Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2006-03-10

              INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS 4
CLASSIFIEDS 7
RTC system must
go the way of the
Titanic
page 5
Excerpts from letters
to editors regarding
John Wind
page 4
Treatment did more
harm than good
page 4
LLED
Termination
did you get the
memo?
page 4
Press/ON responds to
complaints of biased
reporting and legal treatment
of Alvin John Wind
page 4
Grand Portage and Fond du Lac certify candidates
for the spring '06 election
By Bill Lawrence
The Grand Portage Reservation Tribal Council, at a special
meeting, certified the following
individuals to run as candidates
in the spring 2006 elections. All
successful candidates will serve
four year terms.
Candidates for Secretary!
Treasurer are: Gilbert Caribou,
Incumbent; Tod LeGarde, Curtis
Gagnon, and Marcie Mclntire.
Committeeman I candidates
are: John Morrin, Incumbent;
Geraldine Kozlowski and Earl
Johnson.
Candidates for Committeeman
II are Lorraine Wipson, Incumbent; Vicky Raske and Wally
Deschampe.
The Fond du Lac Reservation
Business Committee certified the
following Secretary/Treasurer and
District II Representative candidates eligible to run in the April
4, 2006, Primary Election.
Secretary/Treasurer. Kevin R.
Dupuis, Sr.; Ferdinand W. Martineau, Jr.; Carol Renee Jurek,
Lavern Koon Shotley and Lonny
Susienka.
Candidates for District II
(Sawyer) Representative are:
Vince Roy Martineau, Jr.; John
Martin, Jr.; Michael Murray,
Jr.; Daryold Blacketter, Wayne
Dupuis, Gary J. Fairbanks and
Gordon Jay Ojibway.
MDPS Memo announces Steven Day's resignation as
Alcohol & Gambling Enforcement Director
By Bill Lawrence
Just prior to press time for this
weeks issue, we received a copy
of a memo on what appears to
be letterhead of the Minnesota
Department of Public Safety announcing that Steven Day had
resigned his position as Director
of Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement.
The memo was delivered by
mail. There was no accompanying explanation. There was no
return address or name on the
envelope. Even the postmark,
which would have indicated
where the envelope had been
mailed, was smudged.
We attempted to verify the
authenticity and the content of
the memo, but were unable to do
so.
The memo read as follows:
Minnesota Department of
Public Safety Office of the Commissioner
MEMO
Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association, Minnesota
Municipal Beverage Association, Minnesota Beer
Wholesalers Association, Minnesota Gambling Control
Board, Minnesota Lottery, Minnesota Racing Commission,
Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, Minnesota Police
Chief's Association, Minnesota Sheriff's Association
From:      Commissioner Michael Campion   [signature]
Subject:   Resignation of Steven Day
In light of family and personal reasons, Steven Day tendered his
resignation as Alcohol & Gambling Enforcement Director effective February 28, 2006. On behalf of DPS, I wish Steven well and
thank him for his service on behalf ofthe State of Minnesota.
An announcement regarding an interim Director of AGED will
be forthcoming in the near future.
Hodapp announces run for Beltrami County Sheriff
More than 30 Years of Law Enforcement Expertise Bach Beltrami County-Resident Candidate
Today, long-time Beltrami County resident and
law enforcement officer,
Phil Hodapp, announced
his candidacy for Beltrami County Sheriff.
With more than 30 years
as a law enforcement
officer—20 of which he,
his wife Marilynne, and
his family have lived in
Beltrami County —Hodapp has both tlie experience and the perspective
required to make the sheriff and
his department effective for the
citizens it serves.
Hodapp is straightforward
about his priorities for the office of sheriff: to control violent
crime, gang, and drug activity
in Beltrami County and enable
and support what he considers
the county's greatest asset—the
people employed in the sheriff's
department—to appropriately
enforce the law and safeguard
Phil Hodapp
the peace. He will
support them with
his skilled leadership, training,
competitive wages,
and state-of-the-
art technologies to
help them accomplish their jobs. In
addition, Hodapp
plans to work collaboratively with
civic and business
leaders, Tribal
Governments, and the Beltrami
County Sheriff's Posse and Community Guard to build strong
relationships with citizens and
address public safety issues.
A second-generation law enforcement officer, Hodapp grew
up in Mankato, Minnesota. He
began his career in law enforcement more than 30 years ago, as a
part-time dispatcher and jailer for
the Nicollet County Sheriff (St.
Peter, Minnesota), while studying
law enforcement at Mankato State
University.
In 1976, Hodapp accepted a
position as an officer with the
Amarillo City Police Department
(Texas). Two years later, he was
sworn in as a state trooper with
the Texas Department of Public
Safety. In December of 1982,
he was promoted to the rank of
Sergeant/Investigator and assigned to the Texas Department of
Public Safety Narcotics Service,
initiating his career as a criminal
investigator. He resigned from the
Texas force to accept a position as
a special agent with the Minnesota
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
(BCA) in 1985, and with his wife
Marilynne (Hanna, of Bay City,
Texas) and the first two of their
four children, moved back to his
home state and his assignment to
the Bemidji BCA office.
Hodapp progressed with the
BCA, developing his skill as a
criminal investigator and crimi-
HODAPP to page 3
Francis "Chunky" Brun to file for
Red Lake Tribal Chairman
After considerable soul
searching, I have decided
to run for Chairman of our
Tribe, the Red Lake Band
of Chippewa Indians.
The events of March
21,2005, in which my son
Derrick's, and eight other
victims', lives were taken
by a very troubled youth,
was one of many factors
in my decision to become
a candidate.
As a Tribe, we must take
the time to real ize that our youth on
the reservation are our most precious resource. We must take bold
and innovative steps to insure that
they are given every opportunity
to succeed in life. We need to take
the time to nurture
our children and our
grandchildren and
provide them with
a respectable and
decent home life.
We must address the quality
of education they
receive here at Red
Lake. We have to
address the serious
drug problem on our
reservation that not
only affects our youth, but all persons residing in our communities.
Chronic unemployment has
plagued our people for generations. Ever since we were put on
Indian reservations, there have
Francis
"Chunky" Brun
been limited job opportunities for
our people.
I have lived at Red Lake for most
all of my life and have witnessed
the many changes that have taken
place since my childhood. I have
been involved in tribal business and
politics most of my adult life.
I will circulate flyers and attend
all tribal candidate meetings to
explain my plans and platform so
the voters can make a choice as to
whether my leadership abilities are
worthy of their support and most
importantly their vote.
If elected, my priorities as Chairman will include: education for all
ages, curtailment ofthe drug traffic
on the reservation, employment and
economic development. I would
also be guided by the wishes of our
people in all othermatters, including
BRUN to page 3
High court to hear case involving
Whiteclay store
By Kevin O'Hanlon
Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb. - The Nebraska Supreme Court is preparing
to hear a case stemming from beer
sales in Whiteclay, a tiny town
along the South Dakota-Nebraska
border.
The high court will hear a case
Friday regarding an appeal filed
by the state Liquor Control Commission that challenges a judge's
decision allowing the son of a onetime Whiteclay beer store owner
to obtain a liquor license to run the
business.
A handful of stores in the village, which is just across the
border from South Dakota's Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation, sell
millions of cans of beer annually
- most of it to reservation residents.
Alcohol is banned on the reservation, a 5,000-square-mile
expanse that is home to 15,000
Oglala Sioux and has one of the
nation's highest alcoholism-related mortality rates.
Common alcohol offenses in
Whiteclay include public consumption of alcohol, selling to
intoxicated people, bootlegging
onto the reservation, the sale of
alcohol on credit, sale to minors,
public intoxication, trespassing,
assault and theft.
In November, Lancaster County
District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront
overturned a decision of the commission denying Jason Schwarting's application for a license to
sell beer from the Arrowhead
Inn. The inn has been run by the
Schwarting family since 1980.
The commission said he was
not fit or willing to confirm to the
commission's rules and regulations because of prior liquor law
violations.
At the time ofthe 2004 hearing,
Schwarting, who had worked in
the store as a clerk, had been cited
once in the prior four years.
The commission also said it
believed there was a hidden ownership arrangement between Jason
Schwarting and his father, Don
CASE to page 5
Indian court
recognizes
descendants of
black freedmen
Associated Press
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - The
descendants of freed slaves who
joined the Cherokees in the 1800s
must be recognized as citizens of
the tribe, the Cherokee Nation's
highest court has ruled.
The decision by the Judicial
Appeals Tribunal sets aside a
previous opinion against the so-
called freedmen and strikes down
a 1992 Cherokee Nation Council
law limiting citizenship to those
who are ~ Cherokee by blood."
Lucy Allen, the daughter of
freedmen, said the court ruling
was a blow against racism.
"'It's been a long time coming," said David Cornsilk, a Tulsa
Cherokee who served as an advocate in court for Allen, who was
a petitioner in the legal action.
"They were saying she was not
a citizen."
COURT to page 5
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Volume 18 Issue 36
March 10,2006
Violence grips reservation - Two bloody assaults
result in serious injuries
Chiminising Community Center on the District 2 section of the Mille Lacs Reservation is the location
where an alleged serious assault occurred during the early hours of Feb. 14. Photo by Vivian Clark
Within the last 30 days,
two separate assaults have
occurred on the Mille Lacs
Reservation with injuries serious enough to warrant victims
to be air-lifted to hospitals for
trauma treatment, according
to Tribal Police Chief Dwight
Reed. In both cases the victims are male Band members
in their early 20s, Reed said.
Investigations in both cases
are ongoing, Reed said.
As of March 6, formal
charges have been filed, according to Mille Lacs County
attorney Jan Kolb.
Feb.'14 assault
Tribal police were called to
the Chiminising Community
Center on Moose Avenue in
Isle, District 2 of the Mille
Lacs Reservation, at 1:29
a.m. on Feb. 14. Officers at
the scene found a male half
naked, lying on the ground
outside the community center who "appeared to be assaulted," according to Reed.
When officers arrived,
the ambulance was already
on the scene. Officers spoke
with the victim who was
identified as Cody Allen St.
John, 21, of Onamia.
Officers at the scene requested St. John be transported to a hospital by air care
due to the extent of his injuries,
Reed said. The victim was airlifted to North Memorial Hospital
in Robinsdale.
Witnesses said St. John had been
severely beaten.
A cousin of the victim Rueben
St. John and two other friends
found Cody lying in the driveway
of the community center. He was
only wearing a t-shirt and shorts.
The temperature that evening was
well below freezing.
"His face was swollen beyond
recognition. His eyes were swollen
shut, and I saw multiple cuts on his
face, back, arms and legs," Reuben
St. John said.
At the time the incident occurred, Cody St. John was not
forthcoming with information
regarding his alleged attack, said
tribal police lead investigator Scott
Nemeyer. Several days later, Ne-
meyer interviewed St. John while
he was recovering in the hospital.
At that time, St. John was able to
identify suspects and give a statement to the officer.
St John was released from North
Memorial Hospital on Feb. 28.
Caught on tape
Nemeyer said a surveillance
video from outside the community
center where the alleged assault
occurred has been submitted for
evidence. He added the investigation has led them to believe there
is one primary suspect and two
secondary suspects.
Tribal police were called to
investigate a 911 call on Feb.
18 regarding a male in his early
20s who after having been hit
in the head with a golf club, left
a residence on Wind Lane and
had not returned, according to
Investigator Scott Nemeyer.
Officers located Travis Lee
Smith who had been pounding
on the door of a private residence
located on Walleye Road near
Mille Lacs Lake at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 18,
according to the complaint.
Officers observed a large
amount of blood on Smith's head,
face and clothing. "He appeared
to have been struck in the head
with a golf club. He had an obvious skull fracture and injury to
his jaw," Nemeyer said.
Smith was taken to a hospital
where X-rays confirmed his
skull fracture was severe. He
was flown to St. Cloud Hospital,
according to Nemeyer.
The incident appears to have
occurred after the victim and
some friends who were "partying together got a little rowdy
and a little out of hand," Nemeyer said.
According to Tribal Police
Chief Dwight Reed, Smith has
been released from St. Cloud
Hospital.
Okuma Takes
Best Of Show at
2006 Heard
Indian Fair,
Market
PHOENIX, Ariz. -From a
selection of artwork by the
nation's best Native American artists, a panel of judges
awarded a handmade Plains
Style Doll the coveted Best of
Show prize at the 2006 Heard
Museum Guild Indian Fair &
Market Juried Competition.
Jaime Okuma, Shoshone
Bannock/Luiseiio, from Pauma
Valley, Calif, won the Best
of Show award for "Jake," a
Plains style doll. Okuma's entry
was selected from among 607
entries.
The Best of Show award
was sponsored for the eighth
consecutive year by Scottsdale
resident and Navajo jeweler
Jesse Monongya. Monongya,
who won the 1998 Best of
Show award, sponsored the
award in memory of his daughter Stephanie, whose life was
tragically cut short three years
ago in a car accident.
Judges for the competition
included Christina Burke,
research collaborator at the
OKUMA to page 5
SMSC $1 Million Challenge Grant
to NCAI Will Fund Embassy of
Tribal Nations
On Tuesday, February 28,2006,
the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux
Community challenged other
tribes to support an Embassy of
Tribal Nations in Washington,
D.C. The SMSC announced a $1
million challenge grant to support
the project which is a capital campaign ofthe National Congress of
American Indians.
SMSC Vice-Chairman Glynn
Crooks announced the grant at the
109th Congress Executive Council
annual meeting in Washington,
D.C. In his remarks Vice-Chairman Crooks said, "Last year we
gave $25,000 for the Embassy of
Tribal Nations but we wanted to
do more so I am announcing a $1
million challenge grant." At the
same time he presented a check for
$100,000 for operating expenses.
The Embassy of Tribal Nations will establish a permanent
national headquarters for the NCAI
as well as other sister organizations.
Visiting tribal leaders and representatives will be able to conduct
business from the Embassy which
will also serve as a central working
location. Collaboration on issues
important to Native American
people will be facilitated through
sharing space with other organizations which serve the needs of
Indian Country.
NCAI is the oldest, largest, and
most representative American
Indian organization in the country,
advocating on behalf of more than
250 tribal governments to promote
tribal sovereignty and a better understanding in the general public
about Native American governments, people, and rights.
The SMSC has donated a total
of $560,000 to the NCAI over the
past few years for special events,
operating expenses, and other
programs.
Major recent SMSC donations
include: $1 million to the Spirit
Lake Sioux Tribe of North Dakota for economic development;
$1 million to the Leech Lake
Band of Ojibwe of Minnesota
for economic development; $1
million to the Flandreau Santee
Sioux Tribe of South Dakota
for economic development; $1
million to the Bois Forte Band
of Chippewa of Minnesota for
a wellness center; $808,473 to
the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma
for debt reduction and economic
development; $800,000 to the
Santee Sioux Nation of Nebraska
for community improvements and
tribal programs; $1 million to the
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of
SMSC to page 6