Spokane7
68°
February 4, 2012
AIM founder in Spokane: Indians continue to face disrespect
While Americans celebrated news of Osama bin Laden’s death at the hands of U.S. Navy SEALs last spring, Clyde Bellecourt was disturbed by one detail of the story: the SEALs’ code name for bin Laden was “Geronimo.”
”They compared the world’s worst terrorist to one of the greatest chiefs in the world,” Bellecourt told a crowd of about 70 people Saturday in Spokane.
Bellecourt, a co-founder of the American Indian Movement and current national director of the group, demanded an apology from President Barack Obama for the Geronimo reference during a United Nations meeting last year. No apology has yet come, and Bellecourt said Saturday that the incident was just the latest in a centuries-long history of disregard toward American Indian culture.
“They only use us as mascots,” he said. “They use us when they kill people.”
The American Indian Movement was founded in 1968 in Minneapolis and during the 1970s rose to national prominence for the hard line its members took while fighting for American Indian rights. Bellecourt organized a march on Washington, D.C., in 1972 that led to an occupation of Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters. In 1973, he helped stage a protest in Wounded Knee, S.D., that resulted in a 71-day standoff with federal authorities.
Later, he worked with indigenous people from other parts of the world at the United Nations to bring their grievances to an international stage. Those efforts resulted in the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, which the U.S. did not initially support when the U.N. adopted it in 2007. The Obama administration has since said it supports the declaration.
Bellecourt said America’s history of breaking treaties with tribes and forcing Indians to abandon their culture continues to have repercussions today, among them high dropout rates, high suicide rates and poor health.
He attributed the high rate of diabetes on reservations to Native Americans replacing a diet of meat and berries with “white flour, white sugar, white salt, canned chicken and government cheese.”
And he said the American government continues to support regimes that violently repress indigenous people, as it did during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. During that war, tens of thousands of Mayans were executed by government security forces, a U.N. report found.
“Don’t tell me you’re not responsible,” he told the crowd, saying many consider atrocities against native people a thing of the past. “Don’t tell me about your grandpa. We still do it today.”
That’s NEWS to you 
Al_Loysius on February 04 at 8:07 p.m.
Aw, lighten up Claude.
“told a crowd of about 70 people Saturday in Spokane”
70 people constitutes a “crowd?” By that measure Trader Joes and Costco must have had mobs.
Slow news day Mr. Person?
larryak68 on February 04 at 8:42 p.m.
Get over it. I find it hard to respect Native Americans when I am accosted for spare change whenever I am downtown.
oink on February 04 at 8:44 p.m.
Thank you all for Casino cash and no tax on smokes
“Russel Charles Means” “Eddie Banai”” Herb Powless”“Dennis Banks”
Kivaari on February 04 at 9:00 p.m.
Comical. When whitey pays tribute to native Americans by naming a city or county after them it is out of respect. When soldiers jumped into France screaming “Geronimo” it wasn’t out of disrespect. When a school has a mascot named after tough American Indian tribes it isn’t about disrespect. Look all over American and many places are named for our fellow Americans. Much like using Spanish and Mexican names for most of the south west. Now stop calling a team “The Fighting Irish”, that’s just too hateful. AIM was a real problem in years past. I might enjoy Russel Means playing a Native American in a movie, but I can never get the image out of my mind of him holding an AK47 skyward, calling for the death of lawmen. All after his fellow natives murdered FBI agents. I would have nuked that reservation.
Traveler on February 04 at 9:09 p.m.
Al_Loysius wonders: “70 people constitutes a “crowd?”
Two’s company; three’s a crowd. ;-)
DickAdams on February 04 at 9:47 p.m.
Clyde Bellecourt, are you kidding me?
westerly on February 04 at 9:50 p.m.
Assimilate is the key.
vaughn711 on February 05 at 2:18 p.m.
I forgot just how racist Spokane is. I agree “Claude” isnt as effective as an a-k47, or the Native woman who sued you rednecks and won your supremecy compound there in the Inland Northwest. I sense your resentment towards Natives. I wish i wasnt mobbed at every corner by a whiteman or woman in every city in this country beggin for money. I seen your welfare line spokane, its long and WHITE, Learn some respect. Fake christians
lstookey on February 06 at 3:50 p.m.
Let the past go. If you can’t, it is you who suffer. The rest of us have moved on with our lives. We are struggling just as much as anybody and if you can’t see that because your skin is red, your just as much a fool as those you complain of.
BriBri on February 07 at 9:31 a.m.
Ignorance is not bliss.
First and foremost, the statement of “get over it, you lost” is ridiculous and the only way I can think those of you who don’t understand can try and empathize, is to think of 911. I recall a day I had to go into the DMV and the gentleman who assisted me was wearing a t-shirt stating “911 - we shall never forget”…Does this sound familiar? So, riddle me this, why are Americans allowed to “never forget” but us Indigenous folks are told time and time again to “get over it?” I don’t see a difference, with the exception that my ancestors endured more horrific acts and for an extended period of time; which overflows into the present.
I think people are mistaken and assume that we are wanting sympathy, but in fact, we just want acknowledgement, a little bit of understanding - in a sense, seek out the truth about the history of this country - educate yourself. The acknowlegement I speak of is in reference to the “real” history being taught, the true history of how this country was founded and built. Not the history of Thanksgiving with friendly “noble savages” and pilgrims, but the events that led up to King Phillip’s War and how his head was placed on stake and remained there for over two or three decades.
As for the mascots, and how non Indigenous folk say they are paying tribute or honoring us - we never asked you, leave that to us. These are our ancestors, our traditions, our culture and we should tend to them because only we understand how such things should be dealt with. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, when non Indigenous people “honor or pay tribute” what you simply are doing is further perpetuating an embedded idealogy that Indians in this country are inferior and equilvalent to animals. Indian mascots is just another disguise of oppressing a minority group (look up the definition of minority, so that you clearly understand my argument here).
In a nutshell, shame on those with the ignorant aformentioned comments. Clearly your world view is not cerebral. Do yourself a favor, get a bit more educated…as Chief Plenty Coup stated, “…without the white man’s knowledge, you shall remain his victim…”
Cuzint on February 07 at 7:26 p.m.
Wow! Every time I see a story like this and then read the comments, I have no regrets about leaving Slow Kan…The simple fact that the town is primarily white and racist is the reality. If’n ya’ll white folks hate the original inhabitants so much, then get on the boat and go home…where ever that is. It ain’t here, though. You are descended from liars, thieves, rapists and murderers. Study the real history and you might get it, even if you can’t admit it to yourselves. LOL, have a nice day.
combat_injuneer on February 07 at 10:42 p.m.
@ larryak68 and Istookey: Yeah, as stated by bribri, that 911 thing? Get over that. It was only a couple of buildings with only a couple thousand people in it. Childs play, considering what happened to the Native people of this country. Undoubtedly there were a few white folk in that building who might agree to your thinking, so… what’s the harm?
@kivaari: Sure, honor us, but what about hispanics, blacks, jews, ect? Wenatchee Wetbacks? Newport Ni**ers (<— only because I was censored)? Chewelah Chinks? Offensive? Not by your thinking - those are all honoring their heritage according to your thought process.
combat_injuneer on February 07 at 10:44 p.m.
I find it amusing that the word Ni**er is censored, but wetback and chink are not. Way to go Spokesman.