Martin March - 18 Feb 2002
Photo credits: Jennifer Ring
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PROTEST MARCH REGARDING YEARS OF RACISM HELD IN MARTIN, SOUTH DAKOTA
by Ruth Steinberger
Over 1,200 Lakota from South Dakota reservations,
along with supporters from several states, converged
on the town of Martin, SD, on Monday, February 18,
2002 to draw attention to the problems of racial
profiling, racial targeting of Indian youth and other
issues many say victimize Lakota who live and work in
the town.
Organizers of the march are calling for the immediate
removal of Bennett County Sheriff Russell Waterbury.
Law enforcement activities under Waterbury are at the
center of the controversy, and tribal members have
denounced his activities as, "Terrorism."
Marchers entered the town from the four directions,
meeting at the stoplight in Martin, and proceeding to
the courthouse steps where speakers including
organizers, tribal leaders, and tribal members from
the town addressed the crowd. Along the route were
police posted on roof-tops and a S.W.A.T. team was
posted inside the courthouse.
Floyd Hand of the Strongheart Society, offered prayers
for the day. Activist and New Mexico gubernatorial
candidate Russell Means spoke on the need to organize
in Martin as well as in other small towns in which
race-based police targeting and other discrimination
affect the daily lives of Indians. Means told the
crowd that a boycott of Martin is being considered,
saying, "They seem to think our money is red. Well,
our money is just as green as theirs is."
Means congratulated Alfred Bone Shirt on the filing of
a lawsuit against the state of South Dakota over
voting rights issues and spoke briefly on the current
lawsuit against the state of South Dakota filed by
Alfred Bone Shirt, Belva Black Lance, Germaine Moves
Camp and Bonnie High Bull on behalf of all Lakota
voters. The state has refused to file their
redistricting plan for approval by the Department of
Justice as they are compelled to do according to the
1965 Voting Rights Act. Means called the efforts by
the state, "A way to try to prevent Indians from
voting.", and encouraged people to use the ballot to
take control of communities like Martin.
Though the Bennett County Sheriff’s Department is not
cross-deputized with tribal police, Waterbury and his
deputies have entered the reservation at will. Sandy
Flye of the LaCreek Civil Rights Committee described
Waterbury’s attitude about the issue as, "Blatant
arrogance." In April, 2001, Waterbury said, "Sunrise
housing (tribal housing in Martin) is in Bennett
County and I will go anywhere in Bennett County that I
want to go." In January Deputy Shannon Butler was
speeding through tribal housing caused a wreck in
which two tribal members were killed. That accident is
still under investigation and organizers of the Indian
community want the deputy immediately removed from the
force.
Oglala Sioux tribal chairman John Yellow Bird Steele
spoke of the racism in Martin. Steele told the crowd
that after serving his country in Viet Nam, he came
home to find he was unable to come to Martin to shop
because of police harassment. Steele called upon town
officials to address these issues immediately.
Sandy Flye is an organizer of the LaCreek District
Civil Rights Committee, a group of Lakota who live in
the town of Martin. The committee has organized
community meetings and hearings to address these
issues. Flye told the crowd about the profiling which
occurs, citing her problems with harassment by law
enforcement when coming home from work. Throughout the
past five months Flye has organized hearings in Martin
in order to get grievances out in the open, hopefully
moving toward resolution. However, most county
officials did not attend and Russell Waterbury
attended only one meeting, calling allegations of
wrongdoing by deputies, "Lies." Following over four
hours of detailed testimony, it was noted that Sheriff
Waterbury had not taken notes.
The Mayor Bill Kuxhaus of Martin briefly addressed the
crowd and stated he wants to work with the Indian
community and recognizes Indian people are the
majority of the town. "The decent and upstanding
people of the Martin community have prided themselves
over the years on the fact that discrimination is
something that will not, I emphasize not be
tolerated," said Kuxhaus.
Fly later addressed the crowd to thank everyone who
supported them and keeping the march a peaceful
protest. " Because of the march they have finally
opened their eyes," said Fly.
Lakota Indians make up the majority of the residents
of Martin, and Indian youth comprise the majority of
students in the Martin School District.
"One of the most important factors of our business
community deals with the relationships between the
Indian population and our local merchants," Kuxhaus
told Native Times. "I can assure you the merchants
value the Indian consumer, as well as our entire
population, that does business here."
Jennifer Ring, Director of ACLU of the Dakotas, told
the crowd that her office will continue to address
racial profiling through lobbying efforts pushing for
legislation to stop the practice. The ACLU Voting
Rights Project filed the suit for Alfred Bone Shirt,
et al, and is active in voting rights issues in
several areas of Indian country. Ring noted that
through legislation these issues may addressed at the
state level and called for the continued presence of
Indians in the lobbying efforts in the South Dakota
legislature.
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Photograph--Alfred Bone Shirt Sr. wearing a peace medal.