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http://www.okit.com/news/2001/Sept/hatecrime.html
Native American not found to be victim of hate
crime
By Jim Gray
TULSA, OK. -- In what was characterized as
a hate crime against an American Indian mistaken as an Arab-American, new
statements of witnesses say it was an actual case of drunken road-rage
between two Native Americans.
In the early morning hours of Saturday, September
15th, American Indians, Kimberly Lowe, Sonja Watashe, Donny and Gibson
Runningbear were reported as driving through the streets of Tulsa when
they became involved in a case of road rage with another vehicle. Eventually
the vehicles came to a stop and when Kimberly Lowe (21) got out of her
vehicle, she was run over and left for dead by two individuals who sped
away in a green vehicle.
Shortly after police arrived on the scene,
Gibson Runningbear told police that some "skinheads" had committed the
crime accusing them of being Arab-Americans. One other witness, Sonja Watashe,
phoned Kimberly's mother Gloria to tell her the same story.
Since last Tuesday's bombing in New York and
Washington D.C., there have been many outbreaks of racially motivated attacks
against people of color which fueled the story to spread throughout Indian
country.
But Sgt. Wayne Allen of the Tulsa Police Department
said after questioning by Tulsa Police detectives, Runningbear recanted
this statement. Neither Watashe or Donny Runningbear told police they heard
racial remarks made by the other people who were in the car, although that
was their statement earlier to Kimberly's mother.
According to police reports, all four passengers
had been drinking.
Tulsa Police Sergeant Wayne Allen told the
Native American Times, "They had been drinking quite a bit, because Runningbear,
by his own admission, was passed out [in the back of the vehicle]," he
said.
Allen said the passengers became involved in
an angry shouting match which resulted in one of the cars being hit by
the other. According to Allen, Kimberly pulled into a parking lot and got
out of the car. The driver of a green compact car then drove at Kimberly
Lowe while she was running away and hit her. It then went back and hit
the car that Kimberly had been in, said Allen.
Kimberly was transferred to local a hospital
where she was pronounced dead.
The suspected driver and victim were both American
Indians according to police records. Edwin Doctor 23 of Tulsa, was placed
in jail on Tuesday, September 18th, on a complaint of first-degree manslaughter.
When asked if their investigation gave them any indication that this was
racially motivated, "I don't' believe it all," said Allen.
Allen acknowledged that Runningbear had originally
told police that it was racially motivated but after questioning by the
Tulsa Police, Runningbear later recanted that statement.
Allen puts to rest any belief that the suspects
were skinheads. Tulsa police do not have an identity of the other person
in the car, but they believe Doctor was the driver of the green car that
killed Lowe. Lowe's mother Gloria stated that she believed her daughter
might have known Edwin Doctor prior to the incident.
At a memorial service for Lowe on Monday, September
17 at the All Tribes Community Church in Tulsa, Runningbear stood up and
apologized to the packed audience of family and friends for lying about
the incident.
Lowe's mother, Gloria told the Native American
Times that she did not know why Watashe and Runningbear mislead her and
the police, but believed that Runningbear was just trying to tell them
anything so he could be released and allowed to return to the hospital.
"If anything good comes out of this tragic
event, I hope it sends a message to any young person out there to change
their life, who may be involved in doing things they know they shouldn't,"
said Lowe.
Services were held on Tuesday, September 18th
for Kimberly Lowe at the Big Cussetah Church east of Okmulgee. A memorial
fund has been set up for Kimberly Lowe at the Local America Bank in Tulsa.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2001
4:27 PM
Subject: [Native_American] [Fwd: Fwd:
[NativeCelebs] Digest Number 719]
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Ok, I am officially FURIOUS about this!! Something has to be done...
anyone with contacts to the media, PLEASE get this out in the open as quickly
as possible!!!
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