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The Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) issued a joint statement calling “for immediate discontinuance of race-based sports mascots in media,” citing growing scientific research that demonstrates consistent harm caused by race-based mascots in media, and The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics that “makes clear that journalists should act to minimize harm.” NAJA was joined in their statement by the National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Asian American Journalists Association, and Society of Professional Journalists.
Statues of President Andrew Jackson were attacked near the White House in Washington, D.C. and in Jacksonville, Florida. In Washington, D.C. police used pepper spray to move protesters out of Lafayette Square – right behind the White House – where the statue of Jackson is located. President Trump said he wants the maximum punishment available under federal law — up to a decade in prison — for those who destroy or tamper with statues on public property that commemorate anyone who served in the U.S. military.
Alaska Native communities have submitted emergency requests to hunt out of season as the coronavirus pandemic causes food supply concerns. At least six small localities across the state have been waiting nearly two months for responses to their applications for special hunting permission. The Associated Press reports that the federal Office of Subsistence Management is fielding multiple requests and is expected to address the issue at an upcoming meeting this month.
Several tribes in California’s Klamath Basin praised Monday’s decision by the United States Supreme Court not to hear the Klamath Project irrigators’ Fifth Amendment water rights case, Baley v. United States. By not hearing the case, the Supreme Court upheld the Klamath Tribes’ treaty water rights as the most senior water rights in the Klamath Basin.
Citing “unlawful threats” to its sovereignty, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has sued President Donald J. Trump and other members of his administration, including Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney, “for threatening to take unlawful actions to shut down the Tribe’s Health Safety Checkpoints, including threats of reassumption of control of the Tribe’s law enforcement program, in the midst of the unprecedented national COVID-19 public health crisis.”
Keep reading for a full news update.
Nationwide Protests:
#EndRacistMascots
NAJA, June 23
NAJA is joined by NABJ, NAHJ, AAJA, and SPJ to reiterate its demand for the immediate and permanent discontinuance of racialized sports mascots by news outlets. This discontinuance should include clear policy development and implementation, that clarifies the harm they cause, and the practical editorial methods to avoid their use on all platforms. The continued portrayal of racialized mascots in news media directly violates fundamental tenets of professional journalism. The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics makes clear that journalists should act to minimize harm:
Trump Says ‘Learn From History’ Instead Of Removing Statues
AP News, Darlene Superville, June 23
As America grapples with racism in its past, President Donald Trump lined up squarely Tuesday with those who argue that the pendulum has swung too far in favor of removing statues and other symbols of that flawed history, saying mistakes will be repeated if not learned from and understood. Trump’s campaign also sees the divide over this latest cultural flash point as a way to boost the president’s standing, which has suffered during his handling of the coronavirus outbreak and the protests over racial injustice that followed George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
Andrew Jackson Remains On The Nation’s Pedestal
AP News, June 23
Andrew Jackson won the day. At least for now. Statues of President Andrew Jackson were attacked near the White House in Washington and in Jacksonville, Florida. In Washington, WUSA-TV reported that police used pepper spray to move protesters out of Lafayette Square, where the Jackson statue is located. Videos posted on social media showed that the protesters had climbed on the statue and tied ropes around it, then tried to pull it off its pedestal. The statue shows Jackson in a military uniform, riding a horse that is rearing on its hind legs. The 19th century president’s ruthless treatment of Native Americans has made his statue a target of demonstrators protesting the United States’ legacy of racial injustice.
President Trump Vows Executive Action Protecting Statues
AP News, Darlene Superville, June 23
As America grapples with racism in its past, President Donald Trump lined up squarely Tuesday with those who argue that the pendulum has swung too far in favor of removing statues and other symbols of that flawed history, saying mistakes will be repeated if not learned from and understood.
California Bishops Defend Junípero Serra, Say He Helped Native Americans
Newsweek, Jade Bremner, June 23
The Catholic Church has come out in defence of Spanish priest Junípero Serra, after an effigy of him was torn down in Downtown Los Angeles by indigenous activists on Saturday.
Sign Depicting Native American Chief Vandalized, Petition Calls For Its Removal
KOB4, Diana Castillo, June 23
A sign depicting a Native American chief that stands outside a Durango gallery was vandalized over the weekend.
Toh Atin Gallery co-owner Antonia Clark said the chief has stayed the same for decades until she noticed some changes when she showed up to work Saturday morning
Protesters Try To Pull Down Andrew Jackson Statue In DC
AP News, June 22
Protesters tried to pull down a statue of President Andrew Jackson near the White House Monday night before being dispersed by police. WUSA-TV in Washington reported that police used pepper spray to move protesters out of Lafayette Square, where the Jackson statue is located. Videos posted on social media showed that the protesters had climbed on the statue and tied ropes around it, then tried to pull it off its pedestal. The statue shows Jackson in a military uniform, riding a horse that is rearing on its hind legs. The 19th century president’s ruthless treatment of Native Americans has made his statue a target of demonstrators protesting the United States’ legacy of racial injustice.
COVID-19:
Americares Sends Coronavirus Supplies To Native American Communities
Stamford Advocate, David Fierro, June 23
To help the Native American community, which has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic, Stamford-based Americares has shipped 20 tons of personal protective equipment, infection-control supplies and hygiene products to the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation.
Navajo Nation COVID-19 Cases Surpass 7,000; Total Cases More Than 10 States
Native News Online, Levi Rickert, June 23
The Navajo Nation reported on Monday night the total COVID-19 cases on the country’s largest Indian reservation has surpassed 7,000 since the reporting began on March 17, 2020. The total number of COVID-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation is 7,045.
The total exceeds 10 states COVID-19 cases.
Reports from 11 health care facilities on and near the Navajo Nation indicate that approximately 3,716 individuals recovered from COVID-19, with one health care facility report still pending. 49,444 people have been tested for COVID-19.
Alaska Tribes Facing Virus Limits Submit Hunting Requests
AP News, June 22
Alaska Native tribal governments and other communities have submitted emergency requests to hunt out of season as the coronavirus pandemic causes food supply concerns. At least six small localities across the state have been waiting nearly two months for responses to their applications for special hunting permission, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported Sunday. The federal Office of Subsistence Management is fielding multiple requests and is expected to address the issue at an upcoming meeting this month. The agency responds to emergency hunting actions on federal land, while Alaska has its own process to handle requests for actions on state land.
Law:
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe v. Donald J. Trump
Indianz.com, June 23
Citing “unlawful threats” to its sovereignty, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe on June 23, 2020, sued President Donald J. Trump and other members of his administration in connection with coronavirus checkpoints on the reservation.
Supreme Court Winds Down Unusual Term With Tribal Sovereignty Case On Docket
Indianz.com, Acee Agoyo, June 23
As Indian Country continues to wait for a decision in a closely-watched sovereignty case, the nation’s highest court is turning away long-running challenges to tribal treaty and land rights.
In an order list on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court rebuffed an attempt to undermine tribal water rights in Oregon. And in a separate action, the justices prevented a tribe’s lands from possibly being taken out of trust in Oklahoma. “Speaking as a tribal member, this is a monumental day for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma,” Chief Joe Bunch said in a statement after learning the petition in the case was denied.
Northern California Tribes Praise Supreme Court Refusal To Hear Klamath Project Case
Native News Online, June 23
American Indian tribes in California’s Klamath Basin praised Monday’s decision by the United States Supreme Court not to hear the Klamath Project irrigators’ Fifth Amendment water rights case, Baley v. United States. By not hearing the case, the Supreme Court upheld the Klamath Tribes’ treaty water rights as the most senior water rights in the Klamath Basin. These water rights are critical to protect the tribes’ fisheries and traditional way of life. “Bailey is an important affirmation of our tribe’s priority right to the water to sustain our fisheries,” Hoopa Valley Tribal Chairman Byron Nelson Jr. said on Monday. Klamath Project irrigators sought nearly $30 million in compensation from the United States government for the Bureau of Reclamation’s curtailment of water deliveries during a severe drought in 2001.
Tribes, Environmentalists Sue To Stop Rollback Of Clean Water Act Protections
AZ Central, Debra Krol, June 23
A coalition of tribal governments, environmentalists and labor advocates has sued to stop implementation of a new federal rule that weakens protections for streams and wetlands.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s new Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which took effect on Monday, rolls back clean-water regulation of intermittent waterways, arroyos and washes. The litigation follows two decisions last week in which one federal court rejected a request by 17 states to block the Trump administration’s new rule and another court issued a stay in Colorado. The rule sets aside protections for intermittent and ephemeral streams by eliminating them from the “waters of the United States” designation of the Clean Water Act.
Casinos:
Little River Band Of Ottawa Indians Inks Deal For Sports Betting, Online Gaming Partnership
Native News Online, June 23
The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians has partnered with a Chicago-based sports betting and online gaming operator Rush Street Interactive LLC to run its in-casino retail sportsbook. Under the terms of the partnership agreement, Rush Street Interactive will operate the sportsbook located inside the tribe’s Little River Casino Resort north of Manistee, Mich. The tribe expects to open the sportsbook to guests early in the third quarter of this year, according to a statement. The deal also includes plans to launch co-branded online sports betting and online casino gaming once allowed by state rules, according to a statement.
Other:
Sacred Duty: Bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenau Home
Indian Country Today, June 23
Family ties aren’t limited to human beings. For many the animal world is very much a part of the culture. And so it is with the Lummi Nation in Washington. The Lummi call Orca whales their relatives. In 1970 whales were captured in the Salish Sea and sold to aquariums across the country. Of those whales that were kidnapped, only one remains alive today and lives in an aquarium in Florida. Now two Lummi Elders are leading the fight to bring their relative home. Raynell Morris and Ellie Kinley sent a letter to the Miami Seaquarium on July 27, 2019, putting them on notice they were going to sue if the business didn’t release the whale back to the Lummi people.
Navajo Man Loved Coaching, Hunting: ‘He Touched A Lot Of Hearts’
Indian Country Today, Dalton Walker, June 23
Marcus Pino Sr. had a passion for basketball and captured his 100th career win in February as the Alamo Navajo High School boys’ coach in New Mexico. It was one of the last basketball games the 42-year-old father of five would coach. Pino, Navajo, died on April 16 from complications related to COVID-19. He leaves behind two sons, three daughters, a granddaughter and fiance Delfina Monte. “He loved the game, and he loved learning about the game,” Alamo Navajo Athletic Director Barbara Gordon told the Navajo Times. “He sought out other coaches, and he learned from them.” Pino had coached the team for the past seven seasons. He also enjoyed hunting, attending church and spending time with his family.