From: Black Mesa Projects/ ISCO <bigmnt@efn.org>

Bob, thank you for sharing the article about Eric Holder's memo leaked
from the US Department of Justice about prosecuting criminal corporations.

I want to encourage people to write to Holder. Now is a most fortuitous
time and here is a sample letter (but please snail mail something in your
own words, it is much more effective). Please reply to me for more
info!
Beth, ISCO bigmnt@efn.org

 

Assistant Attorney General
Department of Justice
PO Box 44378
Washington DC 20026

November 1, 1999

Mr. Eric Holder:

I am concerned about the impending forced eviction of traditional Dine'h
(Navajo) from Hopi Partition Lands (HPL) in northeastern Arizona. Please
instruct the US Attorney for the District of Arizona, to not seek court
ordered evictions in US District Court in Phoenix nor enforce any
evictions! Instead, please instruct them to protect Dine'h human and
religious rights.

Dine'h are being forced to sign "Accommodation Agreement" leases that are
neither permanent or fair. Those who do not sign face eviction hearings
sometime after February 1, 2000 under PL 104-301, which attempts to
settle a legal claim brought by the Hopi Tribe against the US.

This matter must be handled non-violently by the Department of Justice,
with sensitivity to the traditional Elders and different culture of the
Dine'h. The DoJ must halt any threatening actions against United States
citizens whose beliefs counter federal policies that directly affect
their children!

Despite any perceived land dispute between Dine'h (Navajo) residents or
the Navajo and the Hopi Tribal Councils, forced relocation continues to
violate Dine'h religious and human rights. Many outstanding issues
remain unresolved in the Manybeads V. United States et al. class action
lawsuit, now in review at the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San
Francisco. Also, related concerns continue to be heard within the United
Nations. With time, these matters will be addressed, if evictions do not
happen first.

Currently, Dine'h who repaired their homes on the HPL, despite a 33-year
old construction ban, are told to dismantle the necessary repairs or face
demolition under the "Bennett Freeze" section of PL 93-531. This ban
violates Dine'h treaty rights and human rights and will hasten evictions!

Since the Department of Justice is under investigation for it's role in
the tragic fire at the Branch Dividian Compound at Waco, Texas and the
FBI has been held responsible for shooting deaths at Ruby Ridge in Idaho,
I urge you to please direct your DoJ attorneys to not seek or enforce
court ordered evictions of traditional Dine'h from lands shared for centuries!

The United States must be more "accommodating" and learn to stop bullying
American Indians or it will only continue to exasperate the ongoing
situation. Forced evictions can only bring further tragedy and national
disgrace. Instead, protect the human and religious rights of the
traditional Dine'h, regardless of their lease status, who remain on the HPL!

Sincerely,