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Navajos recall discrimination by local businesses
Thursday, April 22, 2004
The 1974 murders of three Navajo men spurred protests by Navajos who demanded better treatment by businesses in Farmington, New Mexico.
Navajos said they were mistreated when they frequented restaurants and other businesses. Some said they would be refused service or ignored altogether. The protests finally brought the complaints out into the open.
"It was a relief. It was an explosion of emotion that had been pent up a long time. Here was an opportunity to state our positions on personal issues," Duane “Chili” Yazzie, a protester
who is now a Navajo chapter leader, told The Farmington Daily Times.
Navajos say there has been improvement in the past 30 years. But Yazzie said some used car dealerships, mobile home businesses and lenders still exploit Navajos, especially the elderly and those with a limited knowledge of English.
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