A plea from the dad of a murdered daughter

Cross posted from the Daily Kos with permission of the author,
who goes by the name of platonjr

This man has suffered pain common to the reservations, losing his daughter to domestic violence, and son to an accident. I thought this might help other people out there who are suffering. I don't know how anyone can stand the kind of pain he lives with every day.

Please take his advice.


Happier days. I took this picture this past Easter.

As many of you now know our daughter Krystal was murdered July 22nd. She had been a victim of physical violence, abused, terrorized, stalked and ultimately killed by her ex after finally deciding she’d had enough and turned him in to the police for a very violent armed home invasion/torture/robbery she learned he’d committed. The police involved stretched across three counties, 5 cities and even our states department of law enforcement but as numerous as they were, none ever offered to protect her, even after it became obvious to him that Krystal was the one who "snitched him out". She was killed, as was her friend, Drel, an innocent victim who thought he could protect her from him. He, too, a victim of domestic violence none the less.


I have come to realize that life has few second chances to offer but instead, many second thoughts and guesses. I cannot tell you that I did everything I could have or should have done, it just simply would not be true. I look back now and I know could have and should have done more when I first learned of his abuse almost two years ago. She could have had that second chance. I would not be left now with nothing but my second guesses that torment my every waking moment had I stepped in and acted with more insistence, been more persistent and not tried to rely on the hope that she’d just leave him and things would be hunky dory.

Some women cannot leave. Krystal was one of them. She tried a few times. To our horror we found out that the last time she did he hunted her down and forced her into the trunk of her car where she remained for 2 1/2 days. I cannot imagine her terror. It makes me sick to even think or write about it.

I cannot make any allusion of understanding what it is like for any woman in such a situation. I am not and have never been in their shoes to ever know the torment they have endured. What I do understand, and all too well, is from a parents perspective, a fathers perspective- that it was ultimately my job and responsibility to protect my child. Period. As I cannot fathom this from an abused woman’s perspective, you cannot possibly relate to what I feel knowing that as a parent that I failed in the job of protecting her. Nor do you ever want to be able to relate to what that is like, believe me.

I wouldn't want you to.
Neither would Krystal.

Krystal was one of those people who could not and would not pass by an animal, child, the elderly or disabled without making a point of acknowledging their presence and making them feel welcome and at ease, that they had a friend. She choose to become a CNA because she felt she could really help people who needed it most. And she did. Many a time she visited the same folks she was payed to care for on her own time and on days off. The cases that bothered her most were the kids and frail who were dumped in a facilty and left to die alone, she was profoundly disturbed by each one.

When her ex showed up stalking her at her job she called the police. She was immediately fired. The day before at our local hospital a deranged ex had shot and killed his ex wife(a friend of Krystals) in the parking lot, the facility didn't want the liability of some deranged asshole hunting her down like that at theirs.

The thing that bothered her more than losing her job was her concern for a particular patient, a man dying of AIDS who had been literally and figuratively dumped at the door. Other workers treated him as if he had the plague. He had no one. He had Krystal. She was all he had. She was frantic, "now he has no one, none of those people give a shit about him". Although she was going through all that she was, her focus of concern was so unselfishly on someone who'd been a total stranger to her just a week or so before and his well being. That was just her.
We all need a bit of that great sense of empathy she had. It goes a long way. It can change someone life. I really do feel that she'd be highly upset with me if I didn't use what has happened to her to try to reach others and hopefully, maybe, someone will read it and reach out to help out someone in a similar situation. It needn't end as it did for her. We are still here, we are still alive, there are many more victims of DV out there who are, and like her patient, some times all they need is to know that someone does care.

Someone like you.

I don't know if this is the penitence I am forced to pay, all of these second guesses or what. The could have, should have, would have thoughts, but I do know that they have continuously and persistently tormented me to the point of illness both physically and mentally. My wife even more so than I. We are not the same people we were nor do I see how we can ever be again. We all got into this life knowing, even expecting to die. Knowing that some day we would unfortunately have to bear the awful witness and pain to our parents deaths. Few, if any of us ever envision that of our child’s. No loved one’s death is easy, a child’s death is overwhelming. A murdered child is even worse. Unfortunately, I know this to be true...

In 1991 my son ran out in front of a car while chasing a ball and was hit and killed by a car. I cannot say that I ever got over it, no one "gets over it". What I can say is that the biggest question haunting me about Krystals death is simply, WHY? I didn’t have to grapple with that question with Bryans death, I knew it was an accident. I knew there was nothing that I or any one could’ve done to prevent it from happening. This is so much, so radically different because I know that there were a million missed opportunities that could have prevented this from ever happening. I only needed one. Now I'd give my life for that one.

If there is anything to be gained out of this horror, if I could point out what it is I wish for you to take away from reading this it is two things.

I have not and cannot come up with any better wording than when I wrote about Krystals death here originally and I implore each and every one of you that have knowledge of any woman suffering as a victim of domestic violence to understand that you, too, could be but one instance away from the same anguish my wife and I now are having to deal with. Please take my words here to heart: Get involved.

Be a voice for one silenced, stand up for someone beaten down, say something that needs to be said, be there where you haven't been before, step up for those being stepped on, ask questions, demand answers , stand up but never never ever stand by or stand down when you know you are witnessing spousal abuse/violence. DO something. Get involved.
These women are our mothers, our sisters, and daughters. This shit has to stop.

http://www.dailykos.com/...
Do not stand back and allow a victim to remain a victim. Get involved. So many victims cannot or will not come forward, they may feel you would not understand. They may feel ashamed or guilty or feel they cannot talk about it. Let them know you are there and that they can talk about it. Do not judge them, they are victims and may see no way out of the hell they are enduring. Let them know that there is a way out, become a part of that way. Offer them the information they may fear seeking. Just don't ignore it. Just don't ignore them. They need you. They need all of us. If you are a victim of domestic violence, please, seek help. There are many great organizations awaiting your call or email that not only can help but will. It does not need to continue and you should not have to live in fear of the next incident. You may not survive the next incident. Don't wait until there is nothing you can do, instead, don't stop until there's nothing left that you haven't done. Unfortunately, it really is a matter of life and death. Maybe not the last time, maybe not this time, maybe not the next, but how many chances do you think you'll have to intervene?

You may only have the next one.
I wish I had one more...

National Domestic Violence Hotline
http://www.ndvh.org/
Phone: 1-800-799-SAFE
50 state list of resources:
http://www.safe4all.org/

The second thing?

I know from experience just how difficult it is trying to come up with the right words to say to someone that has just lost a loved one. It is very difficult, honestly, I am no better at it than anyone else . I am not downing anyone for their attempts to offer words of condolence because I truly know just how difficult it is. Some of it is ingrained in us and we can only say what we think is right in that moment for that moment. We all mean well and what we may say is well intended but think about this...

Some things you might try to refrain from saying.
"She is in a better place". .
"It was Gods will".
"This is parts of Gods plan"
"She isn’t suffering any more"

Last: all of us say this, "if there is anything I can do, please call and let me know". Well I know we would all do whatever, whenever, and however, by any means necessary IF that person ever DID call but did you ever notice that they never call? Because they haven’t does not necessarily mean that they want to be left alone, they may really need you but feel they would be bothering or imposing upon you with their problems. Grief of a loved one lost is devastating and those you care about may never reach out to you as a result, even if they want to so badly. So remember when you say those words to keep saying them, keep calling, keep stopping by, keep offering. The worst and loneliest time is directly after a funeral, when every leaves the house and goes home and you are left with nothing but your thoughts, believe me, I know.

The following was sent to my wife by a friend of hers who also lost a child. I think it exemplifies what I am trying to say:
I’ve never lost a child before,
and I don’t understand
all of these emotions I am feeling.
Will you try to understand and help me?
Please let me mourn.
I may appear together, but I am not.
Often times it hurts so much
I can hardly bear it.
Please let me mourn.
Don’t expect too much from me. I will try to
help you know what I can and cannot handle.
Sometimes I am not always sure.
Please let me mourn.
Let me talk about my child, I need to talk. It’s
part of the heeling. Don’t pretend nothing has
happened. It hurts terribly when you do, I
love my child very much and my memories
are all I have.
They are very precious to me.
Please let me mourn.
Sometimes I cry and and act differently, but it is
all part of grieving. My tears are necessary
and needed and should not be held back. It
even helps when you cry with me. Please
don’t fear my tears.
Please let me mourn.
What I need most is your friendship, your
sympathy, your prayers, your support, and
your understanding love. I am not the same
person I was before my child died, and I
never will be. Hopefully we can all grow from
this shared tragedy.
Please let me mourn.
God gives us strength to face each day, and
the hope I will survive with his help and
yours. Time will heal some of the pain, but
there will always be
an empty place in my heart.
Please let me mourn.
Please let me mourn and thank you
for helping me
through the most difficult time of my life.

My wife and I thank all of you for any and every word of support, sympathy and condolence offered since our nightmare began. We thank those of you who reached out personally with the help we needed at a very difficult moment, it has not been forgotten, nor will it. I assure you.

UPDATE: Well, another long day, you have no idea of how good it was to come home and see just how many of you read this and are moved to action. We really do appreciate it, it is all we really ask, to get involved. I thank every one of you who have , or plan to do something, these women having to deal with this crap are indeed ALL of our sisters, mothers, and daughters. When one suffers so do we all.

For Krystal:

Garth Brooks - The Dance @ Yahoo! Video

Blessings to you platonjr.

Ken Bear Chief: Indian victims of Jesuit abuse

This is an Opinion article from Indianz.com. I have provided the whole article, assuming it would be OK with the author, Ken Bear Chief, because it contains an important message.

As an investigator for Tamaki Law Offices I have been investigating the sexual abuse allegations against the NW Jesuits for the past two years. Since this investigation began I have interviewed more than 100 victims of childhood sexual abuse. Almost all of the victims attended Jesuit Mission Schools that operated on Reservations throughout the Northwest.

The Jesuit Missions where most of these abuses occurred were at St. Mary’s Mission, Omak, WA; Sacred Heart Mission, De’Smet, ID; St. Ignatius, St. Anne, and St. Paul’s - Missions in Montana. However, I am sure these same abuses occurred wherever Jesuit Mission Schools were located.

The news about the sexual abuse of Native Americans has been very limited. Major newspapers have little or no interest in reporting about the sexual abuse committed against Indian children, especially when the majority of the abuses occurred decades ago, as far back as the 1940’s to the mid-1970’s.

I have been deeply affected by hearing the victims’ stories, and witnessing their pain while telling me about what happened. I cannot begin to express how profoundly childhood sexual abuse has affected the lives of the victims.

Not everyone who attended a Jesuit Mission School was a victim of abuse, but for those that were victimized, the life-long affects has taken a toll – failed relationships, trust issues, and suicide. Many of the victims are now in their mid-forties and older, and they have suffered from depression-anxiety, shame, guilt, embarrassment, anger-hostility, alcoholism-substance abuse, low self esteem, behavioral disorders, and other manifestations of childhood sexual abuse all their lives.

It takes courage to come forward and tell someone about abuse that happened so long ago, especially sexual abuse. Most of the victims of abuse have tried for decades to bury those memories, while others simply felt it does no good to talk about the past, and yet others feel that their families would disapprove of them for disclosing what happened.

There are even community barriers preventing abuse victims from coming forward, including disapproval by tribal leaders, elders, and others who do not fully understand this issue, and feel that this reflects poorly upon the community or its church. However, this is not about the Catholic Church, God, or even religion, and it’s not a political issue. It’s about the rights of the victims to seek justice and healing for the abuse committed against them.

I have learned that the first steps toward healing are acceptance by the community that the abuse happened, supporting the rights of the victims, and, if possible, aiding the victims of abuse to cope with the trauma they have suffered over their lifetime. The next step toward healing is to tell someone, and come to terms with what happened. I learned an expression a long time ago, “you’re only as sick as your secrets,” and that is true for the victims of childhood sexual abuse.
I often wonder, “Where is the outrage?” Why is there no information about this in our tribal newspapers? Where are our tribal leaders who should be asking questions about this, or stepping up and addressing this issue? As Indian people we have always depended upon our leaders to talk for us. If they will not recognize this issue and talk about it, who will?

Ironically, White society has often been more sympathetic, vocal, and outraged about the sexual abuse of Indian children and fully supportive of the victims rights to seek civil justice, and healing. In fact, on the Colville Reservation, where the majority of the victims live, off reservation counseling centers have offered to use their funding to pay for counseling victims of childhood sexual abuse, and to refer our clients to other psychologists who specialize in that field of counseling.
If you were a victim of sexual or physical abuse or misconduct at any Jesuit Mission School, church or parish throughout the Northwest, contact an attorney representing victims of abuse now. Time is running out. Remember that you are not alone. Hundreds have come forward seeking justice and are holding their abuser accountable for their wrongful actions to ensure that this type of institutional tragedy is not inflicted on our children again.

Standing Rock Member Nominated for a NAMMY

What's a Nammy? Native American Music Award.

Congratulations to Kevin Locke for being nominated for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Flutist.

Go HERE to listen to all the nominees and vote!

Domestic violence a 'pre-existing condition' for insurers in some states

ISS - Domestic violence a 'pre-existing condition' for insurers in some states, including North and South Dakota.

Read the article in the link for what you can do about this travesty.

Indian Country Supports and Gets Support from Obama Administration on Health Care Reform

For anyone concerned about how Obama's Health Care Reform, with its individual mandates, would affect Indian Country, some words from the HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, should help.
From Indian Country Today:

WASHINGTON – The nation’s top health official has told Indian country health leaders that the Obama administration believes American Indians deserve special consideration in any national reform to health insurance.

Speaking today on Capitol Hill before an audience of Indian health leaders, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius noted that President Barack Obama himself said in an appearance before a joint session of Congress Sept. 9 that he supports a mandate that says individuals must purchase health insurance, much like car insurance.
...snip...
“I’m going to make it very clear. ... this is what was left out on Wednesday night: the administration strongly believes that the individual mandate and the subsequent penalties don’t apply to American Indians or Alaska Natives.”

In a related story, North Dakota tribes, in a Resolution by the United Tribes, came out in support of Obama's Health Care initiatives.

From a story on Indianz.com:

The resolution cites health disparities among American Indians and Alaska Natives. It calls on members of Congress to take action to address health care in Indian Country.
"The President's proposals will greatly assist Native Americans who do not have access to the Indian Health Service or in situations where the IHS cannot provide adequate health care services because of lack of funds, and any health care reform legislation should ensure a continuum of care for Native Americans between the IHS, any public component of the reform legislation, and private health insurance," the resolution states.

Why the Indian Health Service is an Oxymoron

You know, I never stop being outraged at how bad care is for American Indians under the Indian Health Service. Now I learn there's a saying that illustrates this well: "Don't get sick after June."

WTF?

That's because that's when their fiscal year ends, and the money runs out. This is TRUE rationed care, not like medicaid or medicare, which Native Americans are eligible for but either don't know it or don't have good access to apply for it.

There's a great AP article on REZNET today on this that illustrates the tragic and infuriating situation, called Indian Health Care's Broken Promises.

It starts out with the tragic story of a little girl from the Crow Ageny Reservation in Montana who had chronic stomach pain. She went to the IHS more than 10 times with severe pain over a few months, and they did NOTHING for her. After her lung collapsed, she was airlifted to a children's hospital in Denver, where she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. A charity then sent the whole family to Disney World, but she died in bed on her first day there, never getting to have fun there. So, this is enough to make you cry all by itself.

The horror stories never stop though.

The story cited a couple of tragic stories from the Standing Rock Reservation too. One woman had severe frostbite, which the IHS refused to give her pain medication for, even after several tearful visits, until she threatened to kill herself because she couldn't stand the pain anymore. Finally a doctor from Bismarck on a visit intervened with pain medication. She eventaully lost the tips of her fingers. medication (btw, there is no shortage of paternalism with regard to pain medication on reservations. The people in the most pain often suffer a LOT because the IHS assumes that not a single soul on a reservation really is in acute pain, but actually wants to sell their pain medication instead. I kid you not).

A woman with congestive heart failure was given Tylenol and cough medicine so many times she went to Bismark to get another diagnosis, and was admitted to the hospital immediately it was so bad. She's got permanent damage that probably could have been avoided by (a huge malpractice suit - my bad) er...earlier diagnosis.

What is the background of this. From the article:

A 222-Year-Old Promise Is Not Being Kept

The U.S. has an obligation, based on a 1787 agreement between tribes and the government, to provide American Indians with free health care on reservations. But that promise has not been kept. About one-third more is spent per capita on health care for felons in federal prison, according to 2005 data from the health service.

In Washington, a few lawmakers have tried to bring attention to the broken system as Congress attempts to improve health care for millions of other Americans. But tightening budgets and the relatively small size of the American Indian population have worked against them.

"It is heartbreaking to imagine that our leaders in Washington do not care, so I must believe that they do not know," Joe Garcia, president of the National Congress of American Indians, said in his annual state of Indian nations' address in February.

Indian Health Care Statistics are Staggering

When it comes to health and disease in Indian country, the statistics are staggering.

American Indians have an infant death rate that is 40 percent higher than the rate for whites. They are twice as likely to die from diabetes, 60 percent more likely to have a stroke, 30 percent more likely to have high blood pressure and 20 percent more likely to have heart disease.

American Indians have disproportionately high death rates from unintentional injuries and suicide, and a high prevalence of risk factors for obesity, substance abuse, sudden infant death syndrome, teenage pregnancy, liver disease and hepatitis.

While campaigning on Indian reservations, presidential candidate Barack Obama cited this statistic: After Haiti, men on the impoverished Pine Ridge and Rosebud Reservations in South Dakota have the lowest life expectancy in the Western Hemisphere.

GOOD LORD!!!

Lest that piss you off insufficiently, here's another WTF moment from the article:

A Note, Diminished Care, a Bill

On another reservation 200 miles north of Standing Rock, Ardel Baker, a member of North Dakota's Three Affiliated Tribes, knows all too well the truth behind the joke about money running out.

Baker went to her local clinic with severe chest pains and was sent by ambulance to a hospital more than an hour away. It wasn't until she got there that she noticed she had a note attached to her, written on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services letterhead.

"Understand that Priority 1 care cannot be paid for at this time due to funding issues," the letter read. "A formal denial letter has been issued."

She lived, but she says she later received a bill for more than $5,000.

Harriet Archambault didn't live through this one:

It was too late for Harriet Archambault, according to the chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, who has told her story more than once in the Senate.

Dorgan says Archambault died in 2007 after her medicine for hypertension ran out and she couldn't get an appointment to refill it at the nearest clinic, 18 miles away. She drove to the clinic five times and failed to get an appointment before she died.

Wow, it makes the debate over health care reform seem like such a luxury. The highest mortality rate outside of Haiti???? SHAME on US!!!!

Senate Field Hearing Testimony of Standing Rock Chair Ron His Horse is Thunder

These are some excerpts from Tribal Chair Ron His Horse is Thunder's testimony at a July 9 Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Field Hearing on Law Enforcement in Indian Country, held in Fort Yates, ND.

I think it's important to post here because it links two issues: law enforcement (here, the BIA surge) and youth suicide on the reservation. You can read the whole testimony HERE.
After introductory remarks, the Chairman quickly got to the heart of the matter:
(emphasis mine)

I will relate the statistics of the Dakota Peacekeepers Operation and where we are faltering today, but at the heart of this matter is the failure of all of us, the Congress, the Federal Agencies and yes, even the Tribe, to create a comprehensive holistic program to address the public safety needs of our community. Nothing demonstrates this more drastically than the recent suicides at Standing Rock. Since January of this year, we have had 9 suicides and 50 attempted suicides. Some may think it inappropriate to discuss suicide in the context of public safety. But for me suicide is not only a tragedy robbing us of our future, it is the miner’s canary -- foretelling what lies ahead for us as a community and a Nation if we do not act to address our public safety needs in Indian country.

The number of suicides at Standing Rock is 1,000 times the National Average among Native Americans. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has said this is an official suicide cluster. Many of those who have taken their lives are children – some as young as ten years old.

...snip...

We are trying to understand why our children are killing themselves. We believe it is related to a sense of hopelessness that people have. They are hopeless about their own futures and that of our community. Some of this hopelessness comes from not feeling safe and in some cases, not being safe.

We as a community have a sacred obligation to protect our youngest members. These suicides prompted our elders to ask us about the 37 BIA police officers here last year who patrolled and interacted with our children, young adults and other residents. When we had the larger law enforcement presence people felt safer and that gave them hope. Thus, many people feel our return to the pre-surge law enforcement staffing levels has had a tragic and devastating impact on our community.

We know that a larger law enforcement presence is not the only answer to our problems, but it is part of the answer. So we urge Congress to continue its emphasis on funding public safety needs in Indian country in a holistic matter. There must be more resources for police, criminal investigators, telecommunication operators, correctional officers, food service personnel, Tribal prosecutors and defenders, resources for the construction of police departments, courts and recurring funding for the operation and maintenance of these facilities.

At the same time, however, there must also be Federal funding for counselors, child protection caseworkers and supervisors, and resources for programs to keep children out of trouble such as funding for the Boys and Girls Club of America. These programs provide positive avenues to channel the boundless energy of our youth. In this regard, we are grateful to the North and South Dakota delegation for your support of funding for Standing Rock in the FY 2010 Department of Justice Appropriations bill for these types of services.

Impact of Operation Dakota Peacekeepers
The 2008 surge had five goals: 1) reduce crime, 2) target illegal drug activities, 3) provide investigative resources to prosecute domestic violence, 4) provide investigate resources to prosecute crimes against children, and 5) develop a strategy to promote a safe community on the Reservation.

In the first two months of the surge, BIA Police made 900 arrests on the reservation. The arrests overwhelmed our Tribal court and adult detention facility. The Tribal Court held arraignments seven days a week to catch up with the workload. The surge continued in diminishing numbers through the end of 2008.

During the six months of the surge, our Tribal Court averaged 339 arraignments per month and the number of complaints received by the BIA Police averaged 350 per month. By comparison, for the first six months of this year, we averaged 233 arraignments and 266 complaints per month. The goals of the temporary surge should be the goals of policing on our reservation every day. These goals are not being met. In fact, we are experiencing a rise in crimes including: domestic abuse; child neglect; minors possessing and consuming alcohol, and aggravated assault. This tells us that the larger police presence was a deterrent.

Thus, if I am asked whether I support a return of the six-month surge on Standing Rock, I do, but I must request that if the BIA renews the surge, it must maintain existing staffing levels from the most underserved Reservations and BIA Police Districts, most of which are located in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain Regions.

Failure of the BIA to address public safety staffing needs
It is troubling that the BIA cannot fill the 12 additional public safety officer positions added by the BIA to Standing Rock in 2008. In 2009, Congress provided $255,077,000 for law enforcement services and in FY 2008 Congress provided $228,137,000 for the BIA’s law enforcement program. This represents a $50,623,000 increase in the area of law enforcement in the last two fiscal years alone.
It is unclear how the BIA allocated these increased resources among the BIA's six Office of Law Enforcement Services Districts. It appears to us that the BIA does not have a systematic methodology for distributing its public safety funds, including funds for detention officers and investigators.

...snip...

As a result of the data gathered from the last year’s surge, the BIA increased the full-time BIA law enforcement positions at Standing Rock to twenty-five. The problem has been the BIA's failure to fill the 12 additional positions it created. We still only have 13 public safety staff and we are losing one criminal investigator. As a result, we will have fewer public safety officers than we did last year prior to the surge. The BIA cites recruitment and retention challenges for failing to fill the available full-time positions.

However, we remain frustrated that the BIA will only put officers on the street who have completed the Bureau's sixteen week training academy in Artesia, New Mexico. Even if we do find people willing to leave their families for four months, we understand there is a waiting list to get into the Academy at Artesia. Meanwhile, we are aware of number of fully-accredited current or former State police officers who want to serve our community.

...snip....

In short, the BIA has received more than $50 million more dollars in the last two fiscal years for its law enforcement program. The BIA should be able to provide Indian tribes and the Congress the answers to the following questions: 1) How many officers, telecommunication operators and criminal investigators did the BIA hire with this money? 2) How many completed training at the BIA Police Academy at Artesia? 3) How many are waiting for training? 4) Where were law enforcement personnel initially assigned by the BIA? 5) How many of those individuals are currently at their initial posts? 6) How many requested reassignment or left the BIA? and most important, 7) How did the BIA determine their placement? The same is true concerning information about correction officers and BIA funding for construction, operations and maintenance (O&M) of adult and juvenile detention services. To date, I am not aware of any such reports by the BIA to Congress or to Tribal leaders concerning these matters. I would urge that the Congress make the above-noted reports a mandatory annual requirement of the BIA.
D. Conclusion
...snip...
I ask for your help and the help of this Committee to direct the BIA to make them happen this year:
1. The BIA should fill all public safety personnel vacancies at Standing Rock immediately using detailed personnel so that the BIA Police Department at Standing Rock operates at the full staffing level of 25 public safety officers. Detailed personnel can then rotate out from Standing Rock when the BIA has hired, trained and housed full time replacement public safety personnel at Standing Rock or as close to the reservation as possible;
2. Grant Special Law Enforcement Commissions to Tribal Game and Fish Rangers so that they may lawfully respond to emergencies;
3. Bring BIA Artersia Academy trainers to the Great Plains Region to provide instruction to former State-accredited police officers and Military Police personnel hired by the BIA, but who have not gone through the BIA’s 16-week training academy, so that they may receive interim Indian country training and be authorized by the BIA to patrol on Standing Rock;
4. Install a centralized 911 call center on the Reservation, and ensure that public safety personnel and Tribal Game and Fish Rangers use identical communications equipment to coordinate public safety activities;
5. Provide construction funds to build on-reservation housing for BIA public safety officers and renovate existing BIA police facilities;
6. establish a pilot program at Standing Rock this summer to educate youth about staying out of trouble; encourage Tribal members to pursue careers in law enforcement; and offer recruitment incentives to Native Americans to join the BIA Police academy.

American Indian Family Empowerment Program (AIFEP)

From the Grotto Foundation Website

The American Indian Family Empowerment Program, founded in 1996 by the Marbrook Foundation, is an innovative grantmaking partnership of the Marbrook Foundation, Westcliff Foundation, Grotto Foundation, and members of the American Indian community. Throughout its history, AIFEP has invested in human capital—in the skills, resources, and cultural strengths that American Indian families and individuals possess that allow them to contribute to the cultural and social well-being of their community. AIFEP’s American Indian Advisory Committee awards grants to individuals and families working toward self-determination through education, service to community, and economic self-sufficiency, and through renewing and preserving cultural connections. In 2008, grants ranging in value from $500 to $2,500 were made to 42 individuals.

White House opens doors to tribal leaders

From Indian Country Today. (this is an excerpt. Read the whole thing HERE).

WASHINGTON – When several tribal leaders trekked to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds Aug. 31, it represented one of the rare times in American history when a cross-section of tribes were invited by a sitting president’s staff to conduct official business.

Administration officials, eager to highlight the nation-to-nation philosophy that President Barack Obama has espoused regarding tribes and the federal government, said the meeting was a first step in enhancing relations with tribes.

Shin Inouye, a spokesman for the White House, would not say precisely how many tribal leaders were invited. He described the meeting as a couple of “informal discussions.”

..snip...

A gathering of tribal nations, which was promised by Obama during his campaign for president to be a yearly occurrence, is expected to take place sometime this fall, but the exact date has not yet been decided, Inouye said.

Details of what is to be achieved at the larger conference have not been released.

Attendees seemed generally satisfied with the proceedings. Some said it left them feeling inspired.

Oneida Nation representative Ray Halbritter attended the meeting and said tribal leaders spoke about sovereignty, taxation, land claims and other issues.

“We were pleased to have been asked to provide our input, and we were assured that the White House will engage in ongoing consultation.