Mississippi Burning In South Dakota

Sheriff Jeff Terrall seemed to have no knowledge of what was on a police statement, i.e., name, address, phone number, social security number, place of work, that he would call in the Chief of Police, who denied knowledge of the report. The gang continued with drive bys, shouting insults, terrorizing the Garnier family, and nothing was done about it. It is considered normal behavior in Hot Springs, South Dakota. Lance Russell, the Hot Springs States Attorney, was quick to charge the Lakota boys with attempted 1st degree murder, recently upgraded to premedatated murder although no one was killed. It must be remembered that Lance Russell and Sheriffs Tarrell and Daggot were responsible in leading the charge on gunning down Albert Six Feathers, who had escaped parole on a minor charge in Wyoming and was heading home to the Reservation. He got as far as Edgemont, where his car was shot up, and he was shot 36 times. The Officers claim he was reaching for his gun, although the facts reveal there was no gun in his car or on his person. They just gunned him down for the sheer fun of having the opportunity to play cowboys and Indians, real time. States Attorney Lance Russell, is requesting help from South Dakota Governor, Mike Rounds, to extradite Dirk and Dakota, aged 19 and 20, according the the Rapid City Journal and Hot Springs newspaper. The question is, why is the State attempting to investigate and prosecute the victims of a vicious beating that began with the white teenagers. According to U.S. Attorney, Bob Mandel, "only the Federal Government has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes involving Indians, no matter where the crime is committed." Why isn't Pipen and his white gang sitting in the Hot Springs jail and charged with assault or harassment, the least possible charge for what they did. But they didn't even get charged. . Georgiana said that ever since she moved to Hot Springs 5 months ago, her family has endured racial hatred. It started with name calling. "After awhile we recognized that it was the same few calling us names like 'slut', 'dirty Indian', and 'why don't you go back to the res?' Our response was to ignore them and get away from them. Because I am employed, my brothers, Dirk and Dakota, would come down to look after my 3 children. That's when the racism escolated from name calling and harassment to threats of bodily harm and bodily harm. My brothers began walking around with Theodore Eagle, another Lakota, older, aged 23. About 5 months ago, Theodore was beaten up by the gang of whites, one of whom was a Dillon boy. The beating was entirely unprovoked. Theodore reported this to the police, who did nothing, made no investigation, made no charges. A couple of weeks later, Dirk, Dakota, and Theodore met up with the same gang of whites who tried to pick a fight with them. Dillon's mother came with the police. She defended her sons by screaming at the Lakota boys, "Who the f___ is trying to fight my sons?" She advanced toward Dirk and Dakota in a very threatening way, in a shrill voice demanding, "Who has the f___ing problem?" Dakota said, "No one has a problem. It is always your sons who want to fight us." Police officer said, "I am the one who has a problem. If you don't quiet down, (meaning Dillon's mother) I will arrest you." The woman stepped back to where her sons were standing. The Police officer told Dirk and Dakota that the Dillons and their fiends were well known for stirring up trouble. Everyone went there own way, nothing done, no charges made." A few weeks, later, in March, a friend of the Dirk's, also Native American, came back from Job Core. The Indian boy, aged 17, got beat up by the Dillon gang, his face was bloodied beyond recognition, his eye was cut. Police were called, questioned the Dillon boys who said they didn't do it. Said it was someone else, and no arrests or investigations were made. All the while, the Dillon gang members kept driving by shouting out the car window that it wasn't them but some stranger. The police accepted that and left. Meantime the white gang drove around name calling, and making obscene gestures, which although reported, the police ignored. The Indian boy's mother took her son to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries. This was his first night in town. He didnn't know anyone. He had just come from Bismarck, North Dakota, to escape the racism he had found there, only to find it much worse in South Dakota. Tall for his age, over 6 feet, he is a gentle Lakota boy who likes to sing and write songs. George Birlew, somehow, got charged with First degree murder, although no one remembers him being involved in the fight. He is not mentioned in any of the statements as being involved, although he is mentioned in the Rapid City Journal. At bond reduction hearing, Pepin's father called George a monster, bond denied, and gang members laughed as George left the court room. George Birlew is part Indian, and was possibly in the Bar the night the beatings took place although his name never came up in any statements made by the witnesses and no one saw him in the fight. It is standard procedure for the FBI to arrest an innocent person who was in the vicinity, and charge him with a serious crime. In questioning him, they will offer to reduce or drop charges in exchange that he testify against someone like Dirk and Dakota. It's called Witness Tampering and Evidence Tampering. And it is a Federal crime. Since it is the criminal justice officials committing the crime, nothing is done about it. They have gotten by with it for so long, that it is now considered standard procedure. This is the same thing that happened in the trial of Arlo Looking Cloud. Some more troubling questions: Why is the State involved in prosecuting Indians when U.S. Attorney Mandell told me that only the Federal Government has jurisdiction over Indians? And more troubling, why isn't the Tribal IRA Government objecting to this on grounds of jurisdiction and sovernity? The very disturbing answer is that the Tribes are working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Government, who has them so paid-off that the only thing Tribal presidents and council members can do is lick the boots of the oppressors, while accepting large amounts of money to look the other way, and turn a blind eye to the poor Lakotas. Just like the rest of America, it's all about money. Somehow, the civil rights movement totally bypassed Native Americans. Right now, we have a situation where Lakotas, innocent of the charges, are sentenced and sent off 10 to 12 a month. Robert says. "They don't have to scalp us anymore. They can legally kill us, beat us, accuse us, rob us, because they cover themselves with the law." Tony Black Feather said, "The Tribal government was forced on us in 1934 (Reorganizational Act). The U.S. Government forced a puppet government on us and wrote the Tribal Constitution. We didn't want it. Felony crimes cannot be tried on the Reservation. Yet State and Federal courts can pick and choose the cases they want and the ones they don't. And no one wants to touch what is perceived as Indian rights, no matter how corrupt it is. So if you want to be a criminal, come to the Reservation. You can have a free hand." Predictions and prophesies were made by the elders and medicine men, the ones with strong minds, who said, "You will know the end is come when a baby will be born in the morning and die in the evening. Life is getting short. Life is treated like it has no meaning. People will lose their identity, no longer Lakota; just brown Americans who like to play Indian to impress the tourists, and will sell their religion and culture for profit." My god! Let us have the will and courage to stand up and fight one last fight before the Lakota culture and way of life is no more. You have been calling Lucy Bull Bear, and myself to come and help with your problems. And we are doing what we can. But we cannot reach everyone, so we are forming Lakota Wawokiya Legal Defense Organization and have as our advisors, Mildred Hazel Thunder Bull, who advises us of Traditional values and traditions; she tells us what to do and how to behave: Lavonne King, daughter of Matthew King, well known Treaty man, who is very knowledgable about Treaty Law and Lakota traditions; and Roger Lemere, spiritual advisor. However, we cannot do this alone because there are so many Lakotas needing help. We need you to help out. You can start by cleaning up your life. Stop drinking and stop using those drugs. These are tools of the Devil and the FBI. It's another way to kill you without firing a shot. I have just received a letter from Leonard Peltier, who has been reading these stories with great interest. He wants Donny Bear Robe to know that he supports him and his fight against injustice. About himself and his case he says, "We will come back, and this time with a vengence. We are NOT surrendered. And the Ogalla should not also." Right now, we need your help. We have no money to pay the phone bill, the gas it takes to go to court with you or to visit you in jail. If you can afford that case of beer, you can afford to donate $20, at least. Some of you with jobs can easily afford to contribute $100. We also need people to come forward and testify if you were a witness, or if something happened to you. Call Janis Schmidt at 605-455-2239 or Lucy Bull Bear at 605-455-2239.