Blackfeet family wins human rights complaint

Tuesday, April 8, 2008  

A 15-year-old girl and her father from the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana won their human rights complaint against the police department in Cut Bank, a border town.

Alyssa Little and her father, MIke, were shopping in Cut Bank when a police officer accused Alyssa of shoplifting. When the officer found nothing to support the claim, the officer allegedly told Mike Little he was stopping everyone from the reservation and used profanity in front of the family.

"I was humiliated," Alyssa told The Great Falls Tribune. "It made me feel like I wasn't supposed to be there. It made me feel less than other people, less than white people."

The Littles filed a complaint with the Montana Human Rights Bureau, which ruled for the family last week. The police chief in Cut Bank has apologized to the family but defended the officer's right to investigate. The officer was given a written reprimand for using profanity during the incident.

Get the Story:
Agency finds police discriminated against family (The Great Falls Tribune 4/8