Good morning, NUNAverse:
The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack will hear testimony Tuesday from four police officers who were on the front lines that day as rioters supporting then-President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop lawmakers from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral win. The hearing will mark the first time the panel will hear public testimony, and will kick-start its efforts to investigate the events on January 6.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland will meet today with leaders from several tribes to discuss voting rights amid a broader push by the administration to promote legislation on the issue. The meeting in Harris’ office comes as the Biden administration pushes for expanding ballot access in the face of new restrictions at the state level. Invited to the meeting with Harris are Kevin Killer, the President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a former South Dakota state legislator; Shelly Fryant, the Chairwoman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana; and Julie Kitka, the President of the Alaska Federation of Natives, which represents members of 168 federally recognized tribes in Alaska, according to a White House official.
Seattle police watchdogs say they are alarmed and disappointed by a new report showing that officers — despite nearly a decade under federal oversight partly intended to address bias — continue to stop and use force against Native people in the city far more often than white people. The report found that Native people, per capita, were nine times more likely to be stopped by Seattle police than white people. Meanwhile, the report also found that Black individuals were seven times more likely to be subjected to force by Seattle police than white people, and five times more likely to be stopped and questioned.
A federal judge has denied environmentalists’ request for a court order temporarily blocking the government from digging trenches for archaeological surveys at a mine planned near the Nevada-Oregon line with the biggest known U.S. deposit of lithium. U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said in an 11-page ruling late Friday in Reno that four conservation groups failed to prove the trenches planned across a total of one-quarter acre would cause irreparable harm to sage brush that serves as critical habitat for the imperiled sage grouse. She said she plans to rule later this week on a request from a Nevada tribe to join the legal battle as a co-plaintiff and seek a similar restraining order based on claims the digging would disturb burial grounds.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will require 115,000 of its frontline health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the next two months, making it the first federal agency to mandate that employees be inoculated, government officials said on Monday. The mandate will apply to workers who are “the most patient-facing,” Denis McDonough, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs said, including doctors, dentists, registered nurses, physician assistants, and some specialists. Beginning on Wednesday, those health care workers will have eight weeks to get fully vaccinated or face penalties including possible removal, he said.
Keep reading for a full news update.
COVID-19:
As COVID-19 Infections Rise Again In Indian Country, Oklahoma Bceomes Epicenter
Examiner-Enterprise, Molly Young, July 27
Oklahoma’s rising COVID-19 caseload is driving a resurgence of infections in Indian Country. New cases in Oklahoma and neighboring Kansas add up to half of all cases reported since late June by health care providers that primarily serve Native Americans. The rise worries clinicians like Dr. George Adam Vascellaro, who has watched the coronavirus pandemic wage a devastatingly disproportionate toll on Indigenous families and communities.
V.A. Issues Vaccine Mandate For Health Care Workers, A First For A Federal Agency
New York Times, Jennifer Steinhauer, July 27
The Department of Veterans Affairs will require 115,000 of its frontline health care workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in the next two months, making it the first federal agency to mandate that employees be inoculated, government officials said on Monday.
Law:
Lawsuit Over Oakland Community Sweat Lodge Leads To Pushback From Native Elders Group
Native News Online, Andrew Kennard, July 26
A civil lawsuit filed in January by former Oakland city councilman Wilson Riles Jr. alleges that the city violated his religious rights during a long dispute over sweat lodge ceremonies performed on his property. Over the past few weeks, a small organization of Native American women elders has formed to mobilize opposition to the suit. Riles and his wife Patricia St. Onge are part of a community called Nafsi Ya Jamii, or “Community of Souls,” which meets on contiguous properties owned by Riles, St. Onge, and Riles’s brother. St. Onge told Native News Online that the community practices Lakota ceremonies in a Cree-style sweat lodge on the property. According to the lawsuit, the religious services and community gatherings require a specially built fireplace and chimney, yurts, and a renovated garage space.
Judge Refuses To Block Digging At NV-OR Mine
AP News, Scott Sonner, July 26
A federal judge has denied environmentalists’ request for a court order temporarily blocking the government from digging trenches for archaeological surveys at a mine planned near the Nevada-Oregon line with the biggest known U.S. deposit of lithium. U.S. District Judge Miranda Du said in an 11-page ruling late Friday in Reno that four conservation groups failed to prove the trenches planned across a total of one-quarter acre would cause irreparable harm to sage brush that serves as critical habitat for imperiled sage grouse. She said she plans to rule later this week on a request from a Nevada tribe to join the legal battle as a co-plaintiff and seek a similar restraining order based on claims the digging would disturb sacred burial grounds.
Native Mascots:
Chiefs To Stop Running Of Warpaint Horse Amid Talks Of Native American Ties
Newsweek, Benjamin Fearnow, July 26
Kansas City Chiefs President Mark Donovan announced Monday afternoon that Warpaint, the team’s horse that runs the field before every home game, will no longer be present at Arrowhead Stadium.
MMIW:
‘We’re Going To Tell Our Stories’: Diné Victim Advocates Are Overcoming Stigma And Limited Resources To Develop A Community-Based Response To Sexual Violence
The Salt Lake Tribune, Zak Podmore, July 26
Agents from the FBI office in Salt Lake City traveled to southern San Juan County to award Utah Navajo Health System (UNHS) for its victim advocacy program, which Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty and others hope will become a model program for supporting victims of sexual assault and domestic violence across the Navajo Nation. But amid the pageantry and congratulations, Crotty reminded the federal and tribal law enforcement officials who were present about the stakes of the issue. Crotty helped convince Congress to pass legislation in 2018 that extended the AMBER Alert system to the Navajo Nation and other tribal nations in the United States, a bill known as “Ashlynne’s Law.” Later that same year, Crotty wore the scarf when she testified for three hours before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs about the epidemic of violence against Indigenous women, men, children and transgender people, issues that are compounded by underfunded tribal law enforcement services
Politics:
The January 6 Select Committee Will Hear From 4 Police Officers Tuesday. Here Are Their Stories
CNN, Zachary Coehn, Marshall Cohen, July 26
The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack will hear testimony Tuesday from four police officers who were on the front lines that day as rioters supporting then-President Donald Trump violently stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop lawmakers from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral win.
Vice President Kamala Harris Set To Meet With Native American Leaders On Voting Rights
Miami Herald, Bryan Lowry, July 26
Vice President Kamala Harris and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will meet on Tuesday with leaders from several Native American tribes to discuss voting rights amid a broader push by the administration to promote legislation on the issue. The meeting in Harris’ office comes as the Biden administration pushes for expanding ballot access in the face of new restrictions at the state level. Invited to the meeting with Harris are Kevin Killer, the president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a former South Dakota state legislator; Shelly Fryant, the chairwoman of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana; and Julie Kitka, the president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, which represents members of 168 federally recognized tribes in Alaska, according to a White House official.
Secretary Haaland Declines Comment As Tribal Film Builds Momentum For Wolf Protections To Be Reinstated, Backed By Members Of Congress
Native News Online, Arianna Amehae, July 26
“It is abundantly clear that since protections were removed, states have accelerated policies which threaten decades of successful wolf recovery efforts across the country. Please join us in urging Secretary Haaland to revisit the decision to delist Gray Wolves,” closes a letter to fellow lawmakers from Members of Congress Donald Beyer, Jr., Raul Grijalva, and Peter DeFazio.The Congressmen’s letter reflects many of the positions highlighted in “Family,” the short film produced by the Global Indigenous Council. Directed by Rain (“Say Her Name”/”Somebody’s Daughter”) and narrated by Crystle Lightning (“Trickster”/”Yellowstone”), in its first week of release “Family” generated over 170,000 views across multiple platforms.
Other:
Seattle Police Stop Black People, Native Americans At Far Higher Rate Than White People
The Seattle Times, Mike Carter, July 26
Seattle police watchdogs and civil libertarians say they are alarmed and disappointed by a new report showing officers — despite nearly a decade under federal oversight partly intended to address bias — continue to stop and use force against Black people in the city far more often than white people. The report found that Black people, per capita, were seven times more likely to be subjected to force by Seattle police than white people, and five times more likely to be stopped and questioned. Native Americans in the city were nine times more likely to be stopped, it said.