Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

April 25, 2008

Yankton police officer quits job, arrested, at hog farm protest

Illegal South Dakota state police occupation continues on Yankton Indian Land

Incoming messages from Yankton protest:

I am Oitancan Zephier, a former police officer of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, combat veteran of Afghanistan and a father. Last week I quit my job when the protests started over the building of a hog farm by a corporation on private land surrounded by tribal lands. I quit because the Bureau of Indian Affairs will not help us. They stand and watch us get tossed in jail. The filth of the pigs will effect every part of our Indian people here.
There is a headstart school 2 miles away from the hog farm. There is a kindergarten through 12th grade school 4 miles away. There is a day care a couple miles away from the site. It is a prejudice act granted by the state of South Dakota to these pig farm owners. We need your help. If this is completed they will assume jurisdiction of all that surrounds them. The already began taking our tribal road, which we have intensely fought for 2 weeks now.
I have been thrown in jail while on our Indian land by a state officer. That is wrong!
I am begging you for your help. If you can, please publish the cry for help below in any way you can.
Contact me if you can help; or please forward this on to anyone who can help us.
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People! We need your help! Come to Marty, SD now! Help us fight the Longview Farms Hog farm and the State of South Dakota.
We need the help of every nation that is willing to help us! Don't wait for an invitation. Please! Come help us now! We're too busy with things here to think of everyone that can help us.
We have our hands full with whats in front of us. Call us. Make suggestions. Give us advise! Whatever it is, help us! We need bodies.
We need people! people! people! We need people willing to fight! We need people willing to go to jail by a state officer on Indian land!
Doesn't that seem wrong to you? I went to jail while standing on a tribal highway by a South Dakota state deputy, while the Bureau of Indian Affairs watched.
That's what is happening! It is wrong! We need money for bail. Many more of our Indian people will be going to jail.
If we don't fight this, Indian people will continue to lose land. Next time it will be your people. Remember when a cry for help came out what "reason" or "excuse" you gave.
You'll get it right back when you need help. The system keeps us locked in place. It keeps us working, paying bills and plugged into society.
In that mindset we're all robots programmed to do what the government wants us to do pay taxes! Give them money! "I gotta feed my family," you're thinking.
I know it. I was too but overcame it. Tunkasina (the grandfather) knows that our fight is right and honorable. Better things will follow for us.
This is really not about a hog farm! This is about the racist state of south dakota moving in the middle of Indian country and saying, "This is our road!"
Tomorrow it will be "this is our land!" We need to fight! We need your help!

Oi Zephier
Ihanktonwan Dakota
Yankton Sioux Tribe
Marty, SD 57361
http://us.f330.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Zephiero@hotmail.com
(605) 454-8355 (Cell)

1 comment:

Amber Pixie Shehan said...

I linked to you here, in my news post. Thank you for reporting things that are commonly ignored!

http://nomorewageslave.blogspot.com/2008/04/news-that-you-should-hear-aboutbut-wont.html