Federal agents and police target Native Americans in three states

By Brenda Norrell
Photo credit S.P.I.R.I.T/Peace and Dignity Journeys 2012     
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com



Update Monday, Sept. 10, 2012
Native Americans in Arizona, Nevada and Oklahoma have been targeted by federal agents, police and Sheriff’s offices in three different incidents. In Nevada, the ACLU is demanding all reports from the FBI on harassments and intimidation of American Indian Movement and No Bear Hunt activists opposing bear hunts in northern Nevada.
In Tempe, Arizona, Native Americans and anarchists say a typical tactic was carried out by Tempe police and anti-terrorism agents to halt a benefit show for Protect the Peaks. Protect the Peaks seeks to halt Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff, Ariz,, from transporting sewage water for snowmaking for tourists on sacred San Francisco Peaks. Already old growth pines have been cut down in the path of the pipeline. News coverage of the issue has been distorted due to local biased news reports. The Peaks are sacred to 13 area Indian Nations, including Navajos, Hopi, Havasupai and Hualapai.
In Oklahoma, a member of the Peace and Dignity Run was attacked by police this week and the sacred Eagle Staff desecrated.
In breaking news from Canada on Monday, Terrance Nelson, former chief of Roseau River First Nation in Manitoba, said the real reason that Canada closed the Iranian Embassy is because Nelson and two Dakota chiefs are heading to Iran in October.
Terrance Nelson is former chief of Roseau River First Nation in Manitoba. In a letter to Prime Minister Harper, Nelson said, "We both know that the accusation that the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa was recruiting Iranians in Canada was a smokescreen, the real reason for the closure is APTN reporting our scheduled trip to Tehran on October 8 to 20. Dakota Chief Frank Brown, Dakota Chief Orvile Smoke, myself and possibly Lubicon Lake Chief Bernard Ominayak were scheduled to travel to Iran. The implications of this trip are that the Americans would go ballistic with your government when Chief Frank Brown does his power point presentation in front of the Iranian Parliament showing pictures of the mass graves from the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre."
Read letter http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/09/terrance-nelson-israel-us-and-canadas.html
 
Nevada activists harassed and jailed, oppose bear hunt on spiritual teachings
In Nevada, the ACLU has filed a Freedom of Information request to find out what the FBI has reported on the Northern Nevada Chapter of the American Indian Movement and the group No Bear Hunt. AIM is opposing the hunting of bears, based on the spiritual teachings of the Paiute, Washoe and Shoshone.
Raquela Arthur, Pyramid Lake Paiute and AIM member, said, “We requested help from the ACLU because our rights have been violated, including our right to the First Amendment, freedom of speech.”
“We want the harassments, racial profiling, false incarcerations and intimidation tactics to stop. We are Native Americans that promote a peaceful fight in our fight to save our sacred bears. Its a sad day that Native Americans still have to fight for our basic rights.”
Read more: http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/09/aclu-intervenes-in-targeting-of-aim-and.html

Tempe police and anti-terror agents shut down Protect the Peaks benefit show
In Tempe, Arizona, Fires Never Extinguished tells the story of how Tempe police and anti-terror agents halted a benefit show scheduled for Friday night.
"A campaign of political repression is under way against anarchist and indigenous project in Arizona, spearheaded by the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center and the Tempe Police Department Homeland Defense Unit."
"The Tempe police department’s anti-terror division preemptively shut down the Protect the Peaks solidarity benefit show that was planned for Friday night, using the threat of a fire code violation to ensure that the venue would have to cancel the event. The Homeland Defense Unit acted on an alert they received from Arizona's main counter terrorism information gathering hub, also known as a fusion center, that a benefit show to raise money for the struggle to save the San Francisco Peaks was scheduled to take place in Tempe on Friday night. “
Read more http://firesneverextinguished.blogspot.com/2012/09/tempe-police-and-arizona-anti-terror.html
or http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/09/tempe-police-and-arizona-anti-terror.html

Oklahoma Racism: Peace and Dignity runners targed by police
In Oklahoma, Brenda Golden, Muscogee Creek, reports “on the ridiculous treatment of our indigenous people in Oklahoma and the red-neck mentality toward our esteemed guest.“
“A sacred Eagle Staff desecrated and a runner handcuffed by local police near White Eagle! Yesterday evening our Peace and Dignity Journeys Guests were accosted by the local police in Kay County according to Hector Cerda, the PDJ coordinator."
“Cerda said the runners were coming into White Eagle, they were about three miles away. He was in the van picking up runners to take into the host site. This particular runner, a citizen of the Mohawk Nation, had been running by himself on Highway 177."
Read more http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/09/oklahoma-racism-police-desecrate-peace.html

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