Injustice Against Our Native People Continues To Be IGNORED

Dear Members

I would like to surmise some of the incidences that have brought me to making the decision to Not Stand By any longer and do nothing while watching our Native rights and dignity slowly erode not only on the Job site but also from the social degree that is evident from the economic development standpoint of Our People.
The interaction between the U.S. government and the State Government and of course as we all understand to one extent or another Our own tribal governments inability to define and act on rigorous action step decision making to reverse this quasi limbo state of affairs. This of course takes a deep understanding of all the factors that make up the entire cell structure of the problem that afflict Our Native Peoples across this entire Nation and specifically here in Minnesota.
This past January / 09 , I held The " We Shall Remain " conferences here in Bemidji and invited by press, radio and television the general public to discuss the issues that affect us all. The event kit i recieved from wgbh boston (the producers of the pbs series entitled " We Shall Remain ") described a need for community interaction and involvement from both Native and Non Native communities which i agreed with and decided to produce these conferences which were well attended at the BSU American Indian Resource Center. Interestingly to me was the level of participation by government officials from the three Reservations nearby ,Red Lake , Leech Lake , White Earth and State or Local Government Officials participation on a three consecutive friday venue date .
I still have yet been able to produce the tapes for general public viewing of the topics that were covered during these conferences by the attendees of this event,which will be forthcoming . Also these conferences proved to me the great need to go further into dialoguing on the subject matter of what actually constitutes the entire understanding of the social political landscape of Our Native American People here in Minnesota.
The Native American Indian Labor Union #12 was created to be a tool for Our Native Community to address the component of Labor within this State of Minnesota to collectively bargain for better working conditions and Representation within organized Labor and Lobby the Minnesota Legislature of which, does not have one sitting member of a Native Indigenous Tribe!
Last August /08, i was employed at the Rohr Malting Bio- Mass Project in Shakopee,Mn as a Pipefitter . This project upon learning of it ,caused me to gain hope that Native American Labor issues might gain a foothold due to the fact that the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Tribe were half or better owners of this Power Generation Facility. A Native American Pipefitter Union Member was dispatched from the Union Hall to give the firm doing mechanical work a Native presence which in my opinion is a good start but certainly should not be a alternative to a rigorous AFFirmative Action Plan that an owner of "Mystic Lake" casino could command which did not materialize and even with discussions with the Chief himself could not receive any furtherance of the idea.
This is when i decided it is time to organize the effort and file for a tax-exempt corporate status called Red Lake Constructors Corporation . 8-19-2008. The Many components of the task require a tool for Labor Management which is the sponsoring agent for This Union N.A.I.L.U. #12. 4-8-2009.
Earlier this Spring i was dispatched to the Monticello Nuclear power generation facility in Monticello, Mn. and after sitting in a trailer for 6 weeks with all the other minorities and dont wants i came to the conclusion that conditions for the "protected class worker" have eroded to the point where all the druggies and drunks and offenders of safety violations receive special opportunity and garner for themselves the best hours ,promotions and security badging at a NUCLEAR facility, while we just simply were terminated from employment, when i could see easily a 1000 man workforce and a half a dozen minorities being tossed out the door summarily without even a explanation even after asking the Union representing me to look into the issue .
A very similiar issue presented itself to me nearby at Cohasset ,Mn. Minnesota power where again a 500 - 700 man workforce not including office personal had less than 10 persons of color or minority "Protected Class"workers . When are we going to face the facts Institutional Racism abounds?
Injustices Abound in the silence of not only Native Tribal Governments and those employed by them Like John Percell State of Minnesota, Representative district 4, who i informed very early on in this Bemidji Regional Event Centers need for this organization to know of the AFFIrmative Action Guidelines enacted into law regarding General Obligation Funding for projects from this Minnesota Legislature on Publicly Funded Projects. As i was telling him all this he kept reminding me of his employment for 25 years as a environmental analyst for the Leech lake Band. Mary Olson State Senator district 4 also as a member of The Minnesota Indian Affairs Council leadership and BREC funding authors and on a taskforce i believe to eradicate poverty in Minnesota by 2010 have remained silent on these issues and yet as we take them to court, i watch even the members of the political party i belong to (MN DFL) as a signed registered candidate, Senate district 4 remain even more silent on AFFirmative Action issues especially when the Enbridge Pipeline is in the frontyard.
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, The City of Bemidji BREC, Kraus -Anderson Construction are named in this suit we file and they all have answered they know nothing and have done nothing very eloquently and it reminded me what Tecumseh meant by the Statement "We Shall Remain" as his rights were being violated by the White Man and his agency Indians.