Column: Narragansett Tribe attacked troopers

Monday, March 12, 2007  

"It happened on July 14, 2003. The Narragansetts had opened a shop selling cigarettes without charging the hefty state tax, claiming it didn’t apply on tribal land. They were warned repeatedly but wouldn’t budge. So state troopers were sent to close the place.

The troopers moved in and, suddenly, people were being choked and thrown around. Many called it an outrage. As far as I could tell, there was one problem with that.

At first, the people being shoved and choked were not Indians. They were troopers.

The Narragansetts say it wasn’t their fault. They say the police stormed in aggressively. It was all caught by TV cameramen, and later, the troopers were creamed on talk shows. Some accused them of Gestapo tactics.

The police may well have come aggressively onto the scene, but they didn’t start the violence. The Narragansetts did by resisting.

They say they had no choice but to protect their tribal land.

Of course they had a choice. They could have done what most law-abiding citizens would do, which would be to cooperate, even if grudgingly so, and fight it in court later.

Who attacks cops when they come to arrest you?"

Get the Story:
Mark Patinkin: This is justice? People resist arrest and troopers must pay (The Providence Journal 3/11)
pwpwd

Excessive Force Decision:
Jennings v. Pare (March 7, 2007)

Relevant Links:
Narragansett Tribe - http://www.narragansett-tribe.org

Related Stories:
Court reinstates $300K award for Narragansett man (3/8)
Narragansetts in court over smokeshop raid (01/24)
Column: Smokeshop raid still burns years later (1/23)
Narragansett smokeshop case delayed a week (01/15)
Appeals court hears land-into-trust dispute (01/10)
State revives Narragansett smokeshop case (12/19)
Narragansett chief meets with Rhode Island governor (12/13)
Narragansett Tribe faces action on smokeshop (12/12)
High court rejects state raid, land claim (11/28)
Supreme Court won't hear land-into-trust cases (10/3)
Court subjects Narragansett Tribe to all state laws (05/25)
Appeals court hears tribal-state sovereignty dispute (12/07)
Narragansett Tribe back in court over sovereignty (12/6)
Rhode Island set to appeal trust land decision (09/16)
Trust land challenge rejected by appeals court (9/14)
Appeals court agrees to rehear sovereignty case (07/11)
Tribal sovereignty must be respected, court rules (05/13)
New trial sought in state police raid of reservation (04/14)
Police stand behind trooper in raid of reservation (03/31)
Jury awards damages in state raid of reservation (3/29)
Lawsuit over state raid of reservation goes to jury (3/25)
State troopers defend actions in reservation raid (3/24)
State troopers on trial over raid of reservation (3/22)
Appeals court sides with tribe in trust land dispute (02/10)
R.I. tribe takes smokeshop case to higher court (01/27)
State's raid on tribal land sparks strong reactions (07/16)
R.I. to appeal Narragansett land-into-trust case (10/1)
Judge affirms Narragansett Tribe land-into-trust (9/30)
State's raid on tribal land sparks strong reactions (07/16)
R.I. escalates fight over tribal smoke shop (07/15)
Narragansett chief arrested in 'violent' raid (7/14)
R.I. governor promises to help Narragansett Tribe (06/04)
R.I. tribe upset over reservation checkpoint bill (05/30)
R.I. bill sets up reservation checkpoints (5/28)
R.I. tribe delays opening of tobacco shop (5/23)