Loevy writes: "With all our talk about police violence aimed at poor and
minority communities, we have yet to talk about the group most likely to be
killed by law enforcement: Native Americans."
Native American men are incarcerated at four times the rate of white men and
Native American women are sent to prison at six times the rate of white
women. (photo: unknown)
Do Indian Lives Matter? Police Violence Against Native Americans
By Debra Loevy, CounterPunch
30 October 15
With all our talk about police violence aimed at poor and minority
communities, we have yet to talk about the group most likely to be killed by
law enforcement: Native Americans.
Native American men are incarcerated at four times the rate of white men and
Native American women are sent to prison at six times the rate of white
women. Those are pretty stunning statistics on their own. Even more stunning
is that although Native Americans comprise only .8% of the population, with
these elevated rates of police encounters, they make up three out of the top
five top age-groups that are most likely to be killed by law enforcement.
Demographics on police violence.
(photo: Center for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health
Statistics)
Unlike racial profiling of other communities of color, law enforcement's
singling out of Native Americans is not limited to racial profiling based on
the color of the person's skin. There are also geographic components, for
those living or working on reservation land. And in South Dakota many Native
Americans complain that the police target people driving cars or trucks with
license plates that start with the number 6, which identifies that the car
is registered to a resident of a reservation.
Law enforcement's pattern of immediately escalating encounters with Native
American communities has led to many horrifying results. To see how this
plays out first hand, consider the following video. In it, a 50 year old
Native American man named John T. Williams ambles across the street at a
Seattle cross walk. He is an accomplished artist - a wood carver - and he
has a knife and a piece of wood in his hand. A Seattle police officer
immediately escalates this non-situation. The officer jumps from his squad
car, shouts at Mr. Williams to put the knife down, and a few seconds later,
guns Williams down in three shot. There's no claim that Mr. Williams was
threatening anyone or acting aggressively, only that he was carving the
piece of wood in his hand as he walked and that he did not drop the knife
fast enough when ordered to do so. (It turns out that Mr. Williams was deaf
in one ear, and the officer approached him from behind, which likely
explains why his reflexes were just not fast enough). Keep in mind, as you
ponder this incident or watch the video, that in Washington State (as with
most states) it is perfectly legal to walk around toting a gun. Yet, an
officer kills a non-aggressive man, merely for whittling with a knife while
he walks? It is unfathomable. Except that it occurred. This senseless
shooting gives you an idea how it is that the police kill Native Americans
at a higher rate than any other ethnic group.
In reality, our legal system has been unnecessarily escalating situations
involving Native Americans for generations (and I'm not even talking about
the whole issue of how Europeans came to America and committed genocide in
the first place). For instance, the State of South Dakota receives thousands
of dollars from the federal government for every Native American child it
removes from his or her home. The result - surprise, surprise - is that
Native American children make up less than 15% of the child population, yet
they make up more than half of the children in foster care. Additionally,
Native Americans have a history of receiving far higher prison terms when
convicted of a crime - 57% more prison time than whites, according to a 2003
University of South Dakota study. Our legal system is stacked against Native
Americans, and that system is the culmination of a long history of
oppression. This continuation of more subtle subjugation is similar to that
which is still inflicted on African Americans long after the end of
legalized slavery.
As the Black Lives Matter gains traction and national attention, why is
there no similar support or attention for the rallying cry that Native Lives
Matter?
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Native American men are incarcerated at four times the rate of white men and
Native American women are sent to prison at six times the rate of white
women. (photo: unknown)
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/29/do-indian-lives-matter-police-violenc
e-against-native-americans/http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/10/29/do-indian-
lives-matter-police-violence-against-native-americans/
Do Indian Lives Matter? Police Violence Against Native Americans
By Debra Loevy, CounterPunch
30 October 15
ith all our talk about police violence aimed at poor and minority
communities, we have yet to talk about the group most likely to be killed by
law enforcement: Native Americans.
Native American men are incarcerated at four times the rate of white men and
Native American women are sent to prison at six times the rate of white
women. Those are pretty stunning statistics on their own. Even more stunning
is that although Native Americans comprise only .8% of the population, with
these elevated rates of police encounters, they make up three out of the top
five top age-groups that are most likely to be killed by law enforcement.
Demographics on police violence.
(photo: Center for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health
Statistics)
Unlike racial profiling of other communities of color, law enforcement's
singling out of Native Americans is not limited to racial profiling based on
the color of the person's skin. There are also geographic components, for
those living or working on reservation land. And in South Dakota many Native
Americans complain that the police target people driving cars or trucks with
license plates that start with the number 6, which identifies that the car
is registered to a resident of a reservation.
Law enforcement's pattern of immediately escalating encounters with Native
American communities has led to many horrifying results. To see how this
plays out first hand, consider the following video. In it, a 50 year old
Native American man named John T. Williams ambles across the street at a
Seattle cross walk. He is an accomplished artist - a wood carver - and he
has a knife and a piece of wood in his hand. A Seattle police officer
immediately escalates this non-situation. The officer jumps from his squad
car, shouts at Mr. Williams to put the knife down, and a few seconds later,
guns Williams down in three shot. There's no claim that Mr. Williams was
threatening anyone or acting aggressively, only that he was carving the
piece of wood in his hand as he walked and that he did not drop the knife
fast enough when ordered to do so. (It turns out that Mr. Williams was deaf
in one ear, and the officer approached him from behind, which likely
explains why his reflexes were just not fast enough). Keep in mind, as you
ponder this incident or watch the video, that in Washington State (as with
most states) it is perfectly legal to walk around toting a gun. Yet, an
officer kills a non-aggressive man, merely for whittling with a knife while
he walks? It is unfathomable. Except that it occurred. This senseless
shooting gives you an idea how it is that the police kill Native Americans
at a higher rate than any other ethnic group.
In reality, our legal system has been unnecessarily escalating situations
involving Native Americans for generations (and I'm not even talking about
the whole issue of how Europeans came to America and committed genocide in
the first place). For instance, the State of South Dakota receives thousands
of dollars from the federal government for every Native American child it
removes from his or her home. The result - surprise, surprise - is that
Native American children make up less than 15% of the child population, yet
they make up more than half of the children in foster care. Additionally,
Native Americans have a history of receiving far higher prison terms when
convicted of a crime - 57% more prison time than whites, according to a 2003
University of South Dakota study. Our legal system is stacked against Native
Americans, and that system is the culmination of a long history of
oppression. This continuation of more subtle subjugation is similar to that
which is still inflicted on African Americans long after the end of
legalized slavery.
As the Black Lives Matter gains traction and national attention, why is
there no similar support or attention for the rallying cry that Native Lives
Matter?
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