And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Date: Wed, 07 Jul 1999 12:14:26 -0400 From: Kim Miller Check out this opinion letter from a South Dakota paper The Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan at <http://www.yankton.net/stories/070799/opE_0707990018.html Banning Whiteclay Alcohol Sales Not The Answer For Tribe Woes It was terribly fortunate that last Saturday's rally on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which culminated with a march to Whiteclay, did not end in chaos -- or worse. Several hundred Indian protesters were set to march again on the small town, which had its 22 residents evacuated as a prelude to another weekend of protests from tribal members and American Indian Movement activists. The previous weekend, a march on the town turned violent, with some vandalism reported. In the week thereafter, there were reports that protesters planned to occupy Whiteclay, a border town with three businesses that primarily sell alcohol to many of the 15,000 inhabitants of the "dry" reservation. This past Saturday, dozens of Nebraska state troopers waited at the state line with riot gear. In the broiling July heat and in a tinderbox atmosphere of mounting racial tension, this confrontation could have turned nasty very quickly. Fortunately, it didn't. Nine arrests were made, but no violence was reported. Coming as it did just before President Clinton's scheduled visit to the region today, an ugly incident could have destroyed a priceless opportunity for tribal officials to bring national attention to the area's problems. Whiteclay has become one of the lightning rods of social, economic and racial unrest simmering in this region. The deaths of two tribal members last month have only brought the tensions to a head. The issue of alcohol has long been the main player in the frictions between the Pine Ridge reservation and Whiteclay. Many tribal officials condemn the fact that Whiteclay bars do about $3 million in business every year. Most of that cash comes from the 5,000-square-mile reservation, where alcohol is banned but the rate of alcoholism is nevertheless high. Indeed, it has one of the nation's highest alcoholism-related mortality rates. One tribal official, Tom Poor Bear, is calling on the state of Nebraska to prohibit Whiteclay businesses from selling alcohol. He blames those sales for much of the alcohol-related problems on the reservation. Tribal officials say drunken driving arrests on the two-mile stretch of highway between Whiteclay and the reservation sometimes reach about 1,000 a year. Although we sympathize with that concern, the fact is the businesses in Whiteclay aren't the real source of the reservation's alcohol problems. Nor is the tribe's demand practical: Revoking alcohol licenses in Whiteclay would violate laws of commerce. For the tribe to demand that Whiteclay businesses be barred from selling alcohol is akin to Yankton County outlawing alcohol within its borders, then demanding South Yankton, Neb., or Vermillion or Tyndall not be permitted to sell alcohol either. Frankly, there is no doubt that Whiteclay businesses thrive on alcohol sales to tribal members -- the establishments sell the equivalent of about 4 million cans of beer a year. You can pass whatever social judgments you wish on that fact. But with the proper licensing, those businesses have the right to sell alcohol and make a living. By the same token, adult members of the tribe have the right to purchase alcohol at Whiteclay or any other business with a license. And those people also have the right not to do so. It's their choice. Tribal officials have long resisted calls to make alcohol legal on their reservation -- it is currently the only reservation in the state with such a ban in place. But perhaps they should reverse this stance. By allowing alcohol sales, the tribe could gain something that it does not now have in this situation -- control. By legalizing alcohol sales, the tribe can regulate the product much in the same way the Rosebud reservation does with its own liquor commission. And by selling alcohol, the tribe could utilize the revenue to fund its own alcohol treatment programs. Last year, the state of Nebraska garnered $156,000 in taxes from Whiteclay beer sales. That's money the tribe is essentially forfeiting by remaining "dry." Also, legalizing alcohol sales on the reservation would make Whiteclay alcohol businesses a virtual non-factor in Pine Ridge affairs. The tribe would be better off taking control of its own situation than by blaming others for this problem. Alcoholism -- not Whiteclay -- is the real issue. Removing that source does not automatically eradicate the addiction, which to an extent the reservation's own laws currently prove. Regulating the source and using the funds it generates to deal with the disease may be the best solution for this increasingly volatile situation. Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
