Police Attack Protest At Minnesota Sesquicentennial Event

ST. PAUL (WCCO ) During the Minnesota Sesquicentennial celebration in St. Paul, a protest by a couple dozen American Indians carrying nooses turned violent.

A protester hit a Minnesota State Trooper on the head as police tried to clear the area at the state capitol. Police arrested at least three people for disorderly conduct.

Demonstrators want the state of Minnesota to apologize for breaking Indian treaties and removing Indians from the land.

"That's all we are asking the state of Minnesota on the 150th anniversary is to tell the truth. Talk about Ramsey and Sibley. Talk about the genocide and policies they put into effect," said Clyde Bellecourt of the American Indian Movement.

After the Dakota War of 1862, 38 Indians were hanged in Mankato, which remains the largest mass execution in U.S. history.

non-corporate account of protest

Tonight, around 8:15 PM, one of our attorneys (in the 1805 Treaty
litigation), Barb Nimis, called and said that my younger daughter, Waziyata
Win (Dr. Angela Cavender Wilson) had been arrested, again.  Waziyata Win
told the officers that she is a Dakota person, that Minnesota is Dakota
land, and that she was only telling the truth.  In addition, two other
Anishinabe persons had been arrested, Steve Blake, and a woman called
Flower.
   These people were peacefully protesting, with signs, posters, banners,
drums, and a gallows with 38 nooses hanging from it.  Angela was arrested
for Disorderly Conduct and let go.  Steve Blake, with a hand drum, was
singing a honor song for the 38 Dakota (hence, the 38 nooses) men who were
hanged at Mankato, MN on December 26, 1862 in what was and is the largest
mass execution in the history of the United States.  Four officers descended
upon Steve and attacked him, who is a sickly man and had just gotten out of
the hospital.  The woman named Flower rushed to help and, apparently, hit an
officer.  Steve, now, is in the hospital and Flower is in Ramsey hospital.
   It seems that these officers have instructions to harass, intimidate,
and arrest Dakota People, with the apparent blessing of the Sesquicentennial
Commission, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the other white
supremacists and racists who do not want to hear the TRUTH about bounties,
concentration camps, forced marches, forced removals/ethnic cleansing;
warfare,  massive land theft,  broken treaties,  genocide, etc.
   I urge all of our friends, supporters, and allies to be there with us
when we peacefully demonstrate, show our posters, carry our banners, and
hand out our pamphlets and flyers to tell the TRUTH.  We need all of our
allies - white, black, Mexican, other Indigenous Peoples - to stand there in
support and solidarity, to be there with their cameras, the video cameras,
to observe what happens to the Dakota People and their supporters when they
tell the TRUTH.
   We need white people to march with us.  The cops will think twice before
bashing our heads with their batons, before arresting us, before saying some
of the racist and intimidating things they are fond of saying, if some white
people are there with us.  The cops know that if it is an "Indian's" word
agasint the word of a white cop that there will be NO credence given to the
Native person.  However, if a white person sees what is happening, the cop
will fear, or at least think twice before he does what he wants to do to
Native Peoples.  That is to hit them, beat them.  One cop, at Ft. Snelling,
on Sat. 5/10 was heard to say that he was looking forward to do a little
"thumping", meaning beating the crap out of the Dakota People.
   It seems that the arrests are increasing and the violence is
intensifying against our Dakota People and their Anishinabe supporters and
other allies.  I see this trend continuing as we implement and execute our
other planned and peaceful activities.  As Dakota People, who comprise about
5 10-thousandths of a percent of the total population of approximately
5-and-a-half million people in the state of Minnesota.  We are struggling
against overwhelming odds - "they" have the troops and cops, the horses
(like at Ft. Snelling), the guns, the tanks, the tasers, and their law,
especially their law which is their legal ideology which is used to enforce
the exploitation of the Indigenous Peoples and their continued oppression.
   However, many of us Dakota feel we have TRUTH and our spirituality to
fight against these overwhelming odds, and we are optimistically believing
that TRUTH will prevail.
   I wish to thank all the allies and supporters out there who have
supported our efforts and activities to highlight the Dakota voice, to get
the Dakota perspective out there.  We thank you for being at our EVENT ONE
activities:  1A - the posters and banners on the Mendota bridge during rush
hour, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, on Fri. 5/09;  1B - the greeting of the wagon
train at Ft. Snelling, on Sat. 5/10, at which seven people, including me,
were arrested;  1C - the public rally at the State Capitol, on Sun. 5/11.
   We are going to need all of you at the remaining four (4) activities
that we have planned for the Sesquicentennial year of 2008 in our efforts to
get the TRUTH out there, the TRUTH of what really happened in this state
between the stealers/settlers and the Dakota People:  EVENT TWO - the
exercising of our original and traditional fishing rights in one of the
lakes in the ceded area, 155,000+ acres, of the Treaty of 1805;  EVENT THREE
- the trial of Ramsey and Sibley for Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity;
EVENT FOUR - which we will mention later;  and EVENT FIVE - a legislative
activity.
   Thank you for listening to me.
Chris Mato Nunpa
   320.981-0206 (cell)
   " matonunpa@earthlink.net "