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,