Israeli spy towers near completion on Tohono O'odham Nation as traditional O'odham oppose desecration of sacred land

Photos copyright Ofelia Rivas

Israeli spy towers near completion on Tohono O'odham Nation as traditional O'odham oppose desecration of sacred land

Photos by Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham 

Article by Brenda Norrell

French translation by Christine Prat

Censored News

The border spy towers being constructed on the Tohono O'odham Nation by the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems are nearing completion, over the objection of traditional Tohono O'odham who oppose the desecration of sacred land.

Elbit Systems, known as the "Merchants of Death," is responsible for Apartheid security in Palestine. Elbit is currently being protested in the UK and globally for killer drones and human rights violations.

The Gu-Vo District on the Tohono O'odham Nation has opposed this proposal from the beginning.

Gu-Vo, in the westernmost district of the Tohono O'odham Nation, told the United States, "The Gu-Vo District opposes these proposed tower sites to protect cultural sites on the holy mountain now called the Ajo Mountain Range. The mountain holds human remains of our people and also places of our cultural practices (medicine bundles) home and home of the ceremonial deer and bighorn sheep and mountain tortoises that are protected under the Endangered Species Act."

"The United States government military forces, the border patrol, have not been forthcoming with impact information, such as health effects and have deliberately misinformed the people regarding the immediate environmental impacts such as the roads they will build on the mountain and installation of electrical power lines to the sites as well as that these proposed tower sites will have a 25-year or longer impact on the mountain, the animal and plant life and the O'odham lives."

"The Gu-Vo District communities landscape have already been greatly impacted by numerous unauthorized roads and destruction of our mountains and hills of great significance to the O'odham way of life. Our future generations will face more restrictions to live on our original lands as our rights as original Indigenous peoples continue to deteriorate."

"These U.S. proposed towers also are not on the border but in our communities and on the border of the Tohono O'odham Nation reiterating discrimination and deliberate attack on the O'odham," said Gu-Vo District.

The Elbit Systems contract was approved during the Obama administration, continued during the Trump administration and approved by the Tohono O'odham Nation government.

Protests against Elbit Systems in UK

The Middle East Monitor reports that Palestine solidarity activists protested outside the Israeli arms firm Elbit. Palestine Action has called for supporters to join protests against Elbit in central London.

Elbit is Israel’s largest private arms firm and is infamous for its killer drones.

The Hermes 900 is a massive piece of military-grade equipment, more or less the size of a conventional fighter aircraft. You could not buy this at Argos or Currys.

Elbit proudly advertises its wares as “battle-tested” on Palestinians. The Hermes 900 was first deployed during Israel’s deadly 2014 assault on the population of Gaza. More: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201010-the-israeli-merchants-of-death-flying-drones-off-britains-coastline/
 

Read more and donate to Ofelia Rivas, founder of O'odham Voice against the Wall, at her website:

Copyright Ofelia Rivas, Censored News. May not be used without permission.

Lakota, Navajo and Hopi volunteers go the distance: Carry meals, groceries and water as pandemic begins eighth month

Photo by Rebecca Kidder. Rebecca said, "May today bring comfort and healing to all our relatives." Lakota volunteers in Rapid City are cooking up homestyle delicious meals for

those sick and in quarantine at Meals for Relatives COVID-19 Rapid City Community Response. 

Censored News celebrates Lakota, Navajo and Hopi volunteers cooking gourmet meals and carrying fresh groceries and water to homes, as the pandemic begins the eighth month

Gatherings Cafe, Minneapolis Indian Center.

Dine' Chef Brian Yazzie at Gatherings Cafe, Minneapolis Indian Center in Minnesota, is feeding Native elders. "Today, the team served BBQ bison, sage-sweet potato mash, and dairy-free coleslaw. The elders were able to receive hygiene bags as well." The gourmet meal for elders on Oct. 16 had help from World Central Kitchen and Chefs for America. 

Sterilization of Native women and lack of informed consent in medical experiments in boarding schools and IHS hospitals

Phoenix Indian School 1951.

With the coronavirus vaccine experiment underway on the Navajo Nation, Censored News examines informed consent and medical experiments on Native People

The sterilizations of Native women and lack of informed consent were exposed in 1976. Dangerous medical experiments were conducted in boarding schools and Indian Health Service hospitals on O'odham, Apache and Navajo without public knowledge.

By Brenda Norrell

Censored News

The exposure of medical experiments on Native Americans in Indian Health Service hospitals in the 1970s revealed the sterilization of Native women without their consent. Dangerous medical experiments on O'odham (Pima) were conducted, including the injection of radioactive fluid. Whiteriver Apache children were most often used in medical experiments without parental consent. Navajo children in boarding schools were used in medical experiments and a dangerous vaccine trial was halted at Gallup Indian Medical Center.

In a U.S. government document dated Nov. 4, 1976, the United States, under pressure, revealed some of these medical experiments underway in IHS hospitals of the U.S. government. Although it is not a complete list, it documents the sterilization of Native women, the role of drug companies attempting to profit, and the disregard for parental consent of Native children in boarding schools and IHS hospitals.

Rapid City police invade Lakota ceremony, tear down encampment for houseless and arrest six people

Photo: Six persons arrested on Friday night were released on Saturday.

Rapid City police invade Lakota ceremony, tear down encampment for houseless and arrest six people

By Candi Brings Plenty

Censored News

French translation by Christine Prat

Friday, Oct. 16, 2020

Our Akićita were in prayer, you could hear the beautiful ceremony songs being sung as the Rapid City Police Department interrupted them and forcibly removed them. They also dragged out a Lakota Unči (grandmother) while she was too was in prayer.

RAPID CITY, South Dakota -- Every Friday for the past two years our community Oyaté has provided a meal for our houseless relatives hosted by the grassroots organization OyateKin ChanteWastepi. The Mni Luzahan Patrol, have been foot patrolling the Rapid Creek since this summer, because in August there were eight Indigenous homicides in our city and two were houseless relatives sleeping by the creek. And just this week we had two houseless Indigenous relatives die sleeping outside.