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Teacher: Native youth in losing battle against many ills
Tuesday, April 5, 2005

"The recent school shooting spree in Red Lake, Minn., seemed eerily familiar: An alienated teenage male apparently plots with others, goes on a murderous rampage, then turns his gun on himself, leaving behind a stunned, grieving community and more questions than answers.

But the obvious parallels between the Red Lake and Columbine tragedies, right down to the black trench coat and red-laced combat boots that Red Lake shooter Jeff Weise wore, don't illuminate the darkness or depth of the wider story. As a teacher for 20 years in Native villages in bush Alaska, it is one that I know only too well. It's the story of a young Native fighting a losing battle with cultural ambiguity, poverty, substance abuse and depression — all ending in a violent death."

Get the Story:
Nick Jans: Red Lake: A tragedy of denial (USA Today 4/5)

Relevant Links:
Red Lake Net News - http://www.rlnn.com
Red Lake Nation - http://www.redlakenation.org
Red Lake High School - http://www.paulbunyan.net/rlschools/hs.htm

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