New Campaign of Repression Against Blackfoot

["Craven, Jim" <jcraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

Just got off the phone with Alberta. A few days ago, members of the
Blackfoot Nation protested the seizing of Blackfoot artifacts by the RCMP
and Lethbridge police (they claimed to prevent trafficking in artifacts).
The three-day demonstration in Lethbridge was filmed by Global TV.
Immediately after that demonstration, Ms. Bella Yellowhorn was stopped and
her vehicle seized as she was displaying a license plate in the window that
said "Blackfoot Sovereign Nation" (she also had Alberta plates on the
vehicle). Following that, members of the Blackfoot Nation, carrying
Blackfoot ID cards (we refuse to carry "Status" DIA cards) started getting
their ID cards seized by RCMP and Lethbridge Police (note I personally have
crossed the U.S. and Canadian border many  times carrying only my Blackfoot
ID and declaring my "citizenship"--when asked the explicit question "What is
your citizenship?"--as Blackfoot and have crossed successfully all times.)
Once, recently, I was crossing from Alberta to Montana with Sikapii
(Hereditary Chief of the "Northern Peigan" Blackfoot) and his wife Yellow
Dust Woman (who had forgotten her Blackfoot ID and had only a "Status"/DIA
card for ID) and we all declared our citizenship as "Blackfoot", and while
Sikapii and I presented our Blackfoot ID-cards and Yellow Dust Woman
presented her "Status"/DIA card, the American authorities did not comment on
why Sikapii and I did not use or present "Status"/DIA cards while Yellow
Dust Woman did; they knew better it would seem (although they did run
extensive computer checks on all of us).

In Court, members of the Blackfoot nation came to support Bella Yellowhorn
and brought a large sign, PRINTED ON PAPER, with the logo of the Blackfoot
Nation ( a "teepee" within a circle with Blackfoot Sovereign Nation), and
were told by RCMP and Lethbridge police that they could be put into prison
for "24 years" for "FLYING A CONFEDERATE FLAG".One young policeman told
Bella that what was going on was "bullshit" but that he "had to obey orders
or he would be fired and lose his income".

Now there is a full-court-press against Blackfoot activists (right before
our upcoming Tribunal--the word is our all over alberta and elsewhere in
Canada, along with what we intend to do and prove) and even though the RCMP
had previously told the Lethbridge Police to leave us alone--and that we
were legally right--on the issue of license plates and use of our Tribal IDs
instead of Canadian Government "Status" cards (which we regard as akin to
Yellow Stars of David worn by Jews under the nazis), now they are terrified
that the sovereignty movement is spreading, and perhaps of our upcoming
Tribunal, and are engaging in full-scale intimidation, illegal seizures of
personal properties and tying up activists in Court. Bella was told that if
she could produce a letter that she was acting as a "Counsellor" to the
Blackfoot Nation she "might" get her Van back.

Large and increasing numbers of Blackfoot have openly said and demonstrated
that they will never back down, be silenced or bought-off. The Canadian
Churches, who previously said that the mounting lawsuits against them by
Residential School survivors will bankrupt them, and yet managed to come up
with $2 billion to attempt to buy-off victims with direct and sealed
settlements (Survivors who accept the hush money are forbidden to reveal how
much they got, what they suffered, who did it and covered it up, where and
when etc) are being told by desperately-poor Blackfoot (for whom any money
might make a real difference) to fuck off with their hush money; the real
story and the truth will be told no matter who likes it or not.

Please send letters of protest to the Canadian Government (Jean Cretien). We
need all the support we can get. Any attorneys who can give advice or are
licensed to practice in Alberta could be of real help.

Jim C.

James Craven
Clark College, 1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd.
Vancouver, WA. 98663
(360) 992-2283; Fax: (360) 992-2863
blkfoot5@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~blkfoot5
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