Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

May 20, 2010

Federal court to hear arguments on sewage snowmaking on sacred San Francisco Peaks

Contact: Klee Benally
media@savethepeaks.org


UPDATE: Save the Peaks District Court Oral Arguments Rescheduled for July 16th

PHOENIX -- An Arizona District Court has rescheduled oral arguments in the lawsuit challenging the proposed use of treated sewage effluent on the San Francisco Peaks located in northern Arizona. The oral arguments have been moved from June 14th and rescheduled to be heard at 2:30 PM, Friday, July 16th, 2010 in the United States District Court before the Honorable Mary H. Murguia in Phoenix, Arizona.

The court stated that it is, "directing the Parties to provide supplemental briefing on the issue whether this lawsuit is barred by the doctrine of claim preclusion or res judicata."

"Res judicata is a legal doctrine that limits the ability of certain plaintiffs to bring cases that have already been heard" said Howard Shanker, attorney for the Save the Peaks Coalition and other plaintiffs. "In this case, the court has not heard this issue and the relationships, if any, of plaintiffs to prior litigants is not the type that would preclude this action in any event."

This case addresses whether or not a private, for-profit business, Arizona Snowbowl Resort Limited Partnership (ASR), which operates on public land managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS), will be permitted to make fake snow using treated sewage water.

The case is known as The Save the Peaks Coalition, et al. v. U.S. Forest Service. The suit asserts, among other things, that the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) prepared by the USFS ignores the possibility of human ingestion of snow made from treated sewage effluent.

Volunteer supporters of the Save the Peaks Coalition are organizing a caravan from northern Arizona, and rally and march at the Sandra Day O'Conner Federal Court House in Phoenix for July 16th.

For a full background, legal documents, photos, and further information on the Save the Peaks Coalition please visit: www.savethepeaks.org

Navajo to Protest Uranium Mining Expansion

Support New Mexico Indigenous Leaders in Protesting the Expansion of Uranium Mining and the Nuclear Cycle of Destruction!
Demand a Clean Up of This Toxic Legacy and Respect for Sacred Lands
Wednesday, May 26, Noon
Grand Hyatt Hotel
1750 Welton Street, Denver, Colorado

On May 25-27 a delegation of Navajo community leaders will come to Denver to protest US Government support for expanding the nuclear industry that has already had a devastating impact on Native American and Chicano communities in New Mexico.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Mining Association will host a “Uranium Recovery” conference designed to make it easier for mining companies to move forward with a new era of uranium mining.
When the uranium boom ended over thirty years ago, mining companies skipped town and left New Mexico with a devastating legacy of sick communities—including high rates of cancers, respiratory diseases, reproductive disorders and miscarriages. They also left contaminated water, soil, and air. There are still hundreds of abandoned uranium mines in New Mexico, largely located on Navajo land and Pueblo lands, and state and federal agencies are only now beginning to inventory those mines and begin the cleanup process.
Despite this toxic legacy and a Navajo ban on mining, uranium companies like HRI have dozens of mining projects they are trying to get permitted. One mine in particular, the Roca Honda Mine, is proposed for the sacred burial grounds on Mt. Taylor in Grants, NM. Despite heavy consequences to the health of the local communities and the environment, and the violation of sacred land, the NRC is trying to make this permitting process easier.
It is time to end the cycle of violence perpetrated by the nuclear industry, from mining to weapons, to nuclear power and waste! It’s time to invest this money in good jobs, renewable energy, sustainable practices and respect for Indigenous rights!
Please join in Solidarity with these Community Leaders to Protest the Expansion of Nuclear Industrial Complex and all efforts to renew uranium mining!
This event is being organized by the Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment and the Think Outside the Bomb youth network for nuclear abolition. For more information contact:

Think Outside the Bomb disarmamentsummer@gmail.com, 718-290-6399

May 19, 2010

Native Sun: Police Shooting of Oglala Lakota Ruled 'Justified'

This story was written by Randall Howell and is copyright Native Sun News.
http://64.38.12.138/News/2010/019862.asp

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA — The recent fatal shooting of a 22-year-old Oglala Lakota man near his home just north of Rapid City has been ruled justified by the South Dakota State Attorney General’s office.

Christopher J. Capps of Sunnyside Mobile Homer Community, just off Sturgis Road, Rapid City, was shot to death in a hail of bullets on the evening of May 2 by Pennington County Sheriff’s Department Deputy David Olson.

Deputy Olson “was justified in firing his weapon,” said the attorney general’s office in an official statement released on May 18. The statement said that the conclusion of the attorney general’s office in the Capps incident was based on an investigation by the state Division of Criminal Investigation with assistance from the Rapid City Police Department. Contact Randall Howell at managingeditor@nsweekly.com

Related Stories:
Native Sun: Oglala Sioux family sends son to the spirit world (5/13)
Native Sun News: Deputy shoots and kills Lakota man, 22 (5/6)

Indigenous and American Indian Studies Scholars Speak Out Against SB 1070, Call for an Economic Boycott of Arizona

Contact: Simon Ortiz (602) 438-9325 Eric Hardy or Mishuana Goeman
Photo: Acoma Pueblo poet, author and scholar Simon Ortiz
Double click on protest poster to enlarge

Indigenous and American Indian Studies Scholars Speak Out Against SB1070, Call for an Economic Boycott of Arizona

Press statement

TUCSON—Indigenous and American Indian studies scholars are condemning Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and related legislation.
“Clearly, and bluntly, the state law is racist and discriminatory against so-called ‘illegal immigrants’ crossing the borders from the South, namely from Mexico,” said Simon Ortiz, a Native American studies professor at Arizona State University, in reference to SB 1070. “Many of the border crossers are Indigenous peoples who are directly affected. Without any doubt, the law is wrong-headed; it targets people who fit a certain profile.”

Indigenous and American Indian Studies scholars say that SB 1070 and the recent passage into law of HB 2281, which bans the teaching of ethnic studies in public schools, are violations of human rights. Scholars from nearly 50 universities and communities have signed a statement calling for an economic boycott of Arizona.

“As Native intellectuals, it is important that we not enable this legislative activity,” said Julia Good Fox, who signed the statement. “I’m disappointed in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association officers because they have chosen to disregard the boycott. SB 1070 and HB 2281 are dangerous for Indian Country so I hope that Tribal governments and organizations will honor the boycott and put pressure on Arizona to overturn these laws.”

These scholars are not alone in calling for a boycott. Since the passage of SB 1070, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the oldest African American Greek-lettered fraternity, has moved its July 2010 meeting out of Arizona. SACNAS, an association of Hispanic/Chicano and Native American scientists, has formally removed Phoenix from its shortlist of potential 2012 conference sites. In addition, the cities of San Francisco, Seattle, and Los Angeles have approved boycotts of Arizona until the new law is overturned.

Scholars who reside in Arizona or neighboring Tribal Lands plan to attend the “Indigenous Peoples Against SB 1070/HB228” rally scheduled for 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Friday, May 21, 2010 at the U.S. Immigration Court, 160 North Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ. This event is open to the public.

(Attached: “Indigenous and Native Studies Scholars of Conscience Statement.” Signatures are in the following order: Name, Institution and/or Community, and Date.)

INDIGENOUS AND NATIVE STUDIES SCHOLARS OF CONSCIENCE STATEMENT
We, scholars in Indigenous and Native studies, vigorously protest SB 1070, its amendment HB 2162, and HB 2281, a law that prohibits ethnic studies. Because these Arizona laws instigate vicious attacks on the human rights of Indigenous, immigrant, and peoples of color communities, we seek to honor the economic boycott of the state of Arizona.
Name, Institution and/or Community, Date
1. Joyce Rain Anderson, Bridgewater State College, May 14, 2010

2. Dr. Elizabeth Archuleta, Arizona State University, Women & Gender Studies, May 14, 2010

3. Sonya Atalay, Indiana University Dept. of Anthropology/Anishinabe-Ojibwe, May 17, 2010

4. Laura Beebe, UC San Diego, 05/14/2010

5. Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy, Syracuse University, Oneida Nation, Wolf Clan, Haudenosaunee Confederacy, May 14, 2010

6. Kevin Bruyneel, Associate Professor of Politics, Babson College, May 14, 2010

7. Anne Carter Walker, PhD Candidate, Claremont School of Theology, May 14, 2010

8. Venida S. Chenault, Prairie Band Potawatomi/Kickapoo, May 14, 2010

9. Dr. Glen Coulthard (Yellowknives Dene First Nation), First Nations Studies Program and Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia, May 14, 2010

10. Jennifer Nez Denetdale, Ph.D.. Diné, Associate Professor, Northern Arizona University, May 15, 2010

11. Dr. Joanne R. DiNova, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, May 16, 2010

12. CJ Dosch, Syracuse University, May 14

13. Qwo-Li Driskill, Texas A&M University, May 15, 2010

14. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Professor Emeritus, Department of Ethnic Studies/Native American Studies, California State University East Bay

15. Larry Emerson, Diné , Diné (Navajo) scholar, artist and farmer, May 14, 2010

16. Michelle Erai, Assistant Professor, Women's Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

17. Paul GhostHorse, May 16, 2010

18. Inez GhostHorse, May 16, 2010

19. Zae GhostHorse, May 16, 2010

20. Julia Good Fox, Indigenous and American Indian Studies scholar, Pawnee Nation, 14 May 2010

21. Bryan James Gordon, MA, Joint PhD Program in Linguistics and Anthropology, University of Arizona, 5-16-10

22. Benjamin Grimshaw, Unemployed Scholar in Detroit, 5-15-201

23. Rev. Clyde E. Grubbs, Unitarian Universalist Minister, May 14, 2010

24. Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne & Hodulgee Muscogee), President, The Morning Star Institute, Washington, DC, May 14, 2010

25. Mattie Harper (Anishinaabe - Bois Forte Band), UC Berkeley, May 14, 2010

26. George Hartley, Ohio University, May 14, 2010

27. Patricia Penn Hilden, Professor Emerita, Native American History/Comparative Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley, May 16, 2010

28. Dr. Robert J. Hill, University of Georgia, Institute of Native American Studies, May 16, 2010
29. Lynne Horiuchi, Visiting Scholar, Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California at Berkeley May 16, 2010

30. Michelle Jacob, University of San Diego/Yakama, 5-14-10

31. Daniel Morley Johnson, University of Alberta, 14 May 2010

32. Val Natonabah Jones, University of New Mexico (NAS/BUS), 5/15/10

33. Neal Keating, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, SUNY Brockport May 14, 2010

34. Penelope Kelsey, Associate Professor, English Department, University of Colorado, May 15, 2010

35. Lloyd L. Lee, Ph.D.. University of New Mexico, May 15, 2010

36. Amy Lonetree, University of California, Santa Cruz, Ho-Chunk Nation, May 14, 2010

37. Sarah Lozo, Syracuse University, May 14

38. Scott Richard Lyons, Syracuse University, May 14

39. Glenabah Martinez, Associate Professor of Education, University of New Mexico College of Education, Taos Pueblo and Navajo Nation, May 14, 2010

40. Erin McCarley, May 15, 2010

41. Lily Mendoza, Oakland University, May 15, 2010

42. Michael Miller, Syracuse University, May 14, 2010
.

43. Angela Morrill, PhD Candidate, Ethnic Studies Department at UC San Diego, 5/14/2010

44. Jenell Navarro, Claremont Graduate University, May 16, 2010

45. Jose Navarro, University of Southern California, May 16, 2010

46. Lucia Orth, Indigenous and American Indian Studies scholar, May 16, 2010

47. Simon J. Ortiz, Arizona State University, May 14, 2010

48. James W. Perkinson, Intercultural Communication Studies , Oakland University, May 15, 2010

49. Renya Ramirez, Native American Studies, UC Santa Cruz, May 16, 2010

50. Debbie Reese, Nambe Pueblo, Assistant Professor, American Indian Studies, University of Illinois

51. Michelle Richmond-Saravia, Anishinabek Nation, M'Ed. Candidate, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada, May 15, 2010

52. Kimberly Robertson (Muscogee) , University of California, Los Angeles

53. Dylan Rodríguez, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Ethnic Studies, University of California, Riverside, 5-14-10

54. Kimberly Robertson, UCLA, May 17, 2010

55. Dean Itsuji Saranillio, University of California, Riverside, May 16, 2010

56. Dr. Jeffrey P. Shepherd, University of Texas at El Paso, May 16, 2010

57. Michael W. Simpson, Citizen of the Universe, Brother to All beings, May 15, 2010

58. Andrea Smith, Media and Cultural Studies/Ethnic Studies – UC Riverside, May 14, 2010

59. Dr. Lisa Tatonetti, Associate Professor, English Department, Kansas State University, May 16, 2010

60. Daphne Taylor-García, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Santa Barbara, May 15, 2010

61. Christopher B. Teuton, University of Denver, Citizen of the Cherokee Nation, 5/14/2010

62. Patricia Torres, UCLA Urban Planning PhD Student, INCITE! LA member, 5/14/2010

63. Dr. Edward Valandra, (Sicangu Lakota Oyate), Associate Professor and Chair, American Indian Studies, University of South Dakota, May 14, 2010

64. Myla Vicenti Carpio, Jicarilla Apache, Arizona State University, May 15, 2010

65. Jace Weaver, Cherokee, University of Georgia, May 14, 2010

66. Laura Adams Weaver, Department of English and Inst. of Native American Studies, University of Georgia, May 15, 2010

67. Tisa Wenger, Assistant Professor of American Religious History, Yale University Divinity School, May 17 2010

LISTEN: Jennifer Denetdale on Thurday's Native America Calling
Thursday, May 20, 2010– Ethnic Chauvinism in Arizona :
A bill in Arizona State has been signed into law to ultimately ban ethnic studies. Proponents of the bill contend it is a necessary measure to halt revolutionary and hostile messages towards the U.S., and to keep separatist agendas from gaining support in the public school system. As the nation weighs in on this issue, what are your thoughts? Do you think that offering ethnic studies in the education system is a threat to unity? Do you feel it teaches hate as some Arizona law makers have stated? How does this affect Native studies and language revitalization?
http://www.nativeamericacalling.com/