Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Jim Craven, member of the Blackfoot Nation and prosecutor in the upcoming residential and boarding school abuse tribunals, was invited by Vancouver, Washington Mayor Royce Pollard several months ago to join the Lewis and Clark celebration committe and give the "Native perspective" in the upcoming Lewis and Clark. Jim was honest and forthright in his opinion telling the Mayor that his opinion of Lewis and Clark was they were the spearpoint of "genocide." The mayor told him that was what they were looking for.

Jim Craven went to his traditional government and was given a letter that stated he would speak the truth and was given permission to speak on behalf of the Blackfoot Nation.

On Tuesday, October 24, Jim was invited to speak with the mayor again. The mayor told Jim he was off the committee because he was "too intense" and that his use of the word "genocide" offended people. He was asked why he wasn't more like a group of hang around the fort Indians they decided to work with that sing the praises of the indoor plumbing that eventually came to the reservations and saved our poor heathen lives. (That last sentence is personal commentary, but he was asked why he wasn't like a group of Indians they're keeping on the committee that tote the glories of the genocide Lewis and Clark brought us Indians).

If you don't think it's right that such actions against Jim take place and that the only Native perspective given is that of Indians who simply forget the acts of genocide enacted upon all Native Nations because it makes non-Indians uncomfortable when such subjects come up, you can voice your opinion to the mayor via phone, e-mail, or snail mail:

Mayor Royce Pollard
City of Vancouver
P.O. Box 1995
Vancouver, WA 98668-1995
Phone: 360-696-1995
E-mail: mayor@ai.vancouver.wa.us

To comment or for more information Eugene D. Johnson (He Who Laughs A Lot) can be contatect by email: hewholaughsalot@yahoo.com

Copyright ©2000 Eugene D. Johnson. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to redistribute this article, with this proviso attached. Written permission of the author is required to distribute this message through any medium other than the internet.