Native American Indians Fight for Funding

On June 19^th, 2008, president of the National Congress of American Indians, Joe A. Garcia, gave his testimony before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. He testified regarding the draft legislation to address law and order in Indian country. The Chairman, Ron His Horse Is Thunder, testified as well. Both men pressed the issues of tribal law enforcement and how inadequate funding has resulted in a rise in crimes and violence in Indian country.

Links for both Garcia and Ron His Horse Is Thunders testimonies were both included in the article. I read through both of these testimonies and found the information fascinating, but also found myself wondering why Indians would have to fight so hard to get normal funding that any such town or city of a large size would get. The reservation that Ron His Horse is Thunder speaks of is 2.3 million acres, 1.4 million acres of which is tribally owned.

Garcia addressed several issues concerning Indian law and order including, law enforcement training, tribal courts, and detention facilities. Garcia explained that the need to bring the systems up to that of other rural communities requires additional needs of 200 million dollars. What they get from the Department Of Justice, is a number of grants, after the problems associated with getting the grants they will get only a certain amount of funding for certain items. They would receive law enforcement vehicles, but no maintenance or a detention facility, but no staff. Garcia says that "the system doesn't make sense.

Not mentioned in the draft was the issue of jurisdiction over non-tribal members in domestic violence cases involving a tribal member, as well as "victimless" misdemeanors like traffic violations. Garcia asked that the committee consider development of a pilot project for the tribal domestic violence jurisdiction.

In his testimony President Garcia said that the Indians have lived with high crime rates for years and the domestic violence rates against Indian women are three times the national average, 70% of the offenders are non Indian.

I am awe struck by some of these facts. It almost seems like a double standard because our Native Americans fight so hard for their rights to their land and services; however the crime and violence rates continue to rise because they do not have funding for appropriate law enforcement. It seems as if they are always fighting for what is rightfully theirs in the first place.

My personal opinion is that reservations just as much a part of this country as any and that if crime and violence is an issue than it should be addressed by the government, but remain within the hands of the Indians. Crime and violence can spread off the reservations as well as onto it, if the tribes had proper law enforcement this would reduce crime on and off the reservation. My point being that it is not only a problem for the Indians, but also for areas off the reservations.

I believe that President Garcia and all who fight with him on these issues are doing a great thing by wanting to make their communities better. Law enforcement is a very big deal. Let's imagine, if you can, that the town that you live in didn't have enough police staff, that there was no detention facility, that if you were attacked and robbed no one would come to your aid.

This would result in people committing crime solely because they know that there will be no punishment. People would die from violence simply because there would be no judgment from the law. Do we really want any community to be full of violence and crime, when it can be fixed?

President Garcia, Chairman His Horse Is Thunder, and all involved in the creation of this draft are to be commended on their persistence of the issues. Garcia also praised the committee for including a wide range of issues in the bill, including creating an office of Indian Country Crime within the criminal division of DOJ, providing for special law enforcement commission, and creating a juvenile justice program.

I certainly hope that the Indians get granted the money to ensure proper law enforcement in Indian Country. I do not think that Indians are asking for anything more than what other communities already have, it is, I believe what they are entitled to anyway.

http://www.ncai.org/News_View.19.0.html?&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[pS]=1222098519&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=494&tx_ttnews[backPid]=18&cHash=6d70701003