Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
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Lake Worth, FL - The American Indian Movement of Florida will hold their 16th Annual State Conference at the Friends Meeting House in Lake Worth, Florida from Friday August 31st, 2001 to Sunday September 2cnd, 2001.

Florida AIM is the state chapter of the international Indigenous peoples civil, human, treaty, and sovereignty rights movement founded by Clyde Bellecourt, Dennis Banks, George Mitchell, Eddie Benton Banai, Patricia Bellanger, Mary Jane Wilson and others in Minneapolis, MN-where AIM has maintained its National offices since.

The conference will work to strengthen the statewide organization and its growing support group network. AIM members and supporters from Florida, Mississippi, Indiana, North Carolina, and elsewhere will be in attendance. Additionally organizations including the Green Party, National Organization of Women, Choctaw Warrior Society, Traditional Seminole Nation, Organization of Mayans in Exile, Guatemala Maya Center of Palm Beach, International Peoples Democratic Uhuru Movement, All-African Peoples Revolutionary Party, and others have expressed solidarity with Florida AIM and are expected to send delegations.

The struggles of Indigenous peoples throughout the Western Hemisphere continues at critical levels. Blatant violations of the sovereign rights of the Lakota and other Indigenous Nations have occurred in the last year. Hate crime murders continue without investigation or outrage nationally. Indigenous cemeteries continue to be plagued with illegal and legal desecrations and thefts. Of special concern at this conference will be the struggle of Maya people in exile to be recognized as exiles and refugee's from their country. The slaughter of over 150,000 Maya people in the 1980's constituted a gross genocide and a significant number of Maya people fled to Florida. Even with the 1995 Agreement on the Identity and Rights of Indigenous peoples, the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Peoples has heard testimony that; "…the initiative and the will of (Guatemalan) governments past and present are not inclined towards doing away with racism and discrimination…during President Portillo's government the dangerous practice of ignoring any Mayan proposal that seeks to challenge the political and legal status quo." (E/CN.4/2001/NGO/40).

Here in Florida the state and federal government refuse to provide adequate protection to Indigenous cemeteries. Complaints of police brutality against Indigenous peoples in Florida are continuing to be made to our offices. Violations of the Indian Child Welfare Act and Indian Arts and Crafts Act are rampant in Florida. American Indian inmates continue to be denied the basic right to pray in traditional forms of Indigenous spirituality. Media outlets in Florida continue to attack the treaty and sovereign rights of Indigenous peoples.

The 16th Anniversary Florida AIM Conference will hold workshops in which we will address these and other issues of concern in Florida and elsewhere and develop concrete strategies for Florida AIM's activities for the next year.

The conference will be the second opportunity for the general public to participate in the Florida AIM Conference. Last years conference in Melbourne was a success in opening the Florida AIM general membership meetings up to friends and the public.

The conference will open Friday August 31st with the 2001 AIM For Freedom Concert featuring American Horse at the Friends Meeting House beginning at 7:30 PM. The conference itself will begin the work on Saturday with an opening press conference at 9am at the Lake Worth Friends Meeting house. All Conference events are open to the public. There is a nominal registration fee for non-AIM members.

A press conference will be held on September 1, 2001 at 9:00 a.m. at the Friends Meeting House.