November 1996

Read from the bottom up

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November 15, 1996

Judge Bell from Marquette upheld the lower courts decission to return the records to FFJ. Fred Dakota's people said they would appeal this.

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Nov. 11, 1996
The situation at the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is deteriorating. We have word that the Tribal Police have been ordered to enter Catholic Church property and serve warrants on Father John Hascall (the pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Church who has been providing the group Fight For Justice with sanctuary for the past 14 months) and members of Fight For Justice. The KBIC Tribal Police is now a largely non-Indian force, hired after the dismissal of a number of Indian tribal police who earlier refused to follow orders to raid Church property and serve the warrants. We are expecting an assault on the Holy Name of Jesus Church, convent and rectory within the next week. The Witnesses For Non-Violence will be returning to the compound in the hopes of preventing violence. We are issuing a call to all those who have been monitoring the situation here to join the Witnesses at the Church (located on US 41,several miles northwest of Baraga, Michigan) and to call or fax the following numbers, urging negotiations and a peaceful resolution to this dispute.

Representative Bart Stupak - Fax: 202-225-4744

Senator Carl Levin - Fax: 202-224-1388

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Chair, Fred Dakota - Fax: 906-353-7540

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Police - 906-353-6623 or Fax: 906-353-6838

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More KBIC Police Brutality and Lies

Nov. 8, 1996

Around 9:00 P.M., Mr. Robert Curtis had gone to the edge of the FFJ compound on his ATV and was watching the deer graze on the baseball field. The baseball field is on the Most Holy Name of Jesus Church grounds. This is where they viciously tackled and threw him to the ground by two KBIC tribal police who jumped out from a dugout where they were hiding. They dragged and abused this 54-year-old elder who was on the ground off the compound. When they were off the compound they took him away and apparently one of the police officers drove Mr. Curtis's ATV away.

After awhile, his wife and children put out the word he was missing. There was an extensive search of the surrounding woods. People came and were combing the woods in the freezing weather with flash lights looking for him, all the while hoping he wasn't hurt too bad. As the hours dragged on, calls were made to the local hospitals and jails to see if he were hurt or picked up on the bogus warrant that they issued from the tribal council. After a call to the Marquette county jail where they informed FFJ that tribal police had called asking to house Mr. Curtis there but they had told them they would not accept Robert Curtis then. A member of FFJ went to the tribal police station and talked with Dwayne Misegan, whose father is one of Fred Dakota's backers on the tribal council. Officer Misegan told them "No. We don't have him in custody. And if he is still missing by nine o'clock to come in and file a missing person report."

When the police headquarters opened Mrs. Curtis and FFJ Attorney Mr. Clark went there and Mr. Clark demanded to speak with his client. Still denying that they had Mr. Curtis in custody one of tribal police officers left the room and after awhile he returned and told them they could see Mr. Curtis.

Later that same day Brad Dakota set an excessively high bond of $10,000.00 in cash for three misdemeanors charges. They are now holding Mr. Curtis in the Marquette County jail.

In the evening of Nov 8, 1996 tribal police chased and arrested George Curtis, son of Mr. Robert Curtis. As of right now the reason for arresting George are as yet unknown.

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KBIC Police Brutality
On the evening of November 2, 1996 KBIC police responded to a complaint and arrived a home on the reservation where 3 youths were at home. They were 2 boys aged 13 and 1 boy age 14 at home when the police arrived. The police told the boys they were there on a complaint and the boys invited them into the house. The police asked questions and apparently not liking the answers proceeded to viciously attack these boys. All 3 boys were beaten black and blue, in addition, one youngster had 2 black eyes that he received from the police. Yet a another one of the boys who still after a week has hand and finger bruises around his throat where the police repeatedly choked him. The refrigerator in the home was almost destroyed beyond repair from where the police repeatedly threw the boys against it.