In August of 2008, after hearing horror stories about the poverty-stricken conditions and the blatant human rights violations and abuses that the residents of Crow Creek, South Dakota suffer, CAN-DO delivered emergency supplies to the reservation.
During this trip, I was fortunate enough to meet Crow Creek tribal member and former Marine Peter Lengkeek, a man who was fed up with watching his people suffer at the hands
of the local electric company and their continued disregard for human life. In March of 2008, Peter picked up a video camera and captured these abuses of local electric company employees removing power meters during the winter months.
After my first trip to Crow Creek and talk with Peter, he handed me the video tapes he'd shot to document these abuses and asked that I please get the footage to anyone that would listen. After viewing the tapes I was shocked and ashamed and decided I couldn't leave this reservation pretending these abuses were not happening. I had to do something.
Let me back up. In 2004, I founded the disaster relief organization, CAN-DO.org out of my frustration with the lack of accountability and results shown by the larger relief organizations and NGOs.
I was sick and tired of seeing that whenever a disaster hit, people would reach out and donate money and then watch billions of dollars collected without any real outcome as a result of those generous donations. We see this same scenario play out in infomercials of children in third world countries depicted with bloated bellies and living in squalor -- for dollars a month, we can save them. I understand, we must expose the harsh reality to make the point, to make people "want to give." I don't have a problem with that. What I have a problem with is that we see the same image of that same child years later and we never see any real results. A good example of this lack of accountability and transparency can be seen today throughout the Gulf Coast years AFTER Hurricane Katrina. It is our responsibility to start demanding results and start to hold our leaders, politicians and organizations accountable.
I have been working on the Crow Creek reservation for over a year now, collaborating with residents to assess and revitalize this reservation. The more time I spend on Crow Creek, the more I become attached and emotionally invested. I have also learned firsthand how bad life on the reservation truly is.
Abuse and human rights violations are not just happening in Crow Creek. This is happening in communities throughout our country and it is time that we start standing up for those who can not stand up for themselves. I have brought these human rights issues before the media and have been told over and over that the story was too "controversial" and a "hard sell." My question to the media is WHY?
What happened to investigative journalism? What is happening to our society and our news media where human suffering has to fit a certain criteria in order to be "newsworthy?" Please tell me WHY "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" divorce details or Tiger's latest mistress walking the red carpet fits the "criteria" to make top "news" headlines and why systematic genocide does not?
One last example and then I will step off my soap box -- In 1994 while a genocide was being carried out in Rwanda, Africa we were back in the United States watching O.J. Simpson getting chased down the highway. During the first three months as we watched the trial play out in the media, over 100,000 people were slaughtered. In the case of Indian country and the plight of the Native American Indian, the only difference is this systematic genocide is happening at slower pace and it is happening right here on our own soil.
So, for the 13 days between December 13 and 26, I will ride 330 miles, in sub-zero temperatures, on horseback, alongside others in the "Mankato Reconciliation Ride". This ride is to honor the 38 Dakota men who were killed in the largest mass execution in the history of United States on December 26, 1862 in Mankato, MN. On that day, 38 Dakota men were marched in single file to a scaffold guarded by 1,400 troops. The pull of a single lever ended the lives of the men as a crowd of citizens witnessed this mass execution. In addition to the mass execution, 265 Dakota men were sent to prison near Davenport Iowa while 1,300 Dakota men, women, and children were exiled to a concentration camp known today as The Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota.
I will participate in this ride to raise awareness of the injustices the residents of Crow Creek and the many others throughout Indian country who continue to suffer. The goal of my participation in this ride is to establish a fund for the Dakota 38 Ride and to ensure that NO ONE on the Crow Creek Reservation goes without power this winter.
This is not a political stunt nor some radical move to defame anyone or organization. This is simply one way to raise awareness and expose a problem in our country that needs to be addressed in the hope that some people are listening and willing to take action.
The ride will be broadcast LIVE via VirtualVolunteer.TV and CAN-DO.
For more info on how you can get involved please visit www.can-do.org.