American Indians Killed By Cops At Highest Rate In The Nation

1CK1S
1CK1S Members Posts: 27,471 ✭✭✭✭✭
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I know it was unprofessional of me. But I wept when I read Stephanie Woodard’s investigative piece on the killings of American Indians by cops published Monday in the democratic socialist magazine In These Times. It’s no stretch to say it broke my heart.

The reasons for those tears, which continue to spring forth days after my first reading, are many.

Even though none were of my tribe, they were still my people, like me, descendants of the first humans to set foot on this continent 400 generations ago. Like the slayings of so many African Americans killed by police, the deaths of many of them could have easily been avoided by smarter, more compassionate and less trigger-happy cops. And, as is so often the case in matters relating to living indigenous Americans, these dead men and women were invisible. Most didn’t show up in the media or the statistics. Woodard’s story should have been on the front page of The New York Times, the centerpiece of a report on NBC, the subject of speeches on the Senate floor.

The good news is that these killings have now been exposed. And, equally important, inspired by Black Lives Matter, some Indian activists, including Chase Iron Eyes, the Lakota lawyer of the Standing Rock Sioux who is running as a Democrat for North Dakota’s single congressional seat, have for the past two years organized Native Lives Matter to bring attention to this situation and hold police and prosecutors accountable.

Here’s a taste of Woodard’s report:

SUQUAMISH TRIBE DESCENDANT JEANETTA RILEY, A 34-YEAR-OLD MOTHER OF FOUR, LAY FACEDOWN ON A SANDPOINT, IDAHO, STREET. One minute earlier, three police officers had arrived, summoned by staff at a nearby hospital. Her husband had sought help there because Riley—homeless, pregnant and with a history of mental illness—was threatening suicide. Riley had a knife in her right hand and was sitting in the couple’s parked van.

Wearing body armor and armed with an assault rifle and Glock pistols, the officers quickly closed in on Riley—one moving down the sidewalk toward the van, the other two crossing the roadway. They shouted instructions at her—to walk toward them, show them her hands. Cursing them, she refused.

“Drop the knife!” they yelled, advancing, then opened fire.

They pumped two shots into her chest and another into her back as she fell to the pavement. Fifteen seconds had elapsed from the time they exited their vehicles.

Fifteen seconds. Were their lives at risk? And if so, why would they advance? Was Riley threatening anybody but herself? Could these officers have possibly made a reasonable assessment of the situation in a quarter of a minute?

Given the paltry official statistics on police killings in general, counting how many Natives have been shot to death or died in police custody is no easy matter. Police have been supposed since the early 1990s to supply to the U.S. Department of Justice information about all the people of whatever race they shoot, justified or not. But this is voluntary and only 3 percent of the nation’s 18,000 state and local police agencies have provided this information.

The FBI seeks to remedy this situation with a pilot program starting next year. Meanwhile, The Guardian and The Washington Post have been keeping their own tallies. What they’ve found is that hundreds—hundreds—of police shootings go unreported each year and that the information that is supplied to federal authorities is often as riddled with as many errors as the people slain are with bullets.

As for the count of Indians shot by the cops, Woodard reports:

Mike Males, senior researcher at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, looked at data the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collected from medical examiners in 47 states between 1999 and 2011. When compared to their percentage of the U.S. population, Natives were more likely to be killed by police than any other group, including African Americans. By age, Natives 20-24, 25-34 and 35–44 were three of the five groups most likely to be killed by police. (The other two groups were African Americans 20-24 and 25-34.) Males’ analysis of CDC data from 1999 to 2014 shows that Native Americans are 3.1 times more likely to be killed by police than white Americans.

In the press, Indian deaths-by-cops are invisible. Roger Chin, Jean Schroedel, and Lily Rowen—Claremont Graduate University researchers—reviewed articles published between May 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, in the top 10 U.S. newspapers by circulation. Of the 29 Indians known to have been killed by cops during that period. just two received any coverage whatsoever.

There was also zero coverage of Native “jailhouse deaths,” what the CDC euphemizes as “death by legal intervention.”

Native Americans’ experiences of violence and discrimination in the United States often parallel those of African Americans. Federal investigations have found that on the borders of reservations, Native Americans are treated as second-class citizens by police and public agencies in ways that echo the experience of black Americans in towns like Ferguson, Mo. [...]

Incidents aired even in recent hearings sound like tales from the pre-civil-rights Deep South. They ranged from denial of service in public places to police brutality to the failure to investigate murders. In Northern Plains states, USCCR members personally observed staff in restaurants and stores hassling or refusing to serve Natives. In South Dakota, the commission heard testimony about a police department that found reasons to fine Natives hundreds of dollars, then “allowed” them to work off the debt on a ranch. USCCR Rocky Mountain director Malee Craft described the situation as “slave labor.”

Here is an interview conducted by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now with Stephanie Woodard and James Rideout, a member of the Puyallup tribe and the uncle of Jacqueline Salyers, a 32-year-old pregnant mother and member of the Puyallup Tribe who was killed by police earlier this year in Tacoma, Washington.

In the coming year, you can expect to read more here about Native Lives Matter and police violence and other mistreatment of Natives as Indians already at Daily Kos and others being encouraged to post here take a hard look at this appalling situation as we do our utmost to bring invisible Indians into the light.

Comments

  • Lefty_
    Lefty_ Members, Writer Posts: 3,506 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Every since Trayvon Martin died and Black Lives Matter kicked off, everybody been tryin they best to find/be better victims than us.
  • LcnsdbyROYALTY
    LcnsdbyROYALTY Members Posts: 13,763 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Copper wrote: »
    The training argument makes no sense to me...police have more encounters with whites and they don't have to be trained not to ? then...

    This!!!!
  • jono
    jono Members Posts: 30,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2016
    Maybe people will finally realize police brutality is an AMERICAN issue. Probably not.
  • MECCA1000
    MECCA1000 Members Posts: 2,756 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Those statistics are speculation and not facts ...... what's fact is most reservations are policed by their own .. ... so what we talking about.
    Yes it's a shame about that native girl and wanting to shine a spotlight on it is one thing but the way it read is like they're not trying to piggyback BLM and rock with us...... it's as if they're trying to leap frog and hop over BLM putting us on the back burner and refocus on the plight of the native American struggle ....... foh

    I'm all for rocking with other minorities in the struggle....but when you come with *what you guys are doing is cool but this is what we need to focus on* ...... I can't get jiggy with that
  • TheGOAT
    TheGOAT Guests, Members, Writer, Content Producer Posts: 15,916 ✭✭✭✭✭
    MECCA1000 wrote: »
    Those statistics are speculation and not facts ...... what's fact is most reservations are policed by their own .. ... so what we talking about.
    Yes it's a shame about that native girl and wanting to shine a spotlight on it is one thing but the way it read is like they're not trying to piggyback BLM and rock with us...... it's as if they're trying to leap frog and hop over BLM putting us on the back burner and refocus on the plight of the native American struggle ....... foh

    I'm all for rocking with other minorities in the struggle....but when you come with *what you guys are doing is cool but this is what we need to focus on* ...... I can't get jiggy with that

    State police have legal jurisdiction on tribal land in many cases.

    Not all natives live on reservations

    As a tribal member myself who lives off reservation, has native fam, follows natives on social media i can tell u BLM has much support in Indian Country.

    Stop lookin for enemies in people who are just like u
  • gns
    gns Members Posts: 21,285 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Its like 4 of em left of course theyre getting killed at a higher rate than everybody else
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Regulator
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • NothingButTheTruth
    NothingButTheTruth Members Posts: 10,850 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Hopefully the American Indians come up with a plan to counter this, and once they gain some traction, all of the 'police brutality' protests/events can join together and incite some real change.
  • Lefty_
    Lefty_ Members, Writer Posts: 3,506 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2016
    TheGOAT wrote: »
    Lefty_ wrote: »
    Every since Trayvon Martin died and Black Lives Matter kicked off, everybody been tryin they best to find/be better victims than us.

    Natives been getting ? since day one

    Nobody "tryn be a better victim"

    ? them, they don't ? wit you either fam.
    Lefty_ wrote: »
    Every since Trayvon Martin died and Black Lives Matter kicked off, everybody been tryin they best to find/be better victims than us.

    please don't turn this into the oppression Olympics

    Na, it's the stay out my lane olympics. It's the basic, "you wasn't thinkin about that toy til the other kid picked it up" argument.
  • The Lonious Monk
    The Lonious Monk Members Posts: 26,258 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Copper wrote: »
    The training argument makes no sense to me...police have more encounters with whites and they don't have to be trained not to ? then...

    But they do ? them. More white people get killed than black people. Training isn't the only problem because it is clear that cops are fearful of blacks, but it is a problem.

    Also Natives been getting it bad, so I'm not sure why people in here are implying that they are just trying to outdo blacks with these complaints.
  • rickmogul
    rickmogul Members Posts: 1,961 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I ain't buying this for one second.
  • Paprika
    Paprika Members Posts: 2,475 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2016
    There's obviously a sample bias. With a population already lower than most, 29 deaths is a lot for 1 year. Surprised they haven't encountered 'what about Native on Native crime yet?'

    However, no one needs to be competing for most killed by police in a year.
  • D0wn
    D0wn Members Posts: 10,818 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November 2016
    Paprika wrote: »
    There's obviously a sample bias. With a population already lower than most, 29 deaths is a lot for 1 year. Surprised they haven't encountered 'what about Native on Native crime yet?'

    However, no one needs to be competing for most killed by police in a year.

    ? if they want that award, they can have it... if they want to, they're even free can set the record.
  • Copper
    Copper Members Posts: 49,532 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Copper wrote: »
    The training argument makes no sense to me...police have more encounters with whites and they don't have to be trained not to ? then...

    But they do ? them. More white people get killed than black people. Training isn't the only problem because it is clear that cops are fearful of blacks, but it is a problem.

    Also Natives been getting it bad, so I'm not sure why people in here are implying that they are just trying to outdo blacks with these complaints.

    Percentages
  • The Lonious Monk
    The Lonious Monk Members Posts: 26,258 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Copper wrote: »
    Copper wrote: »
    The training argument makes no sense to me...police have more encounters with whites and they don't have to be trained not to ? then...

    But they do ? them. More white people get killed than black people. Training isn't the only problem because it is clear that cops are fearful of blacks, but it is a problem.

    Also Natives been getting it bad, so I'm not sure why people in here are implying that they are just trying to outdo blacks with these complaints.

    Percentages
    Copper wrote: »
    Copper wrote: »
    The training argument makes no sense to me...police have more encounters with whites and they don't have to be trained not to ? then...

    But they do ? them. More white people get killed than black people. Training isn't the only problem because it is clear that cops are fearful of blacks, but it is a problem.

    Also Natives been getting it bad, so I'm not sure why people in here are implying that they are just trying to outdo blacks with these complaints.

    Percentages
    Copper wrote: »
    Copper wrote: »
    The training argument makes no sense to me...police have more encounters with whites and they don't have to be trained not to ? then...

    But they do ? them. More white people get killed than black people. Training isn't the only problem because it is clear that cops are fearful of blacks, but it is a problem.

    Also Natives been getting it bad, so I'm not sure why people in here are implying that they are just trying to outdo blacks with these complaints.

    Percentages

    Unarmed black people are killed at a higher rate than whites, no question about that. Whites are still killed under circumstances where they shouldn't have been. So police brutality has a racial component, but it's deeper than just that.
  • CashmoneyDux
    CashmoneyDux Members Posts: 11,217 ✭✭✭✭✭
  • blue_london
    blue_london Members Posts: 2,387 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @Lefty_ dumb as ? lmao

    Lol. He has a very similar state of mind to those isis nutters that's what's worrying
  • ghostdog56
    ghostdog56 Members Posts: 2,947 ✭✭✭✭✭
    At least they got casinos, we ain't get ?
  • Lefty_
    Lefty_ Members, Writer Posts: 3,506 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @Lefty_ dumb as ? lmao

    Lol. He has a very similar state of mind to those isis nutters that's what's worrying

    Please, please elaborate. Say somethin you can stand up to. For instance.....

    Unarmed black men been gettin aired out in front of millions forever, and in the past 5 years the ? been basically a television show, now all of a sudden all lives matter, blue lives matter, native lives matter, and while they do, dont come out wit the "hey, we get shot too" ? . Next thing you know you gon see rudolph the rednose reindeer as the spokesperson against deer hunting for deerlivesmatter. Meanwhile, we go through it, THROUGH IT, at an alarming rate, we really dont know how a traffic stop gon end. ? outta here jumpin on our wave, besides that, its holes in everybody elses ? , ours is iron clad, do ya googles, and ? you and the queen if you mad B. London cops carry fly swatters, you cant identify, soon as i get pulled over the cop unbuttoning his holster. Dont nobody go through what we go through. "Higgest rate in the nation". ? outta here.
  • blue_london
    blue_london Members Posts: 2,387 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Lefty_ wrote: »
    @Lefty_ dumb as ? lmao

    Lol. He has a very similar state of mind to those isis nutters that's what's worrying

    Please, please elaborate. Say somethin you can stand up to. For instance.....

    Unarmed black men been gettin aired out in front of millions forever, and in the past 5 years the ? been basically a television show, now all of a sudden all lives matter, blue lives matter, native lives matter, and while they do, dont come out wit the "hey, we get shot too" ? . Next thing you know you gon see rudolph the rednose reindeer as the spokesperson against deer hunting for deerlivesmatter. Meanwhile, we go through it, THROUGH IT, at an alarming rate, we really dont know how a traffic stop gon end. ? outta here jumpin on our wave, besides that, its holes in everybody elses ? , ours is iron clad, do ya googles, and ? you and the queen if you mad B. London cops carry fly swatters, you cant identify, soon as i get pulled over the cop unbuttoning his holster. Dont nobody go through what we go through. "Higgest rate in the nation". ? outta here.

    Why was the queen relevant do you think everyone in the UK cares about her?

    Your dumb mind set that says this is a competition. Is the issue
  • Lefty_
    Lefty_ Members, Writer Posts: 3,506 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Lefty_ wrote: »
    @Lefty_ dumb as ? lmao

    Lol. He has a very similar state of mind to those isis nutters that's what's worrying

    Please, please elaborate. Say somethin you can stand up to. For instance.....

    Unarmed black men been gettin aired out in front of millions forever, and in the past 5 years the ? been basically a television show, now all of a sudden all lives matter, blue lives matter, native lives matter, and while they do, dont come out wit the "hey, we get shot too" ? . Next thing you know you gon see rudolph the rednose reindeer as the spokesperson against deer hunting for deerlivesmatter. Meanwhile, we go through it, THROUGH IT, at an alarming rate, we really dont know how a traffic stop gon end. ? outta here jumpin on our wave, besides that, its holes in everybody elses ? , ours is iron clad, do ya googles, and ? you and the queen if you mad B. London cops carry fly swatters, you cant identify, soon as i get pulled over the cop unbuttoning his holster. Dont nobody go through what we go through. "Higgest rate in the nation". ? outta here.

    Why was the queen relevant do you think everyone in the UK cares about her?

    Your dumb mind set that says this is a competition. Is the issue

    No, you think i'm sayin this is competition. And that's the problem, ? inability to think. When it became "Cool" to be black for other races and they started copyin what we was doin at SMH rates, ? had somethin to say, when the LGBTs started comparing their struggle to our civil rights struggle ? was slightly more offended, now you got ? like this where everybody is getting killed by police, that ain't corny to you? I ain't sayin don't have a voice, but that NativeLivesMatter ? is corny, and wack. They gassin up what they got goin on, you wouldn't believe what happens to us if it wasn't on video.

    If I tell you i'm strugglin and my heat is off in the middle of the winter, and you tell me you sympathize, you know my struggle because your wifi is down periodically, i'm liable to knock you the ? out.

    Case in point...
    In the press, Indian deaths-by-cops are invisible. Roger Chin, Jean Schroedel, and Lily Rowen—Claremont Graduate University researchers—reviewed articles published between May 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, in the top 10 U.S. newspapers by circulation. Of the 29 Indians known to have been killed by cops during that period. just two received any coverage whatsoever.

    Man get the ? outta here....

  • blue_london
    blue_london Members Posts: 2,387 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Lefty_ wrote: »
    Lefty_ wrote: »
    @Lefty_ dumb as ? lmao

    Lol. He has a very similar state of mind to those isis nutters that's what's worrying

    Please, please elaborate. Say somethin you can stand up to. For instance.....

    Unarmed black men been gettin aired out in front of millions forever, and in the past 5 years the ? been basically a television show, now all of a sudden all lives matter, blue lives matter, native lives matter, and while they do, dont come out wit the "hey, we get shot too" ? . Next thing you know you gon see rudolph the rednose reindeer as the spokesperson against deer hunting for deerlivesmatter. Meanwhile, we go through it, THROUGH IT, at an alarming rate, we really dont know how a traffic stop gon end. ? outta here jumpin on our wave, besides that, its holes in everybody elses ? , ours is iron clad, do ya googles, and ? you and the queen if you mad B. London cops carry fly swatters, you cant identify, soon as i get pulled over the cop unbuttoning his holster. Dont nobody go through what we go through. "Higgest rate in the nation". ? outta here.

    Why was the queen relevant do you think everyone in the UK cares about her?

    Your dumb mind set that says this is a competition. Is the issue

    No, you think i'm sayin this is competition. And that's the problem, ? inability to think. When it became "Cool" to be black for other races and they started copyin what we was doin at SMH rates, ? had somethin to say, when the LGBTs started comparing their struggle to our civil rights struggle ? was slightly more offended, now you got ? like this where everybody is getting killed by police, that ain't corny to you? I ain't sayin don't have a voice, but that NativeLivesMatter ? is corny, and wack. They gassin up what they got goin on, you wouldn't believe what happens to us if it wasn't on video.

    If I tell you i'm strugglin and my heat is off in the middle of the winter, and you tell me you sympathize, you know my struggle because your wifi is down periodically, i'm liable to knock you the ? out.

    Case in point...
    In the press, Indian deaths-by-cops are invisible. Roger Chin, Jean Schroedel, and Lily Rowen—Claremont Graduate University researchers—reviewed articles published between May 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, in the top 10 U.S. newspapers by circulation. Of the 29 Indians known to have been killed by cops during that period. just two received any coverage whatsoever.

    Man get the ? outta here....

    Grow up