A cartoon by Ricardo Cate. Image from Without Reservations / Facebook
Albert Bender calls for change after a non-Indian man in South Dakota was acquitted in connection with the mistreatment of students from the Oglala Sioux Tribe:
The judge's decision is tantamount to declaring an "open season" on Indians, children in particular, that will reverberate throughout the country, particularly in other areas of the Western states. The racist killings of Indian people by the police and atrocities against Native children will continue. It is just a question of when and where. This odious decision has, I am sure, already heralded truly "celebratory" gatherings by the racist goons guilty of the horrendous attack on the children. It brings to mind the days of the civil rights movement in the South when racist white judges and juries routinely found "not guilty" white hooligans who abused and killed civil rights workers and African Americans simply fighting for the right to vote and for desegregation. Something has to be done, instead of simply waiting for another atrocity to be committed. There has to be a "turning point." The attack on the children and this loathsome legal decision should be a "turning point." We must make it such a juncture.Get the Story:
Albert Bender: Lakota 57 verdict means “open season” on Indians (People's World 9/21)
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