President Obama signs Tribal Law and Order Act into law
Read Time:3 Minute, 9 Second
“Sexual assault rates and violence against Native American women did not just drop from the sky. They are a process of history.”
Jacqueline Agtuca, Alaska Native Women’s Conference, Anchorage, Alaska,
24 May 2005
“When one in three Native American women will be raped in their lifetimes, that is an assault on our national conscience; it is an affront to our shared humanity; it is something that we cannot allow to continue.”
President Barack Obama, signing ceremony,Washington,DC. 29 July 2010
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The Tribal Law and Order Act will go a long way towards insuring the safety of Indians in general, and Indian women in particular. For brevity’s sake I’m including Alaskan Natives as Indian.
The federal govt has figuratively handcuffed Indian tribal justice for years, by underfunding it as well as severely limiting its scope. One example could be the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. There are six officers patrolling the 2.3 million acre reservation, generally two on the day shift and two to three at night. Typically one officer patrols the North Dakota portion of the reservation while a second patrols South Dakota.
Federal law limits tribal courts to a maximum sentence of one year and a fine of $5,000.00. These limits apply even to murder and rape. In addition, in most states tribal police have no authority within their jurisdiction over non-Indians. Only Arizona confers full Peace Officer status to tribal police.
According to a report by Amnesty International 86% of rapes or sexual assaults of Indian women are committed by non-Indians. Compare this to Whites, with 65% of such crimes committed against other Whites and 89% Black on Black rape and sexual assaults. It would seem logical to assume that this occurs due to the many factors which work against arrest and prosecution and even pursuit of these criminals. Confusion and quarreling over jurisdiction, lack of manpower, lack of access to shared databases, racism – such as beliefs that Indian women are often drunk and “ask for it”.
“[State Troopers] value moose more than Alaska Native women.”
Eleanor David, former co-chair of the Alaska Native Women’s Coalition, May
2005
Many remote Indian villages in Alaska lack any law enforcement of their own, they can only depend upon State Troopers who may have to fly in – assuming they are willing to investigate crimes against Indians. The Amnesty International report tells of a 2006 incident when three State Troopers were dispatched to investigate an out-of-season moose hunting incident, the same barracks only investigated the rape of a 15 year old Indian girl via telephone.
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The Tribal Law and Order Act accomplishes a number of things. 1.1 billion in funding over the next four years will greatly increase tribal police strength. It will also provide Indian Health Services with rape counselors for Indian women. Tribal police will be deputized to enforce all federal law against any offenders, Indian and non-Indian alike; they will also be given access to National Crime Information Center (NCIC) databases. Tribal courts will be given three-year sentencing authority.
Below is a video of the signing ceremony, with Lisa Marie Iyotte introducing the president. She tells her story, and is overcome with emotion. The president displays commendable warmth and humanity in the way he calms Ms Iyotte, showing his concern is for her rather than the assembled media.
Big props to Gwen for turning me on to this-THANK YOU! I’d mentioned this to my big girl who schooled me on it too.
Please note-should you wish to read the 112-page Amnesty International report in the Blue Link above be prepared for a wait, it’s a very slow load but well worth a read.
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This will be 1.1 billion well spent indeed. Oso, you’re one of the most enlightening bloggers out there, and you need to start on that book. I’ll edit if you want.
I tell you what Oso, it is women like this woman and Steneim, Woolfe, Stanton and such that your girls and I have the freedoms we basically have to shout our voices from the rooftops if we want to. We have the vote because some women decided to be force fed instead of just sitting back and watching the patriarchs decide what is best. As long as I live I will probably be some kind of hell raising activist, never will I get to those levels though and I don’t need to, because they did it for me.
It is the woman older than me, in the 60 and 70s that decided enough is enough and went out to try and get ERA passed. You know, that pesky little 19th amendment thingy bob(technical term 🙂 Oh by the way still not passed to this day. Yeah, can you believe that, I can’t. The one thing that does torque me a little, is women like $ister $arah, Failorina and such, that they chose to align themselves with the Susan B Anthony list. SBA is probably rolling in her grave knowing these fools have absconded with her name and reputation as a fighter. Like I told Gwen, I am very lucky to have been born in this country as a female.
It’s good to recognize those who went before, who did the hard work.
Yeah it’s a travesty how Sarah and the palinettes paint themselves as in the SBA model. My big girl was so incensed at an interview awhile back, Palin in the kitchen in a suit trying to look like a working woman, cooking for her man.
Oh yeah bring home the bacon fry it up in a pan type women, like Shafly(who I thought was dead by the way). My favorite words to hubby when he tells me, I am hungry J, well there is the stove, the fridge has food, you are big enough and ugly enough to take care of yourself and know how to use the pots and pans. We have a 50/50 thing going on in our home. If I cook, he cleans and veec versay. The only thing I just HATE doing is bathrooms. Since it’s only the two of us, it doesn’t get too bad because we tend to be neat freaks, one of us more than the other(moi) trends to OCD with picking things up and putting them away right away.
Gee,
I hope all see what I see here … that Ta Wacinya Waste Win used this nightmare in her life to help her carve out greater character and step beyond her victimization into the Light of leadership and compassion.
She is no victim. She is a woman who uses her Medicine well, a warrior.
Exactly Gwen. Like most warriors before her, she knew this would not help her, but she wanted it to help others coming along behind her. See the women suffragettes for that, or the feminists or the pro choice fighters. Even this day, Lily Ledbetter, knowing her daughters and granddaughters will not have to fight for equality in the work place she stood up and had her voice heard. It is the one thing I am always, for the most part for, having been lucky enough to be born into this country as a female when the alternative could have been worse. We still have things to do, but for the big things we do have a voice.
Should say always thankful for the most part.
Bless your heart, Jess! ty
Gwen and Jess you guys are right, absolutely she is a Warrior. She stood up and fought-yet from her emotional reaction you could see how much shame and hurt she overcame, and how brave and strong she is to have triumphed and helped herself and other women. And I don’t think she had special qualities that enabled her to be a warrior, I think she was terrified and humiliated but her womanly natural strength gave her the will to overcome harsh circumstance.
I was hurting for her when she just could not get the words out. It is past time these woman, no ALL women, were held in higher esteem.
Jess, yes me too.The presidents compassion comforted her, I believe.
Young peoples self-esteem is so fragile, young girls in particular. You are a strong proud woman,my daughters are strong proud women. Yet you,all of you are continually demeaned by Hooters/Girls Gone Wild/gotta have a man BS and it’s reprehensible and mind-rotting. The objectification of women is a horror.
Not trying to sound like an expert, you and Gwen and MH and Bee are. I’m part of the leave the lid up don’t ask for directions can’t use a curling iron crowd, but even Raider fans can learn a thing or two.
I think so too with his arm around her, telling her just where you could hear him, I’m right here go ahead, rubbing her back like a dad would when his kid is upset.
As far as strong woman, thank you for thinking that, another thing I can totally lay on the ‘rental units. Mom in particular was all about empowerment and be proud of the brains you have, don’t be afraid to show them. All my time with them, you are worth more than your hoo hah, be proud of your smarts and don’t let anyone take away your essence.
I sometimes feel really badly for kids that were not as fortunate as I was to have landed the ‘rents I did. I get lost using the GPS and don’t ask for directions sometimes, so that is not entirely a male thing. Ah, in our home we have to leave the lids, seats everything down or Spiccoli drinks the toilet water and spits it out on the counter. Hubby has learned, if he does not want his bathromm toilet stuff all strewn about the place, he even has to close the door. This after many cussing sessions at the cats.
Another thing that Oso has brought to the attention that was not widely known. I was completely ignorant of the limitations of Tribal Law before. Especially the limits of sentencing and limited manpower.
Oso, if you don’t mind, I am going to print this up and show to a couple of people that I work with. Spread the tree of knowledge against their weeds of ignorance so to speak.
And I have to tell you, we got some people that have some mighty tall weeds of the “Ignoramus Stupidalis” variety.
Thanks once again!
Krell,
Thank you and please feel free to do so!
3 times more likely to inspire those around them
6 times more likely to stand in harm’s way to protect the clan
13 times more likely to accept responsibility before others
26 times more compassionate & aware of the unspoken fears in others
4 times more likely to become a leader of their clan.
Watching the video of Ta Wacinya Waste Win (aka Lisa Marie lyotte) offers us this truth. Oso writes of such women for us all to feel, understand and find the lessons their lives gift us. We choose our lessons and our reality. Honor has many faces, many clans / Nations…including the People counters. It’s perceptive.
I did know the stats with regard to this horrifying abuse. I am glad the president moved to correct it and thankful that Oso told us about it. Thanks also to Gwen.
Absolutely MH. Thanks for the stats, and for making the drug/alcohol “after the fact” connection.
I know how strong women are, you guys are not shrinking violets and as a sex are arguably stronger than we are.
Yet it tears at my heart, to see women/girls USED in such a horrible demeaning manner. I think women should be treasured, not in a dressed up Madonna manner, I mean with attention and care and love as children, and with honesty and decency as a spouse.
Oh what the hell do I know, late and can’t sleep.
Treasured, and perhaps, at times, feared. I’m sharing this with some Native American friends of mine.
Thanks Lawyer.
Oso nice job on this. Thank you Gwen for making us aware of the problem and of the Presidents signing. For whatever reason I was ignorant on the issue and of the signing.
Kudos to both of you.
Thanks Tim, and don’t feel like the Lone Ranger-I didn’t know either til Gwen and my daughter ran it down to me!
Rape stats from the RAINN site (rape and attempted rape)
* All women: 17.6%
* White women: 17.7%
* Black women: 18.8%
* Asian Pacific Islander women: 6.8%
* American Indian/Alaskan women: 34.1%
* Mixed race women: 24.4%
3 times more likely to suffer from depression.
6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.
26 times more likely to abuse drugs.
4 times more likely to contemplate suicide.
Looking at the drug and alcohol statistics, being drunk and “asking for it” might definitely be the case after if not before.
Still a 1 in 6 chance of being the victim of such a crime in my lifetime just because I have two x chromosomes really sucks, you know?