NEWS FROM Statues to brutal colonizers Domestic violence advocacy Book Review: Encyclopedia of A NATIVE are falling everywhere service created by Natives for Natives American Indian History & Culture AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE 40 YEARS OF SERVING THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY WWW.THECIRCLENEWS.ORG [email protected] Like us on Facebook! Follow Us on Twitter page 3 page 6 page 13 Facebook.com/TheCircleNews @TheCircleNews JULY 2020 CELEBRATING FORTY YEARS VOLUME 41, ISSUE 7 Covid/protests bring food shortages and community support Residents comes together to protect Little Earth Housing Complex BY HANA BROADBENT e all remember In that first week, Little Earth where we were was showing up with large num- Wwhen we heard bers of over 100 residents who about the death of George were on every street that sur- Floyd. It’s a moment in time rounded the housing. One night, that touched every corner of a day or two after the rioting Minneapolis, and the Little started, a group of peaceful pro- Earth of United Tribes was no testors were making their way exception. onto Cedar Ave from 26th. “I woke up to Facebook one Residents let them know they day and saw the video. I knew were entering a private commu- something was going to happen nity and managed to reroute them after that,” said Little Earth res- away. ident, Estella LaPointe. “I was The residents were facing East Heidi Inman, a volunteer at the NACDI Free Market, unloads donated food items at the pop-up food shelf in home when I saw the Target and on 26th St., moving protestors the All My Relations Arts gallery, 1414 E. Franklin Ave. (Photo by Lee Egerstrom.) Cub being looted which are my along, and when they turned BY LEE EGERSTROM stores, that was heartbreaking. around to face the West side of Then, a group of people burned the street, they were met with the third precinct and everyone police brutality. he burning and damage to Cub Foods Food access and shopping were problems for was saying they were coming to Jones said unmarked trucks and Target stores in south elders and others in the Phillips Neighborhood Little Earth next.” and buses were blocking the T Minneapolis following the death of given precautions needed with the COVID-19 LaPointe said at that moment street and the police were in George Floyd in May turned the Phillips pandemic, Swann said. These problems became she left her house to go stand front, shining massive lights at Neighborhood and adjacent areas into what is much worse with the looting and damage. Cub watch at one of the entrances of the crowd. The police in riot known as an urban “food desert.” and Target were the two largest nearby area mar- Little Earth. She said she stayed gear wasted no time throwing “If you don’t have transportation or much kets for food, household and personal items. out there for 10 hours. She stun grenades (more commonly help to get around to other areas to shop, you Swan said her initial idea was to collect donated watched residents go in and out known as flash grenades) and really have a problem getting food,” said Angel foods for the American Indian Movement (AIM) of their homes to keep watch as shooting rubber bullets. The Swann, a former barista at the Pow Wow patrol that protected buildings and walked the well – collectively, there were hun- crowd of hundreds ran down Grounds coffee shop who responded to neigh- streets protecting people and property in the dreds of residences guarding their Cedar Avenue and retreated borhood food shortages by starting what is Cultural Corridor area during the unrest. community from the madness into the Little Earth Property. called a “pop-up” food shelf. Three days later, on May 28, when impact that took place. Police were met with hundreds The community response along the on the neighborhood was evident, Swann went “We did not have big machine of residents chanting as one voice American Indian Cultural Corridor on to work for the Native American Community guns to protect our elders’ and “We’re peaceful, get out.” The Franklin Avenue is bringing food to the Development Institute (NACDI) as Food and babies’ homes,” LaPointe said. shooting continued from about Phillips Neighborhood community. The streets Donations Coordinator for the pop-up food “We came with whatever we had, a block and half away. Eventually of Minneapolis have become calmer after the shelf. It took over the All My Relations Arts and we will continue to be here." the police stopped firing on the Floyd death that ignited looting and burning gallery behind Pow Wow Grounds, 1414 E. Since that night, a group of people. The collective power of in the Twin Cities. Franklin Ave. Little Earth residents have been community won in that moment, But there is no end in sight to how long the Community response and support from well- at all the entrances of the hous- but the police were back later that COVID-19 crisis will impact life in the neighbor- wishers outside the community was immediate. ing units every night. At first, the night and the night after. Tire hood, or how long it will take for new construction When the food shelf expanded to serve all hours were long: 8 p.m. to sun- slashing and random gunfire at and repairs to bring major food retailers back to needy in the neighborhood, Swann and rise. The goal was to stop what Little Earth took place in the the neighborhood. NACDI staff turned to Facebook to enlist help. was happening in Minneapolis nights that followed. “Crisis builds communities,” said Swann, who A call for food and personal products from happening in their own “It hasn’t been explained to is also a Metropolitan State University student. brought immediate responses, she said. community. The main threats us why that happened,” Jones It also builds leadership. Someone from the neighborhood was a truck were the out-of-state and out-of- said. “They say they can’t tell What is emerging along Franklin Avenue driver. A Teamsters Union local delivered a town white supremacists and the the difference between rioters corridor could serve as a case study for civic truck load of food. More help was needed so Minneapolis Police Department. and protesters (this was before leaders and urban scholars on community- a call for volunteers went out on Facebook. “The first week was hell,” said the curfew began) but it took based responses to crises and human needs. – CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 – Jolene Jones, who’s lived there less than 15 residents to reroute since 1974, making her the them, so were they going to hit 4 – Natives face obstacles to voting... 11 – Political Matters longest residing Little Earth res- the protestors? Did we get 6 – Pipelines: How risky do you wanna be? 12 – Protesters bring down Columbus statue ident. “We took gunfire 5 times, caught in the cross fire? Were fire from the riot police and the they going to shoot us all?” 10 – Native Americans in Sports 15 – It Ain’t Easy Being Indian state troopers. – CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 – Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 Wash your Get tested Stay 6 feet hands when sick from others Wear a Stay home Work from home mask when sick when able WATCH FOR SYMPTOMS Fever Cough Shortness Chills Headache Muscle Sore Loss of of breath pain throat taste or smell For more information, visit health.mn.gov HOTLINE: 651-297-1304 or 1-800-657-3504 Minnesota Department of Health 2 July 2020 The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective http://www.thecirclenews.org NEW Statues to brutal colonizers are falling everywhere BY WINONA LADUKE Historian Here: Tearing down a statue is not erasing history. Putting up a statue on land whose original caretakers you can’t name is. – Nick Estes, Lakota Historian. cross the country statues of empire are tumbling. The idols Aare indeed falling, the American idols that is. This is not just about statutes. It is about whose history is celebrated, the history of the oppressor, or the history of the oppressed. It looks like it may be time for a reconciliation. George Floyd’s death has been the spark of an international movement for human rights and dignity. That spark is seen across the world, and it means that some big stat- ues are coming down. The toppling of the Mike Forcia raises his hands in the air as people photograph the fallen Christopher Columbus statue at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Columbus statue in St. Paul by the Paul, Minn., Wednesday, June 10, 2020. (Evan Frost/Minnesota Public Radio via AP.) American Indian Movement (AIM) lead- ers was one of many nationally, and the and when the Pueblo refused and fought Sun Bird in the Tewa language, arrived at replaced the Scaffold with a giant blue statue toppling has also included some back, Onate ordered the massacre of 800 the Oñate monument, the statue of the chicken. Really, they could have done conquistadors. I predict that before we are Acoma people. He also ordered the ampu- Pueblos’ tormentor was already gone. something monumental, like pay a com- done a whole bunch of Confederate lead- tation of the right foot of any adult Acoma “I started to sing,” he explained, “in parable commission to what they paid ers, some Indian War generals, and some man in the village; 24 of them in total. honor of my ancestors who I know were Durant to a Native Artist. Our art is beau- corrupt and genocide complicit governors They lived the rest of their lives with slaughtered by this man.” And then Than tiful.