And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Threats made against tribe over land claim lawsuit
The Associated Press
11/5/99 1:55 PM
VERONA, N.Y. (AP) -- A citizens group opposing the Oneida Indian Nation's land claim
says it had no connection with a death threat made against the tribe and condemned the
anonymous senders.
That may be so, an Oneida spokesman said Friday, but Upstate Citizens for Equality has
helped emotions boil over in the volatile dispute.
"When you go out there and see signs that show a shotgun and say `Ray, Come and Get
Your Rent,' or an ICBM missile pointed at Turning Stone that says `Heads Up Ray" ...
They created the atmosphere," said Nation spokesman Mark Emery.
"We're not tying them to it, certainly. But how can you cry crocodile tears over the
fact that you wouldn't do this yet condone the same type of language," Emery said.
Security was heightened at the Turning Stone casino and the Oneida's gas stations and
other businesses after a group calling itself the United States National Freedom
Fighters threatened to kill Oneidas, bomb their businesses and attack their non-Indian
customers.
Emery said the nation's businesses were operating Friday in normal fashion. Turning
Stone and its 285-room luxury hotel draws about 3 million visitors yearly.
"We think the purpose of the letter is to hurt the businesses," Emery said. The
threats were being taken seriously, he said.
State police and the FBI are investigating the threats, which were made in a one-page
typed letter to the Utica Observer-Dispatch newspaper.
Claiming 34 members, the group said it was willing to "give and shed blood for what we
believe." They said they "will execute one Indian approximately every three days,
starting on Thanksgiving Day."
The group also threatened to kill non-Indians who patronized the Oneida's SavOn gas
stations and raised the specter of a suicide bombing of the casino in December.
"Those who contribute to the Indians are traitors, not worthy of sympathy," said the
letter to the Utica Observer-Dispatch.
The National Freedom Fighters said its members have watched the Oneida land claims
lawsuit and arbitration for a long time and were not happy with the current situation.
The group said the state and federal governments' inaction had forced it "to act on
behalf of these unfortunate Americans" in the land claim area.
The Oneidas, with the support of the U.S. Justice Department, are seeking the return
of 250,000 acres of ancestral land in Oneida and Madison counties.
The U.S. Supreme Court found in 1985 that most of the land was seized in questionable
transactions with the state and private individuals and ruled the Oneidas were
entitled to compensation. The tribe and state tried unsuccessfully for 13 years to
negotiate a settlement. A court-appointed settlement master entered the case in
February and has said progress has been made in resolving the stalemate.
But residents have not been directly represented in those negotiations and they fear
they'll be evicted as a result of the lawsuit. Residents and land owners formed
Upstate Citizens for Equality and have staged several large demonstrations opposing
the negotiations.
"We view this as absolutely horrendous," UCE President Scott Peterman said about the
threats. "We can see no justification for any of this. We would certainly not have
anything to do with a view like this....we agree that it is cowardly and despicable."
Leon Koziol, an attorney representing the 8,000-member group, denied that UCE has
fostered such a violent outlook among its members.
"UCE has always been averse to any form of violent activity in relation to the land
claim," Koziol said.
Koziol said Upstate Citizens received threats in May from anonymous callers who said
they would block the group's motorcade to Albany by bombing bridges along the state
Thruway.
State Police Lt. Robert Patnaude said troopers have never heard of the group making
the threats, so they and the FBI were researching their files on hate groups.
Patnaude also said a copy of the letter was being analyzed for fingerprints and DNA
evidence.
If the authors are discovered, they could face state misdemeanor charges for
aggravated harassment or federal charges because they used the U.S. mail to send the
threats, he said.
"This letter alone is not a serious crime," Patnaude said. "In most cases, letters of
these types are just that -- letters. They're designed to put fear into people."
Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine
of international copyright law.
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Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/
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