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| Lakotas defend Mount Rushmore from Trump rally July 2020 |
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| Capitol riot 2021 |
Statement of President Rodney M. Bordeaux
ROSEBUD SIOUX TRIBE
Censored News
On January 6, 2021, we watched the events unfold at the U.S. Capitol with great sadness and concern. What we are most troubled by is the fact that this act of domestic terrorism was incited by the President of the United States. What happened was not supposed to happen in the United States. We worry about the legacy of these actions. We worry that the losing side in any election or debate will think this is an appropriate way to behave in the future. We worry about the fanaticism displayed by the supporters of the President. We are further alarmed that this fanaticism included members of Congress.
The level of violence that we have witnessed over the last year and even the last four years has been troubling. We saw various protests in cities throughout America last year where people were beaten, handcuffed, and rounded up in busses.
The events of this past Wednesday was a painful reminder for all people of color about the inequality of justice. In 2014, one of our tribal members sang an impromptu honor song in the balcony of the U.S. Senate after the Senate rejected the KXL Pipeline. Our tribal member was arrested and led out of the chamber by the park police. He honored those senators and was arrested!
Last July, when the President came to the ill-advised desecration of our scared Black Hills, a number of our tribal members were met with an overwhelming law enforcement presence. Our people were arrested and dealt with severely. The State of South Dakota targets native peoples with their attempts to quell peaceful protests and this was within our own treaty lands.
During this attack on the U.S. Capitol, we saw no arrests. We saw no busses lined up to take these criminals. We hate to think because most of these criminals were white that the response was very different than what we typically see. We have a long way to go in the struggle for equality. These events were merely a reminder of how far we have to go.
We extend our prayers to those who were victims of this act of domestic terrorism. We extend our prayers to the Congress of the United States. We pray for President Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris as they help all peoples to begin the process of healing the wounds of the last four years and beyond.
