Oklahoma Independent Media Center

Folks,

I am a member of the Citizen Potawatomi tribe in Oklahoma and also in exile here in Indiana. When my late wife and I moved from Oklahoma six years ago, we had just been arrested in tribal court, along with five others, for publishing a campaign ad on a private website. That's it. The ad, which we had no hand in publishing, pointed out that the tribal chairman, John "Rocky" Barrett, had smeared the reputation of a candidate for vice-chairman of the tribe. Although seven people were arrested and charged in tribal court for "criminal defamation of character," not a single lawyer in the entire state of Oklahoma could be found to prosecute us. Eventually, after thousands of dollars in legal fees, the charges were dropped.

Brenda Golden, one of the event organizers, at OK State Capitol

Indians Protest on Oklahoma Centennial

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Chanting "no justice, no peace," American Indians and their supporters marked the state's centennial Friday with a march on the state Capitol to denounce the events that led to Oklahoma's statehood.

Descendants of famous Oklahomans donned period costumes to lead the celebration in Guthrie, the state's first capital, while in Oklahoma City, about 500 tribal members recalled the experience of ancestors who were forced from their traditional lands and marched to what became Oklahoma.

"We were here before statehood. We were here first," said Brenda Golden, a member of the Muscogee (Creek) tribe and one of the march's organizers.

"We're not going to do-si-do with the white man today," said Dwain Camp, a member of the Ponca tribe. "We're going to do this as long as they celebrate taking our land."

From Kalyn Free, President of ISDN's List:

In just one week, we will make history, when presidential candidates assemble on Indian land in the context of a campaign to lay out their visions for the future of Indian Country.

Governor Bill Richardson, Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and Senator Mike Gravel, will join us as three candidates that share an understanding that Indians are not only an increasingly important voting constituency but that the challenges facing Indian Country require bold leadership and an ongoing, serious dialogue with our First Americans.

Moderating the discussion between the candidates and our tribal leaders will be Pulitzer finalist Mark Trahant, a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the editor of the editorial page at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Candidate Refuses to Meet with the First Americans

May 30, 2007 - Democratic presidential candidate Senator Hillary Clinton today became the first and only candidate to refuse an invitation to speak at a first-ever candidate forum in Indian Country. The forum, called Prez on the Rez by its organizers, the INDN's List Education Fund (ILEF), will be August 23, on the reservation of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Cabazon, Calif. Senator Clinton was invited to Prez on the Rez more than six months ago.

Kalyn Free, president of the Tulsa-based ILEF, said, "Hillary Clinton's willingness to ignore Indian voters on the campaign trail has made it clear that she lacks the courage to change lives in Indian Country."

From the report:

Oklahoma
As tribal lands in Oklahoma are non-contiguous and intersected by state land, it can take weeks and even months to establish whether tribal, state and/or federal authorities have jurisdiction over a particular crime.

• AI learned of two Native American women who reportedly were gang-raped by three non-Native men in Oklahoma; however, because the women were forced to wear blindfolds, support workers were concerned that the women would be unable to say whether the rapes took place on federal, state or tribal land and that, because of jurisdictional complexities in Oklahoma, the women may never see justice served.

• According to one service provider: “When an emergency call comes in, [the] sheriff will say, ‘but this is Indian land.’ Tribal police will show up and say the reverse. Then they just bicker and don’t do the job…which means no rape kit, etc.”

Take action: Stop Violence Against Women

Native Youth Movement Tooled by AIM,Inc and ideologically-challenged naivete?

by "i have thought this through for a continued while...aka "doesn't follow, walks with Trudell" (Masters Degree in Euro-colonization Studies)"

summary:

Do you want to run for political office? Do you want to work on a political campaign for an American Indian candidate? Do you want to increase the political power in Indian Country? If so, then you need to attend INDN Campaign Camp 2007!

INDN Campaign Camp 2007 will be held August 20- 25 on the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Reservation, in Cabazon, California. Campaign Camp is a weeklong training workshop for potential Indian candidates and campaign staffers. By giving American Indians the critical tools and hard skills they need to run a political campaign, the camp will be a key part of our efforts in 2008 to elect even more Indians to offices all across the nation.