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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 17, 1973)
AIM leader expresses hopes, goals, needs By JENNIE MILES Of the Emerald The Eugene Wounded Knee Support Group sponsored Vernon Bellecourt, director of the American Indian Movement (AIM), on Friday at the Central Presbyterian Church in Eugene. Speaking on the current, situation at Wounded Knee, Bellecourt began by thanking all supporters, spiritual, financial and physical for helping the Wounded Knee effort. “The situation is now at an impasse,” Bellecourt said. He made it clear in his speech that the occupation of Wounded Knee would not be ended until Russell Means had made arrangements in Washington, D.C. for serious negotiations to begin on the 371 broken treaties. Efforts to bring food and medical aid to Wounded Knee have been seriously hampered by the FBI and federal government roadblocks, Bellecourt stated. Bellecourt began discussing the history and representation of AIM by stating that the group was first formed in mid-1968 in a Minneapolis ghetto. “Those who became concerned about the condition of the American Indian were mostly urbanized Indians who had been relocated during the ’60's by the U.S. government,” said Bellecourt. He clarified re-location as the supposedly “official process” of getting the Indian out of the reservation and into the main stream of urban American life. Said Bellecourt, “Now the AIM has unified 27 separate Indian organizations and has fused a strong coalition with university students and minority groups throughout the country.” Leading up to why Wounded Knee and other incidents have occurred, Bellecourt discussed the main factors that have destroyed the Indian Nation. Bellecourt cited the “process of Christianity” as the major cause of Indians losing their self identity. Education was next cited as a detrimental factor. Said Bellecourt, “We believe in segregated education so that we can teach our children in the traditional ways." AIM is now working to establish “survival schools” where, according to Bellecourt, “we will teach our children their Indian identity first; then reading, writing and arith metic.” The government and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) were given as the third factor which has lead to the degradation of the American Indian. The Indian’s main grievance against the U.S. government was described by Bellecourt as such: “The BIA is not helping the Indian people, their conditions only get worse. In reality what we have here is a bureaucracy that is 40-50 per cent non-Indian, whose salaries are being paid from funds drawn from Indian lands. We cannot accept this governance. We have honest tribal leaders who are being controlled by the BIA and are not allowed to govern their own people. We have to start taking control of our own affairs.” In direct relation t o the Wounded Knee conflict Bellecourt asked, “Is the U.S. going to honor their word? Their treaties? Why don’t they take this opportunity to listen to us instead of trying to destroy us?” Bellecourt then described the attitude evolving from the American Indian Movement because of mistreatment the Indians have been receiving from the government: Co-governing committee studies counterparts In the first Co-Governance Committee meeting Monday Gordon King and David Novick were appointed chairer and assistant chairer, respectively. One of the first actions of the committee members will be to determine the limitations of their negotiating powers set by the State Board of Higher Education and the University. King said they must research the case histories of student-faculty governments on other state university campuses. Novick added that it is necessary to determine errors made in the past by similar committees in order to keep from making the same errors. The committee members agreed that before trying to negotiate for a set ratio of students and faculty members on a co-goveming body, they must investigate the potential impact of inter departmental student unions, and also determine the basis for representation on a student-faculty senate. “Deal with us by listening to our grievances or we will deal with you by forcing you to recognize us.” Primaries... Continued from Page 1 Also proposed for petition by Loveys is a call for an ASUO elections court which he also wants to see cm the ballot. “With an absence of a legislative body on campus an elections court will be an important part of the ASUO electoral prodecure,” Loveys says. Petitions to put both amend ments on the general election ballot will be a bailable at the polling booths and other population areas on campus during the primary election. The petitions will also be available until the general election, Monday deadline, is reached. Procedures are pretty much the same: present your photo ID and fee card at any one of the nine polling locations, receive computerized ballot cards, punch out space near candidate of your choice. Polls will be set us at the EMU, the Co-op, Carson and Hamilton dorms, College Inn, the in tersection at 13th Avenue and Commonwealth, Westmoreland and the Law School. Most locations will open at 11 a.m. In addition, roving ballot boxes will visit fraternities and sororities on Wednesday. Ten tickets comprise the race for ASUO vice president and president. Candidates are Paige Jackson and Richard Sanchez, Andy Holcomb and Ann Aiken, Greg Leo and Deborah Barnett, Jerry Lyle and Tom Condon, Douglas Marshall and Cathy Fitzpatrick, Darrell Murray and Kirby Garrett, Keith Parrish and Jim Vernon, David and Robert Scholl, Tim Travis and William Kirkpatrick, and Randy Shilts and Gloria Gonzalez. Greg Goritsan is the sole candidate for Sophomore Class President, and Dwight Schwab is running unopposed for the Vice President post. Bill Davis, Jim Davis and Roger Wyatt compete for Junior Class President while Gene Pronovost and Mary McFarland square off in the Junior vice presidential race. Camille Hukari, Pat McMahon, Ally Nuschy, Fred Wasson, Harley Leiber and Dan Neal are on the Senior class president ballot, while Mike Bonner and J. Scott Andrews make up the vibe presidential ballot. 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