And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Protests were mild during Clinton's visit http://www.journalstar.com/stories/top/sto2 PINE RIDGE, S.D. (AP) -- Edgar Bear Runner held up a sign and yelled to urge President Clinton to grant clemency to an Indian serving a life term for killing two FBI agents. But he and other activists decided not to hold formal demonstrations during the president's visit Wednesday to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Even those worried about human rights and other issues agreed the president's visit should remain focused on his plans for bringing jobs and better housing to the reservation, said Bear Runner, who lives at Porcupine village. "We all agree it's needed here," he said. Prior to Clinton's speech, some activists had said they planned to stage demonstrations during his visit to the reservation, but none occurred during the time he was in Pine Ridge. Some at the speech held up signs urging the return of land taken from the Sioux more than a century ago. Another sign referred to unsolved murders on the reservation. People who have marched to protest the sale of beer at Whiteclay, Neb., only two miles from the village of Pine Ridge, also had threatened to demonstrate. Indian activists Dennis Banks and Russell Means have been involved in the recent marches, but they did not appear to be in Pine Ridge on Wednesday. Alcohol is banned on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, but alcohol bought elsewhere creates severe problems for residents. Bear Runner, who was involved in some American Indian Movement activities when he was younger, wanted the president to know about Leonard Peltier, who has been in prison since 1977. Peltier was convicted of the 1975 murders of two FBI agents during a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation. "We're here as Peltier's supporters to continue to echo the sounds of freedom for Peltier," Bear Runner said. Babe Poor Bear held up a sign urging Clinton to follow the terms of treaties that had given the Sioux most of western South Dakota. Those treaties were broken more than a century ago, and the tribes were restricted to smaller reservations. One line on her sign urged the president to "Give back the Paha Sapa," the Sioux name for the Black Hills. Poor Bear said she was pleased that Clinton visited the reservation to learn about the poor living conditions of many poverty-stricken people, but she was disappointed he never talked about land issues, alcohol problems and other important topics. Clinton definitely noticed one banner. He and the Rev. Jesse Jackson signed a cloth sign that read "Stop Lakota Ethnic Cleansing," a reference to recent murders. Wendell Yellow Bull, executive director of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, said most people wanted to avoid any demonstrations that might have disrupted discussions on improving the reservation's economy. "A lot of the people just wanted this to go well," he said. Yellow Bull said the tribe worked hard for two weeks to prepare everything for Clinton's visit. 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/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
