Copyright © 1999 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Saint Petersburg, FL - The American Indian Movement of Florida is inquiring of Florida media outlets how many Indian lives equal the life of one non-Indian.

In the past year more than a dozen Lakota people have been murdered in White Clay, NE; Mobridge and Rapid City, SD. The crimes in White Clay, NE are undoubtedly hate crimes and a suspect includes a Sheridan County, NE Sheriff deputy. Further the situation in White Clay includes an effort by the Oglala Lakota to reclaim the land taken illegally from them.

The news media in Florida provided widespread coverage of the brutal killing of a gay college student in Wyoming and the revolting slaying of an African man in Texas. Yet no news outlet in Florida covered the hate crime murder of Ronald Beartrack in Ada, OK in 1995. And not one single story has covered the hate crime murders of John Means, Wallace Black Elk Jr., Ronald Hard Heart, Dennis Cross, Llewyen Long Soldier, Francis Thunderhawk, Rich Big Crow, Thomas Twiss, Don Bourdeaux, Martin Young Bull Bear, Ben Long Wolf, George Hatton, Allen Hough, Royce Yellow Hawk, Randall Two Crows and Lauren Two Bulls. Or Ronald Many Horses. And what of Gabby Daniels, Ronald Beartrack, Mike Berry, Leroy Jackson, Randy Headbird.........ad infinitum?

Recently it has been alleged that three Lakota youth brutalized a young white male. This allegation has received much national and local attention. Less than a dozen hours after the incident the law enforcement folks had the Lakota young men in custody. Two decades later do these same law enforcement officers know anything about the murders of Anna Mae Aquash, Joe Killsright, Pedro Bissonette, Richard Oakes, ...ad infinitum.

It therefore appears that a simple mathematical equation equaling unquestionable racism exists. That equation is that the lives of at least three Lakota's killed in hate crimes in White Clay, NE and perhaps a dozen others around the region do not equate to the life of one white man. So our question now, to the news media is how many Indian lives does it take to equal the value of the life of one white person in the eyes of your news organization?

We ask all human beings to notice this discrepancy, this vile racism, call your local media outlets and voice your outrage and react to this racism by the media accordingly.