Language department sings welcome a song in Lushootseed at the opening of the banquet
By Monica Brown, Tulalip News writer
TULALIP, WA – Addiction can happen to anyone. It is not something that strikes instantly; it begins as a habit, slowly overtaking the person in a process that can take anywhere from days to years. An addiction starts as a habit that becomes harmful to the person, eventually they reach a threshold where they are no longer in control of their choices but are instead controlled by their habit.
Tulalip celebrated its 34th annual Wellbriety Banquet at the Tulalip Resort’s Orca ballroom on Saturday, Sept 21st. As people arrived and filled the ballroom they greeted one another with hugs, handshakes and laughter. The annual banquet provides an occasion for tribal members to come together and recognize each other’s challenges as they overcome addiction.
The language department opened the event by greeting everyone with a welcome song sung in Lushootseed. Tribal board member Mel Sheldon started off the evening of speeches by thanking everyone for being there and invited the tribal members that had been asked to speak to come to the stage and tell their story about addiction and recovery.
Katie Jones told her story of addiction, recovery and how it has affected not only her life but her children’s lives. “Our addiction takes over; when they say “It’s becoming you” they’re not lying. It becomes your best friend,” said Katie. She is now part of many support groups and helps others stay on the path to recovery. She is also beginning a program which will help guide parents through the system to help them get custody of their children back.
Rudy Madrigal is now a legitimate, successful business man. He explained how his addiction was different in a way that it wasn’t all about substance abuse, “I bring a different type of addiction; I was addicted to money.” Rudy admitted how he remembers selling to many of the people in the room. “Addiction is where you lose your family; you lose everything. I even lost my reservation. I was excluded from this reservation for what I did.”
The stories are upsetting to listen to but they have an ending that gives hope to others struggling with their addiction. When Board member Deborah Parker was asked to speak, she explained how when people share their stories of hurt or anger, how important it is to cleanse yourself off so you aren’t carrying the hurt or anger around with you.
Deborah said, “In a teaching an elder gave me this week, “He said to make sure you wash yourself with water, wherever you go.” You can go to the river; you can go to the bay. Go, be next to the water. Even if you don’t have time for that, when you wash yourself off in the morning, make sure you take that water and you cleanse yourself and ask for something for yourself, maybe it’s healing or to release some anger or hurt you have in your heart.”
Before the live entertainment and dancing would start they began the sobriety countdown. As the 40 year countdown went on, throughout the room as people stood to declare how long they had been clean and sober it was made evident that quite a few attendees have been enjoying the Wellbriety banquets for many years.
Chairman, Mel Sheldon welcomes everyone to the banquet.
Glass gourds: Shack-toberfest is already under way and runs through Sunday in downtown Everett. There will be pumpkin carving and classes on how to make your own glass pumpkin. There will also be glass pumpkins for sale. There is a beer and brat night on Friday. Get all the details here.
Live music: See Rose Windows, who recently signed to SubPop, perform with The Maldives and Learning Team on Saturday at 8 p.m. The show is at Kroakers in Everett. You can get tickets here.
Spruce up your home: The Everett Fall Home Show is Friday to Sunday at Comcast Arena. You’ll find vendors that will do just about anything to improve your home. There will also be free seminars on home improvement. At the same time, there will be a gift and food show in the arena. Taste some good food and get a jump on holiday shopping. Get the details in our story here.
Free parks day: All state parks and national parks will be free on Saturday to celebrate National Public Lands Day. There are also a number of work parties on trails. Check here for more information.
Find a feline: Look for a new family friend, or just go for fun, at The Secret Life of Cats adoption event at the Everett Animal Shelter on Sunday. More than 100 cats and kittens will be available for adoption. There will even be a tarot reader to do readings for humans and felines alike. Get more details in our story here.
Good gourds: Check out the winner of the Giant Pumpkin contest at the Skagit Valley Festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Christianson’s Nursery and Greenhouse, 15806 Best Road, Mount Vernon. In addition to huge veggies there will be music, carnival games and food. And don’t forget the toad races. Read more in our story here.
Go for a flight: Kids can take free plane rides at the Arlington Airport Appreciation Day. The event is 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Get the details in our story here.
Look up: Take a virtual trip to Rome to view the unequaled artwork of Michelangelo’s Sistine Ceiling from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave. Rebecca Albiano of the Frye Art Museum will be your tour guide at this free presentation.
Friendly persuasion: Grab a pal or meet one at the Friendship Walk Saturday at Arlington’s Legion Park, 114 N. Olympic. Registration for the walk begins at 11 a.m. and donations benefit people with special needs. The one-mile walk begins at 1 p.m. You can also get friendly with reptiles in a special demonstration or enjoy a $5 hot dog lunch. Click here for more information.
Autumn leaves: Pick up some tips on what plants work well in fall and winter gardens at a free workshop with Trevor Cameron at 10 a.m. Saturday at Sunnyside Nursery, 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., Marysville. Call 425-334-2002 for more information.
It’s science, guys: The Arlington Library double-dog dares you to show up at 2 p.m. Saturday to learn some amazing challenges and tricks. The free science demonstrations are for all ages at the library at 135 N. Washington Ave. Call 360-435-3033 for more information.
When in Rome: Stomp some grapes, toss some pizza, watch a bocce tourney and learn to cook Italian at Festa Italiana from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Seattle Center.
Get involved: It’s also Family Day Saturday at the center, thanks to Melinda and Bill Gates. Free events for kids include arts and crafts, games and brainiac activities. The foundation will also show kids how they can give back like the Gates family does. Go to www.seattlecenter.com for information about all center activities.
Poetry reading:Uppercase Bookshop in Snohomish will host two renowned poets for a reading and Q&A at 7 p.m. Friday. John Sibley Williams and Amber Nelson will both read from their works. Get more info here.
Hum along: Songwriter Nick Drummond performs at 7:30 Saturday night at Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater, 1211 Fourth St., Snohomish. Drummond used to be with Impossible Bird and The Senate. Tickets are $15 at brownpapertickets or at the door. Call 360-568-9412 for more information.
Who are you? Curious about your ancestors? The Snohomish Genealogy Workgroup will help you get started researching your family history from 10 to 11:45 a.m. Saturday at the Snohomish Library, 311 Maple Ave. Call 360-568-2898 for more information.
Celebrate diversity: Marysville’s first Multicultural Fair to celebrate diversity in the Marysville-Tulalip communities and the many cultures who call the area home is Saturday. The free event is 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Comeford Park, 514 Delta Ave. There will be music, dancing and food. Get more info here.
Art Walk: A Stanwood art walk will cover the historic east end of Stanwood, encompassing the 8700 block of 271st Street NW one block north of Highway 532, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday. Get your “passports” stamped and initialed at the participating businesses then turn in your completed “passport” for a chance to become a winner in the free drawing. Fifteen small local businesses are showing paintings, pottery, jewelry and more.
Car show: The Snohomish Classic Car & Hot Rod Display is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. More than 600 antique, classic and exotic hot rod cars and trucks will be on display. Get more details here.
Live sustainable: Check out the Sustainable Preparedness Expo on Sunday at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. The show focuses on preparing your family in the case of disaster, sustainable living and homesteading. Vendors will be there with hard-to-find supplies and there are a number of workshops and seminars planned. Click here for the details.
So soft: Stop by Fern Ridges Alpacas in Clinton to learn more about alpacas their fiber and the farming business on Saturday and Sunday. Find out more about the farm here. The event is part of National Alpaca Farm Days.
Celebrate salmon: Enjoy riverside salmon viewing tours, Indian tacos, a native flute concert and more at the Return of the Salmon celebration in Sultan. The event, featuring kid’s activities, live music, dance and horse-drawn covered wagon rides, is from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Osprey Park, 801 First St. For details, call 425-359-8936.
Cheers! Taste and celebrate the return of Foggy Noggin Brewing’s seasonal scotch ale at a special tasting event on Saturday. You can also buy pint and growlers of the seasonal beer, which will run out within eight weeks, at the brewery’s tasting room in Bothell. More information here.
MARYSVILLE — Marysville Police are looking for a level III sex offender who was registered to reside at a home in Marysville but has not been heard from for several weeks.
John E. Stains, 39, was registered to live in the 4900 block of 61st Street in Marysville. Detectives went to the address on Sept. 26 to conduct a routine monthly check and were told Stains had left the residence a couple of weeks prior and had not returned. Stains has not registered himself to another address and his whereabouts are unknown.
In 2009 Stains pled guilty in Snohomish County Superior Court to one count of First Degree Incest. His conviction was the result of Stains sexually assaulting an adult female victim after being allowed to stay at the victim’s home. He threatened to kill the victim upon leaving the residence.
Stains did not participate in sex offender treatment while in prison. At the time of his 2009 conviction he made statements about a desire to abduct women from a trail, and sexually assaulting them.
In addition to being wanted for failing to register, Stains has a felony Department of Corrections warrant for Escaping Community Custody.
Stains is a white male, 6-00, 210, brown hair and blue eyes. He wears glasses.
“In light of his statements, we are concerned enough to ask the public to help us get Stains into custody,” stated Marysville Police Cmdr. Robb Lamoureux.
Any information regarding the whereabouts of John Stains should be directed to the Marysville Police Department at 360-363-8350.
The United Nations has analyzed all the data, and in a new report states unequivocally that humans are the primary cause of climate change worldwide.
Compiling four potential scenarios based on varying amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric concentrations, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change announced its results and released a draft of its five-year report on the state of the global climate.
“It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century,” said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which conducted the analysis, in a statement announcing the release of its report, Climate Change 2013: the Physical Science Basis. “The evidence for this has grown, thanks to more and better observations, an improved understanding of the climate system response and improved climate models.”
Among the most alarming findings are that the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased to levels unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years, the panel said, with carbon dioxide concentrations up by 40 percent since pre-industrial times—mainly from fossil fuel emissions, as well as from emissions due to changes in net land use. About 30 percent of the carbon dioxide has been absorbed by the oceans, where it contributes to ocean acidification, the panel said.
“Observations of changes in the climate system are based on multiple lines of independent evidence,” said Qin Dahe, Co-Chair of the panel’s main working group. “Our assessment of the science finds that the atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amount of snow and ice has diminished, the global mean sea level has risen and the concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased.”
Out of four potential scenarios, the panel calculated that by the end of the 21st century, global surface temperatures may very well increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius or even 2 degrees Celsius beyond what they were from 1850 to 1900, said Thomas Stocker, the working group’s other co-chair.
“Heat waves are very likely to occur more frequently and last longer,” Stocker said in the statement. “As the Earth warms, we expect to see currently wet regions receiving more rainfall, and dry regions receiving less, although there will be exceptions.”
Changes in the climate system since 1950 “are unprecedented over decades to millennia,” the statement said, emphasizing that “warming in the climate system is unequivocal” and that “each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850.”
Not only are these changes taking place, but they are also accelerating, the scientists cautioned.
“As the ocean warms, and glaciers and ice sheets reduce, global mean sea level will continue to rise, but at a faster rate than we have experienced over the past 40 years,” said Co-Chair Qin Dahe.
This is not news to the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island and beyond, of course. Already numerous indigenous communities face the effects of rising sea levels, melting permafrost and other environmental effects.
Sultan’s Return of the Salmon Celebration begins at noon Saturday at Osprey Park, 801 First St. The event runs to 4 p.m.
There will be a Tulalip tribal welcoming ceremony honoring of Sultan’s namesake, Chief T’seul-ted; riverside salmon viewing tours; Indian tacos; a native flute concert; vendors, children’s activities; watershed education; plains-style drumming and round-dance; horse-drawn covered wagon rides and much more.
Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick has proclaimed Sept. 28 as “A Day of Remembrance for Chief T’seul-Ted, and a Day Celebrating the Return of the Salmon.” More info: Contact Craig Young, 425-359-8936.
Live music: Rose Windows, which recently signed with SubPop, performs with The Maldives and Learning Team on Saturday at 8 p.m. The show is at Kroakers, 3021 Rucker, Everett. Richie Rekow, bassist for Rose Windows, attended Everett High School. You can get tickets, for $10, at http://bit.ly/14qAWaC. This is an Everett Music Initative show. Check out what else they have coming up at www.everettmusiciniative.org.
Cats need homes: Anyone who has ever been owned by a cat knows that the creatures can be a bit mysterious. For one thing, why do they dash around the house at top speed at 2 a.m.?
The Everett Animal Shelter is having some fun with the mystery of cats, and hoping to find loving homes for some felines, at the Secret Life of Cats adoption event and garage sale Sunday.
More than 100 cats and kittens will be available for adoption from the Everett Animal Shelter, Purrfect Pals, Homeward Pet, NOAH and PAWS.
“This year we’ve had help from several local groups to really make this a fun event,” said Dee Cordell with the Everett Animal Shelter. “We’ll even have a tarot card reader on hand if you want to find out what’s really going on in your cat’s mind.”
Yes, there will really be tarot card readings for your cat. Your cat doesn’t need to be present. The reader, Bev Bryant, also will do readings for humans.
There will be a garage sale to benefit the Everett shelter’s veterinary clinic. Lunch items will be for sale.
The event is set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the shelter, 333 Smith Island Road, Everett.
CHICAGO – Combined with his own artwork and artifacts from The Field Museum’s collections, hand-selected by Native artist Bunky Echo-Hawk, The Field Museum’s latest exhibition, “Bunky Echo-Hawk: Modern Warrior,” opens on Friday, September 27.
Native Artist Bunky Echo-Hawk heads to Chicago
Echo-Hawk is a member of the Pawnee and Yakama Nation. He and curator Alaka Wali personally selected the Pawnee objects from The Field Museum collections as well as several Yakama and Arapaho objects.
A graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts, he is a painter, graphic designer, photographer and writer. He is also is a traditional singer and dancer.
Throughout his career, Echo-Hawk has merged traditional values with his lifestyle and art. He has exhibited his work in major exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally in New York City, Chicago, Denver, Santa Fe, and Frankfurt, Germany, among many others.
Highlights of this exhibition include a vibrant portrait of Yoda sporting Native American headdress, basketball sneakers Echo-Hawk designed for Nike, a 100 year old historic Pawnee drum, and skateboards designed by Bunky. The exhibition also includes a Field Museum produced video about Echo-Hawk’s “live art” process.
The exhibition will feature historic objects from The Field Museum’s collections alongside Echo-Hawk’s artwork. Echo-Hawk’s spirited and witty presentation gives visitors a look into The Field Museum’s historic clothing, weaponry and musical instruments from the Pawnee nation. “Bunky Echo-Hawk: Modern Warrior” is a part of the ongoing “Straight from The Field” series of exhibitions.
The exhibition is organized by The Field Museum and co-curator Bunky Echo-Hawk.
This project is made possible by a grant from the US Institute of Museum and Library Services.
WHAT: “Bunky Echo-Hawk: Modern Warrior” Exhibition Opening
WHEN:
Friday, September 27
WHERE:
The Field Museum
1400 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60605
Western Sky, a private online payday lender based on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, suspended its operations in early September after New York’s attorney general filed suit against it for violating state usury laws. This was the latest blow to a company already facing a number of state and federal suits for its allegedly illegal and abusive practices. Finally, the company said it stopped operating to deal with its legal problems. It would be easy to simply say good riddance to Western Sky. But the situation is more complex.
I spent the day with Butch Webb, Western Sky’s owner, and some employees last December. Webb told me Western Sky was the largest private employer on the reservation. In a place where about 50 percent of adult workers are either unemployed or out of the workforce, that means a lot.
Webb offered the promise of hundreds of jobs to tribal members in exchange for peddling online predatory loans to people off the reservation. Western Sky said it never lent money to people at Cheyenne River or in South Dakota. One employee told me it would create too big a backlash if they had to collect these loans from members of the tribe. Webb told me he had “enough problems to deal with.”
Many people on the reservation are very uncomfortable with how this business reflects on them. But when the Tribal Council scrutinized the company, Webb would remind the council how costly it would be to shut him down.
Even though Western Sky did not lend at Cheyenne River, predatory lending plagues people there and on other reservations. Such loans are the only source of credit for many Native Americans and almost all of those lenders are off reservations and not Native-owned. At Cheyenne River, people regularly drive hours to Pierre or Rapid City to take out predatory loans and growing Internet access is making it easier to borrow this way, even on remote reservations.
Even if some of those borrowers could qualify for bank loans, though, there are few banks on reservations and others are not always welcoming to Native Americans.
Storefront and online lenders exploit the harsh reality that people on reservations and throughout the country are hurting, have basic expenses they can’t meet, and don’t necessarily have access to credit. The Pew Center has done some remarkable work on payday lending throughout the country that shows why people borrow and its impact on them.
With the help of local groups, we surveyed almost 400 people on reservations around the country about predatory borrowing, including more than 100 at Cheyenne River. The survey is not a representative sample of reservation populations, but the results point to worrying trends that are consistent with other research.
Most of the people surveyed were the working poor. Almost half had taken out predatory loans—mostly for basic needs, food, or for emergencies, like medical care. Federal sequestration is probably making things worse because of cuts to essential services.
But these loans carry triple- or quadruple-digit interest rates and can easily turn into nightmares. Of those that borrowed, nearly half said they had “some” or a “great deal” of trouble repaying what they owe. More than 70 percent said repayments made it more difficult to meet basic expenses. I have interviewed people who could not meet their basic needs, such as food for their family or medical care for their children because these loans had overwhelmed them.
The major reason these loans exist is inadequate—or nonexistent—regulation by states and the federal government.
Regulating online lenders is crucial, but alone isn’t a panacea, and would not ultimately resolve the complex issues facing Indian country. Furthermore, tribal governments that operate their own online lenders are hostile to regulation, seeing it as a challenge to their sovereignty and an attempt to stifle economic development. They are suing New York to prevent it from regulating.
There is an alternative. Native Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), chartered by the US Treasury Department, have a mandate to provide financial services on reservations. At Cheyenne River and elsewhere, some are trying to offer cheaper and fairer alternatives to predatory loans. They also teach financial literacy because often people don’t know how onerous the terms of their loans are until after they desperately secure the money. Entrepreneurship programs offered by Native CDFIs help people create jobs and businesses that truly serve the community. But Native CDFI’s or others throughout the country have nowhere near the resources to compete with predatory lenders.
A three-pronged policy response is needed to start addressing the problem of predatory lending: one that regulates high-cost lending, improves financial literacy skills, and provides the vulnerable poor with better access to fair, non-exploitative, credit facilities.
Many traditional American Indian governments have significant organizational similarities with contemporary parliamentary governments around the world. A key similarity is that leadership serves only as long as there is supporting political consensus or confidence that the leader or leadership represents the position of the community or nation. Generally, indigenous political leadership serves at the consent and support of the local group, community, or nation.
Leaders, or speakers, express a consensus position among community members. In negotiations or actions, the leader has power to act only if the leader carries out the wishes of the constituent community. Indian nations usually have local, regional, and national leaders, where political processes and sustained leadership depends on consent among tribal members. While an Indian leader has the general consensual support of the community or region they represent, the leader remains in office. When the leader upholds the desired goals and interests of the represented community in political action, community members are supportive of leadership.
If, however, a leader acts against the community consensus, the community withdraws political support. If a leader is in a hereditary leadership position, the hereditary leaders influence is lessened, as community members will follow other leaders who are willing and able to represent tribal needs, interests and desires.
There are multiple historical examples of such leadership patterns in many Indian nations. John Ross, Cherokee Principal Chief from 1828 to 1866, represented the majority of Cherokee citizens, most of whom had traditional economic orientations, while often taking up Christian religion and were committed to the Cherokee constitution and nation. Ross was a slaveholder, Methodist, but at the same time was an avid politician whose support could not completely rely on the minority mixed blood slave owner class. Ross as leader represented the interests of the majority of Cherokee, and if he had not done so they would have removed him from office and elected a more accommodating Principal Chief.
This stone is at John Ross’ grave in Ross Cemetery in Park Hill, Oklahoma. (escapetothesilentcities.blogspot.com)
Another example is the removal of Haudenasaunee Chiefs by clan mothers, if the chief was warned three times he was not properly representing the views of the clan or nation.
In contemporary parliamentary governments when parliament is dissatisfied with the ruling leader and its party, action is taken to remove leadership. If the leader does not have the majority confidence of the parliament, the leader has to call for elections to reconsider new leadership. Most contemporary American Indian constitutional governments have elections that are similar to the U.S. constitution.
Elected officials serve in office for specified terms, whether or not they have the support of the community or nation. As American Indians are within the U.S. sphere of influence, American political models are predominant. Indian leaders, often in Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) governments, can control the government with a majority vote within the tribal council. If the leaders do not represent the interests of the community, tribal members must wait until the next election to remove them from office.
Unlike non-Indian parliamentary governments, which are organized by political parties, American Indian communities still are often organized by confederations of kinship groups, villages, or band localities. The families, clans, and villages are active social and political entities, and continue to observe traditional political processes and recognize and uphold leaders who serve community interests.
Many tribes that rejected adopting U.S. style constitutional governments retain a form of consensus-based political relations built upon traditional kinship and locality arrangements that is usually unique to their nation. Many traditional tribes saw constitutional governments as too inflexible, perhaps because leadership patterns, especially in IRA governments, were not directly responsive to tribal community pressures and interests. Community political consensus was a primary check and balance that communities put on tribal leaders so they served community needs. It is never too late for tribal communities to rethink their constitutional forms and make them more compatible with consensually-based traditional or parliamentary government patterns.
Know your status – and learn about pre-exposure medication
National Gay Men’s HIV Awareness Day, Sept. 27
SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. – Snohomish County currently ranks third in the state for new HIV cases, following King and Pierce counties. Recent data show that 58 percent of all new HIV cases in Washington State are among men who have sex with other men (MSM).Gay and bisexual men make up less than 10 percent of the population, but account for almost 60 percent of the burden of HIV disease.
In support of National Gay Men’s HIV Awareness Day, the Snohomish Health District will host a free evening of information and testing from 4-7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 1 in Suite 108 at the Rucker Building, 3020 Rucker Ave., Everett, Wash. The event is directed to gay and bisexual men who are at risk for HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. No appointment needed. The event includes door prizes and light refreshments, and every man screened will receive a financial incentive.
The Health District also will offer free testing to qualified men for Hepatitis C and syphilis, and vaccine for Hepatitis A and B. Both the Hepatitis C and HIV tests are “rapid” antibody tests, requiring only a drop of blood pricked from a finger. Test results will be available within 30 minutes. The tests are anonymous and confidential.
“HIV remains a major health issue for the MSM community,” said David Bayless, Disease Investigation Specialist at Snohomish Health District. “Getting tested to know your status is the first step in managing the disease.”
Information about a new HIV prevention tool will be shared by Michael Louella, outreach coordinator for the AIDS Clinical Trial Unit in Seattle. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is when HIV-negative individuals take a pill to prevent HIV infection. The medicine currently is used to treat HIV, and has now been approved for this treatment by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration.Research studies show that PrEP can lower the risk of HIV transmission when used with other prevention measures, such as condoms.
For more information about HIV testing and risk, please call David Bayless, 425.339.5238.
Established in 1959, the Snohomish Health District works for a safer and healthier Snohomish County through disease prevention, health promotion, and protection from environmental threats. Find more information about the Health District at http://www.snohd.org.
The North Dakota Department of Health may flush a neo-Nazi out of a tiny village where he and a group of white supremacists have racist plans to establish an all-white enclave, the first of many across the country, they hope.
On Monday, September 23, one day after 300-plus Indians and non-Indians from all walks of life arrived in Leith, North Dakota, to rally against Craig Cobb and members of the National Socialist Movement (NSM) who invaded the village with the intention of taking over the local government, WDAY News reported that the state health department was planning shut down Cobb’s home because of unsanitary conditions: The home lacks running water, indoor plumbing and a sewer system.
Cobb is a nationally known white supremacist who has been living in Leith for more than a year and has purchased 13 lots, some for as little as $500, including one where he lives. He has been promoting Leith on white supremacist websites as a place where others like him could live, take over the city government and fly Nazi flags.
But the people of Leith want their town back, WDAY reported. Mayor Ryan Schock, the father of three frightened children who witnessed the rally, said events surrounding the neo-Nazi invaders of the town are “very disturbing. It ain’t right. For the last few weeks, they have been monitored very closely. It is very sad what has happened to our little town. To go from a one-horse town to this; it is incredible. We have been here our whole life, and a guy can move in and can take over a whole community. Everyone is on edge. Can’t blame them.”
Protesters carried signs denouncing Nazi ideology as full of hate, but one of the Nazis – Gerald McNeil – said his group was not in Leith to hate, WDAY reported. “We are here to be white, and be proud to be white.” McNeil said.
The health department apparently had notified Cobb earlier about the sanitary violations at his home, because late Monday afternoon, WDAY 6 News learned the state will issue a final letter ordering him out of his house this week because of health concerns.
Cobb says he will use the Civil Rights act to sue the city of Leith and the state of North Dakota, if he is forced from his home.
Chase Iron Eyes, founder of Last Real Indians, said his organization and UnityND, a group that formed in protest to the proposed extremist, neo-Nazi takeover, “are working together to make sure the neo-Nazis do not plant a foothold publicly in North Dakota.” The two organizations organized the caravans that brought protesters to the rally from Bismarck, North Dakota, and Standing Rock Reservation where Iron Eyes resides.
“On Sunday, we hung out there for some hours, remaining vigilant and getting into some conversations with Mr. Cobb and whoever else was there,” Iron Eyes said. Eventually, the Swat Team that was on hand to keep things under control got tired and began to disperse the crowd. “They initiated a command to clear the street so they fanned out across the street and were going to do a sweep and either beat people down or start arresting people who didn’t move out of the street. They were in formation ready to move us all out,” Iron Eyes said. But it wasn’t necessary since everyone dispersed and moved out on their own. The protesters weren’t about to let the Nazis confront the elders, children and women, Iron Eyes said, “That’s the last thing we needed. We were there as peacekeepers.”
A fully armed and outfitted Swat Team was on hand for crowd control, but the crowd was peaceful and had self control. (Courtesy Unedited Media)
But the women were quite actively involved in speeches and sign waving and at one point a group of Lakota grandmothers seized a Nazi flag and held it up for a photo, one woman making a V-for-victory or peace sign with her fingers. Last Real Indians posted the photo on its Facebook page, but Facebook removed it on Wednesday.
There were no instances of physical violence at the rally but it was very contentious and very heated, Iron Eyes said. “We kind of had to restrain our own tribal members. Fortunately, nothing happened. I appreciated the police being there,” Iron Eyes said. If the protesters – mostly Indians – had become entangled in a violent encounter with the neo-Nazis “that would be the tool they’d use to recruit people – ‘look at these scary dark people attacking us!’”
Right now, Last Real Indians and UnityND are monitoring the situation and plan to return at some point. Leith is only 30 miles from the Standing Rock reservation.
Standing up to the Nazis in Leith generated a wave of pride in the Lakota community. In a posting on the Last Real Indians website, John Martin repeated words that Iron Eyes had spoken at the rally, “’The warriors aren’t even here,’” Martin wrote. “Eloquent and profound words ferociously spoken by my Lakota brother Chase Iron Eyes. Wopila tanka Chase and to all the brave men and women of all races who tenaciously stood up in direct opposition to the minions of hate in Leith, North Dakota. You upheld and reaffirmed the Lakota warrior code,” Martin wrote. “The spirit of Crazy Horse lives on and will only continue to expand and grow. What I saw yesterday in Leith was a resurgence of what the Native American Community stands for. Unyielding resistance and steadfast dedication handed down by our ancestors back in the day.”
Before the live entertainment and dancing would start they began the sobriety countdown. As the 40 year countdown went on, throughout the room as people stood to declare how long they had been clean and sober it was made evident that quite a few attendees have been enjoying the Wellbriety banquets for many years.
