Police arrest DQ University Students

Police arrest DQ University students, who recently hosted the Longest Walk2

Watch arrests on Youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18jjkTK9Vxs
For more information:
http://www.myspace.com/dquniversity
Chris Yazzie
530-554-8377 yazzieyazzie@yahoo.com
Manuel
408-914-1079
Lupita Torres
408-529-3849 peetuhpocket@yahoo.com
More info here as well: http://www.indybay.org//
Yolo Deputies Arrest Tribal Students At DQ University
Three Charged With Trespassing
February 20, 2008
YOLO COUNTY — Students say they were living in dorms on tribal land, but on Wednesday they were arrested for trespassing.
It's all part of an on-going rift at the former DQ Tribal University.
Michael Frease captured a video on the tribal land of the former DQ University, as Yolo County Sheriff's arrested several students for trespassing. "He's lived here longer than 30 days they're supposed to provide him with a notice of eviction, they didn't do that," Frease said.
Back in 2005 D-Q University lost it's accreditation after the former administration was found to be mishandling funds, now free cultural classes are still being held here, but it's a constant struggle between the faculty, board and the students to get the university up and running again.
The rift has gotten so strong that three of the board members made the decision to call law enforcement and have them make the arrests. But not all board members agreed with the decision. In fact, some weren't even notified. "As board members trying to rebuild this college we've been set with the task of meeting with different government agencies and different people to try and straighten out a lot of things that had gone wrong here and that was something I was very willing to do and something I'll continue to try to do but fighting against indian people is not what I signed on for," said Board of Trustees Chairman, Calvin Headrick.
The members who called for the arrest say the students were blocking them from doing what they needed to do to move forward. But students like Lupita Torres, say rebuilding D.Q University is a common goal, and they should be working together. "We're here for the future generations. We want our college to be here. This is the only tribal college in California so they can't scare us out of being here."
Copyright © 2008, KTXL
DQU UPDATE !
CHRIS, DAN AND MANUEL ARE ALL BACK AT DQU.
Here is the copy of the news-release from The Vanguard :
Breaking News: Three Students Arrested for Trespassing at DQ University
The Vanguard responding to reports that students at DQ University had been arrested for allegedly trespassing went to the campus this afternoon to find it for the most abandoned and empty. However, at the entrance a number of the students who witnessed events spoke to us.
One of the students, a female, told the Vanguard:
"Early this morning there were arrests that happened, three of our students were arrested for trespassing supposedly."
The Sheriff's deputies entered the grounds this morning. Some of the students came out to find out what was going on and were arrested at that time. But other students who remained inside the dorms were neither arrested nor told to leave according to those who stayed behind.
"The cops they went around through the building without a warrant and they were searching for more students. All the doors are locked right now."
According to a student identified as Steve:
"I woke up and some of the other guys they woke me up, board members were standing outside and we all tried to get everyone together in the dining hall... As we were having our meeting the cops came, sheriff I guess, Yolo County and we started locking the doors because we didn't want them to come in."
However, three of the guys went out to talk to the Sheriff's Deputies.
"Those three guys went out to talk to the cops and see why they were here. I was on the second floor with a video camera."
They were just trying to figure out what was going on.
"The cops they've been here before, but they've never arrested anyone."
There were separate complaints about use of force. The student had received a text from a fellow classmate saying that the Sheriff's had arrested him.
The female student told the Vanguard:
"They were very forceful. Five cops took him down and he's a very skinny, passive, gentle young person and he didn't even resist or anything at all. They just arrested him along with two other students."
Steve agreed.
"They started really forcefully gathering students, arresting them, taking them down... One of the guys, he was just trying to explain to the cops what was going on here and how we had just as much right to be here just as anybody else, because it's native land and everything... So he was just out there explaining to the cops, they didn't come with a warrant, they didn't come with any legal papers, they said they had some, but we kept asking for it but they never showed it to us."
When the students refused to leave, they were arrested.
"Five guys took down Chris, he's a pretty skinny guy and they were very forceful with him."
The events of today are part of a continuing dispute between the students and the new board.
"This is part of an ongoing psychological warfare being conducted by people on the board that for some reason or other don't want us running programs here or being on campus."
According to the female student,
"I'm not sure why trespassing, we have as much right to be here as the board does. There's not any law or treaty that states that we cannot be here. So I'm not sure what grounds they were arrested on."
In 2005 the school lost it accreditation and since then the board and the students have been struggling to get along.
Last Saturday tensions increased during a public board meeting when the students tried to bring cameras to the public board meeting.
"This Saturday we had a board meeting and they attacked us. It was quite funny because they didn't want the video cameras in. We're allowed to have video cameras in a public forum, a public board meeting. So we're not quite sure what that was about."
Members of the board allegedly assaulted the students grabbing them by the arms and by the camera. One of the witnesses believes that a student has actually filed charges against the board for that alleged assault.
Meanwhile the students told the Vanguard that they were not ordered to not return, so we shall see how this situation continues to develop.
The Vanguard will continue to monitor this situation for any updates.
---Doug Paul Davis reporting
http://www.indigenousaction.org/ - Independent Indigenous Media

Longest Walk 2008 in Fallon -- American Indian Spiritual Walk for Survival Welcomed

Fallon Indian Tribe Welcomes the American Indian Spiritual Walk for Survival “Longest Walk 2”

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 Contacts:
For Immediate Release Jimbo Simmons 
Ricardo Tapia 
Mari Villaluna 
www.longestwalk.org

By Longest Walk 2 Northern Route Organizers

A Direct Call for Action for the Protection of Mother Earth and our Sacred Sites

FALLON, Nevada (2008) -- On Wednesday, February 20th, the Northern Route of the Longest Walk 2 has been invited to stand in solidarity with Fallon Indian Reservation about sacred sites, such as Grimes Point and Sand Mountain. The Longest Walk 2 is a trans-continental spiritual walk for environmental protection and Native American rights. Participants are on a five- month journey on foot from San Francisco and will arrive in Washington, D.C. on July 11, 2008.
“Longest Walk 2 embraces the struggle in solidarity with Nevada Natives fighting to keep their sacred sites and in protecting Mother Earth” said Jimbo Simmons, National Coordinator of Northern Route of The Longest Walk 2. “The issues of protection of the sacred sites of Sand Mountain, Grimes Point, and Fox Peak are crucial issues to the Paiute-Shoshone people, and they have asked us to stand in solidarity with them.” he continued.
“There are many sacred sites around here… There is Fox Peak and that is where a lot of our creation stories began,.. There is also Grimes Point which used to be an old Indian trail and Sand Mountian” said Buck Sampson, (Paiute-Shoshone) Spiritual Advisor for the Nevada Inter-Tribal Council.
Keishia Tom, a Paiute youth, age 10, stated, “Fox Peak… Indians came out of that. Some of the Indian’s lived in the caves (Grimes Point) behind the mountain (Sand Mountain). The Indians were the first people on this land and their spirit is in the writing of the rocks and some times inside the caves and even in our sacred places.”
The Longest Walk 2 of 2008 is stopping in communities all across Turtle Island. Longest Walk participants will listen to Native peoples concerns, document and deliver them to US officials in DC. This walk consists of Indigenous peoples from North, South, and Central America, as well as people from Europe and Asia. The 2008 walk will mark the 30th anniversary of the original Longest Walk of 1978 that resulted in historic changes for Native America.; In July of 1978, over 30,000 people converged on the Nations capitol to oppose and successfully defeated 11 pieces of legislation in Congress that would have terminated Native American Tribes.
Our participants will be welcomed with a potluck dinner and traditional Paiute-Shoshone dances that were supported and lead by tribal members of the Nation. We will be continuing our journey to Washington, D.C. through Fallon, Nevada and with the permission of the people we will be learning about the local sacred sites to the Paiute-Shoshone people and then taking this information to Washington, D.C.
*Media: High Resolution Photos of all events available upon request

Good morning from Lake Tahoe and the Longest Walk Northern Route

A beautiful day for the walkers and runners yesterday over Echo Pass. The sun was shining, the temperature in the 50s. Our Navajo Ute runner Willie Lonewolf put on snowshoes for the first time, and make part of the journey on top of the huge snowbanks because there was no place to run on the side of the winding mountain road. At Strawberry, a small store donated hot dogs and beans for the 80 walkers and runners going up the Sierra Nevadas. Washoe have joined us here for prayers. They have made special requests for the bears, coming down from the mountains and being shot by residents. The bears have been coming down the mountain for water because of the global warming and lack of water on top.
Please join us dancers, singers and community members:
Tomorrow, Monday, Feb. 18:
Social Gathering and Powwow
2 pm
Carson Colony Gym
Carson City
Listen live to us, at http://www.earthcycles.net/
10 am to 2 pm (check schedules for time changes)
Join us for any length of time, Hwy 50 east, headed to Western Shoshone.
On the Longest Walk Northern Route, Brenda Norrell

Good morning from the Longest Walk, northern route at Pollock Pines, Calif.

Long distance runners on the Longest Walk Northern Route ran into Pollock Pines, California late Friday, with snow piled high on the sides of the road. Incredible fortitude by Miwok, Cheyenne-Arapaho, Washoe and Japanese runners, who each ran 10 to 15 miles at a stretch up the cold mountain. The runners are now headed to Lake Tahoe and will stop for prayer at a burial ground near Strawberry. We are in high country now, but the sun is shining today. The food has been wonderful from the Miwok Nation at Shingle Springs. The Pollock Pines Community Center gave us a warm place to sleep.
Thanks to all of you for the contributions of warm clothing. The runners still need thermal underwear, large and extra large, 0-degree sleeping bags and camping mats to sleep on.
Thanks to the Miwok Nation, we have plenty of water and snacks. The Longest Walk northern route will arrive in Carson City, Nevada, late Sunday night. There will be a powwow in Carson City on Monday.
There have been prayers, blessings and sweatlodges the last few days and everyone on the northern route is focused on the sacred gift of the walk and healing for their familes, communities and Mother Earth. Listen to us live 10 am to 2 pm:
http://www.earthcycles.net/
On the Longest Walk, northern route, Brenda Norrell