Big Mountain Residents Under House Arrest as Livestock Confiscated

Walee Crittenden stands with her family's livestock after the initial
 theft by armed rangers.

Breaking: Big Mountain Residents Under House Arrest as Livestock Confiscated

Tuesday June 7, 2016
1:30 pm MDT

By Klee Benally and Brenda Norrell
Censored News
English/French/Dutch
French translation by Christine Prat at
http://www.chrisp.lautre.net/wpblog/?p=3483
Dutch translation by Alice Holemans at:
http://www.denaisgazet.be/nieuws/bewoners-van-big-mountain-onder-huisarrest-terwijl-veestapel-in-beslag-genomen-wordt

BIG MOUNTAIN, Arizona -- Members of Louise Benally's family at Big Mountain are currently being detained inside their home while armed police forcibly take their livestock.

Navajo Nation officials failed to notify Hopi Tribe about previous arrangements to move the livestock to another location. The move was set to occur sometime this week.

Louise Benally told Censored News that her brother John Benally, her daughter Walee Crittenden, Walee's children, Louise Benally's nephew and others are being held under guard, under house arrest, by five Hopi Rangers and five BIA Police. Police have held them inside the home of John Benally since 7 am, Louise said.

Louise said there is no need for this show of force. There are elderly and children in the home.

"They did not have to come and harass us like this," Louise said.

Louise said the family was in the process of transferring their livestock to near Flagstaff.

The Benally family has been resisting forced relocation for 40 years. The so-called Hopi Navajo land dispute was secretly schemed by the attorney for Peabody Coal and US Congressmen to clear Navajos off the land for Peabody coal mining. This coal became the fuel to light up southern Arizona with the dirty coal fired power plant on the Navajo Nation, Navajo Generating Station. What can help? As Navajos at Big Mountain say, after many trips to the United Nations: "We've been waiting 40 years for the United Nations to do something." -- Censored News