And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
via LadyScribe
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Oneida Indian Land Claim Protested
Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 20:17:06 EST
Oneida Indian Land Claim Protested
.c The Associated Press
By JOHN KEKIS
VERONA, N.Y. (AP) -- Hundreds of demonstrators with car horns blaring circled
the Oneida Indian casino on Saturday, protesting the tribe's lawsuit to win
back 250,000 acres of ancestral lands.
The suit, first brought against two upstate counties in 1974, was amended in
December to include some 20,000 property owners in the area east of Syracuse,
a move that angered and frightened residents.
``I hope to keep my land,'' said Adelbert Williams, whose 300-acre farm is in
the contested area. ``My family has lived here for over 100 years.''
The rally of more than 550 vehicles, from station wagons to a tractor-trailer
rig, began at Verona Town Hall, traveled about 15 miles east to Rome, then
came back to the Oneidas' Turning Stone Casino complex.
Mark Emery, spokesman for the Oneida Indian Nation, said the procession was
misplaced.
``The rally shows the people's frustration and concern, but it's in the wrong
place,'' Emery said. ``The problem is the state of New York, not the Oneida
Nation. There's been 150 years of inaction by the state. ... The Oneida Nation
never wanted to take anybody's land and they still don't.''
The Oneida Indians of New York, Wisconsin and Canada sued Oneida and Madison
counties in 1974 and again in 1985 to get back more the lands they claim were
wrongfully ceded to New York state in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1985 that the Oneidas were entitled to
compensation. However, the Oneidas and state officials have been unable to
reach a settlement and negotiations have languished, so the tribes broadened
the suit to include private property owners.
The rally didn't slow business inside the casino, which even drew at least one
of the protesters inside.
``I don't see having a view one way as meaning you can't have a little fun in
here,'' Dave Barnick, a protester from Cayuga County, said as he left the
motorcade and walked inside to gamble.
AP-NY-01-30-99 2009EST
Copyright 1998 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP
news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise
distributed without prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
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