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JUNE 1, 2000

On Wednesday, Oglala Lakota activist and actor was ordered by Judge Charles Plantz to stand trial for his participation in protests at White Clay, Nebraska last July. An August 30 trial date has been set, for which Means will appear on charges of obstruction of a police officer and failure to comply with a lawful order.

Racial tensions were heightened last year when activists throughout Indian Country joined with residents of the Pine Ridge reservation to protest police inaction over the deaths of several Lakota men in the Nebraska-South Dakota region surrounding the South Dakota reservation.

Members of an Oglala group called Camp Justice have repeatedly called for an investigation into the deaths. Both the group and members of the American Indian Movement allege Sheridan County law enforcement has ignored the deaths.

On July 3, a protest march intended to be peaceful turned violent when marchers clashed with police officers in riot gear who refused to let the group enter White Clay. Along with Tom Poor Bear, Webster Poor Bear, Ben Black Elk, John Yellow Bird Steele, Frank LaMere, Allen Shepherd, Gary Moore, and Vaughn Lodge, Means crossed the line, resulting in their arrests.

The small town of White Clay has been a focal point for protests due to its proximity to the Pine Ridge Reservation. The 22-member town has four liquor establishments which cater, and some say, exploit, many residents from Pine Ridge, where unemployment hovers around 75 to 80 percent and alcoholism is a problem. Means and others claim White Clay is still Indian Country under the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, making sale of liquor there illegal.

The US Commission on Civil Rights visited White Clay last year as part of its fact-finding mission. Their report issued in March of this year reinforced what many Lakota feel to be true: Indian residents are subject to a different set of principles in the justice system.

Only Means will appear at the August trial. The trial dates for the eight other protesters have not been set.

Relevant Links:
Camp Justice: www.aics.org/justice/camp.html
Russell Means: www.russellmeans.com