Issue 9
August 19, 2005
By Vincent Hill
Minneapolis - August 17,
2005. Around 150, predominantly, Twin Cities Urban
Anishinabeg gathered at the
Wolves Den coffee shop on
E. Franklin, this evening, to
traditionally dedicate and
honor Anishinabe youth,
struggling to just live, much
less be happy, in societies,
that seemingly have forgotten them. Minneapolis Police
Chief McManus, and Minneapolis Mayor Rybak paid
their respects, as they joined
ranks with constituent Indians,
seeking to find answers why
Anishinabe youth are falling
prey to suicide in high numbers, far above local, state, and
national norms, including the
highest rate, when compared
to other racial/ethnic groups
in the United States.
Suicidal behavior in epidemic
proportions-manifested in violence, and alcohol/drug addiction-
continue to plague our Anishinabe
young, no matter where they
reside. Leaders and sociologists,
in dominant society, are at a loss
to explain this social deviance.
Recall in the early 1990s, whole
Native and Eskimo communities,
both young and old, on eastern
Canadian reserves, literally gave
up on life.
National newspapers and WHO
(World Health Organization) ran
graphic stories, showing Native
and Eskimo children, between the
ages of 6 through 15, huddled inside abandoned community buildings: gas was sniffed in unison,
with deadly consequence. Children could be seen laying unconscious, or laying dead! The moth
ers, fathers, and grandparents of
these young were in no better
shape, having also succumbed
to despair, as they lay passed-
out in their dilapidated trailer
homes, from alcohol ingestion!
Sovereignty, self-determination,
and seclusion aside, for sake of
the children, tribal chiefs called
in the royal mounted police, and
the hated federal parliament.
End of story for the positive?
Not Exactly, but the point-
According to Dr. Larry Martin
(not the linguist), who is originally, from one of the Wisconsin
tribes: Long time Anishinabe
activist, who now teaches at the
University of Wisconsin-Superior, Larry sees big changes for
the positive in Indian Country,
throughout the nation. I concur.
We both kicked around the word
RUN to page 5
Leech Lake
Tribal Council
dismisses
charges against
members
Associated Press
CASS LAKE, Minn. - The
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Tribal Council voted 4-1 Friday
to dismiss the removal ofTribal
Chairman George Goggleye
and Reps. Donald "Mick" Finn
and Burton "Luke" Wilson, as
the accused joined in the vote.
The three tribal officials were
accused of malfeasance, dereliction of duty and violation of
the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
Constimtion.
The 12-minute removal hearing was marked by shouting,
CHARGES to page 5
U of North Dakota president says
NCAA policy unclear
Associated Press
GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The
University of North Dakota will
appeal an NCAA edict that the
school's Fighting Sioux nickname
and Indian head logo demean
American Indians, President
Charles Kupchella said.
However, UND first needs
details about why the NCAA
considers the nickname and logo
to be unacceptable, Kupchella said
Friday in a letter to its president,
Myles Brand.
"In considering how to appeal,
we find it exasperating that we
can't tell what the basis for your
initial decision was, and how you
singled us out in the first place,"
the letter says.
If the NCAA rejects the
university's appeal, it may sue,
Kupchella said during a news
conference Friday. Other affected
schools, including Florida State
University and the University of
Illinois, have vowed to fight the
NCAA's decision.
Last week, the NCAA included
UND on a list of 18 member
schools with Indian nicknames,
logos or mascots that are considered "hostile" and "abusive."The
logo, which was unveiled in 1999,
was designed by an artist who is
a member of the Turtle Mountain
Band of Chippewa.
Asked for comment Friday, an
NCAA spokesman sent a statement
saying the decision "was the result
of an exhaustive four-year process
that considered information from
many sources." Each affected
college, the statement says, "has
a clear road map for appealing" by
POLICY to page 5
Lobby money floods Minnesota
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS -Minnesota ranked fourth in the nation
in lobbyist spending last year,
but only ranked 20th on the
effectiveness of its lobbyist
disclosure laws, according to a
new report.
Minnesota received a "barely
passing" grade in how much information it provides the public
about lobby money _ which is
money used by corporations,
unions, Indian tribes and other
groups to influence state or local
governments.
Only California, Texas and New
York reported more money spend
on lobbying than Minnesota did
in 2004, according to an analysis
MONEY to page 6
Crow Creek debt spurs IRS action
Associated Press
FORT THOMPSON, S.D.
- The IRS has started a collection process on the Crow
Creek Sioux Tribe's tax debt
of nearly $3 million, according
to Wallace Wells, a former tribal
chairman.
Wells said the agency has
seized at least $400,000 of
tribal funds. The IRS would
not comment.
The current tribal chairman,
two council members and
Bureau of Indian Affairs officials
who were contacted either failed
to respond or refused comment.
The Crow Creek reservation is
along the Missouri River in parts
of Buffalo, Hughes and Hyde
counties.
Wells said some of the debt
involves payroll withholding. He
said taxes were withheld from
employee paychecks but not forwarded to the IRS.
IRS to page 5
County fearing
loss of tax revenue
from casino
Associated Press
MAHNOMEN, Minn. - Local governments in northwestern
Minnesota's Mahnomen County
are bracing for the loss of as much
as $1 million in property tax revenue once a White Earth Band
casino gains a new tax exemption.
The Shooting Star Casino, the
county's biggest taxpayer, soon
will become part of Indian trust
land, which is exempt from property taxes. For the county alone,
it could translate into a loss of
$400,000 a year _ or 15 percent of
the total property tax revenue.
Already, officials are scaling back
plans for a new jail and talking of
more serious harm to services. But
tribal leaders have been meeting
with their county counterparts to
discuss whether payments instead
of taxes can be made.
LOSS to page 6