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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 2016)
Street Roots • Sept. 23-29, 2016 News PHOTO BY I Jarvis Kennedy From the Malheur Refuge to Standing Rock, the Paiute tribal councilman reflects on two occupations BY STEPHEN QUIRKE their first arrest, with the Bundy clan eventually landing in Multnomah County Jail. t the beginning of this year the small On Sept 9, Kennedy was in Portland for town of Burns made national the jury selection in the occupiers’ trial. headlines after it came under siege While by anti-government extremists led by Utah ’s here, he attended a rally in Pioneer Courthouse Square to show support for the Ammon Bundy. Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota, After marching through Bums on Jan. 2 who are currently gathered in an (part of the Burns Paiute Indian encampment with several thousand people Reservation), the entourage took up to defend regional water sources from the residence at the government office Dakota Access oil pipeline. Kennedy spoke overseeing the Malheur National Wildlife with Street Roots about the current Refuge, occupying the building for over a situation in North Dakota, the Malheur month. There they made friends with local occupation, and the ongoing trial of the “constitutional sheriff” Glenn Palmer, Bundys and crew in Portland. solicited snacks from the public, and went STAFF WRITER a on tirades against government tyranny and environmental regulation. Just days into the occupation, the Bums Paiute Tribe held a press conference to remind people whose land they were actually on. Tribal councilman Jarvis Kennedy shared the tribe’s brutal history of forced removal at the hands of European invaders, and explained to the public that the militias “just need to get the hell out of here.” Weeks would pass before police made Stephen Quirke: There seems to be a real difference in the treatment of native people at Standing Rock compared to the white occupiers of the Malheur refuge, despite the fact that the native group is unarmed, while the people at Malheur were heavily armed. How do you account for that difference? Jarvis Kennedy: Well, you can tell the difference on the media coverage - it’s not on the news. And like I said at our press Page 7 conference there in Burns, what would archaeologists at the Malheur Refuge happen if my native brothers and sisters I seen them guys yesterday, Ammon and occupied a federal building? We would’ve Ryan and all those others guys right there been dealt with pretty fast. And these guys in the Courthouse. These other militia were free to roam for what, a month and a people that were supporting them were half? They were eating in Burns, driving trying to talk to me, like ‘Hi guys!’ I wanted around, with people taking them food, to sock ‘em up, but I can’t, or I’d be right taking them firewood. And look what’s there with ‘em. You just gotta maintain, and happening over there in Standing Rock. The keep your cool, and see what happens. media covered the militia thing from day Hopefully the judicial system does what one, even before they it’s supposed to do, occupied that federal ‘cause I already know building, all the way till how it works against the end. Now this people of color and trial’s coming up, and "I already know how it Native Americans - and they’re gonna be here works against people of again. anybody else. But we’ll You don’t see no color and Native Americans see how the law affects coverage on the Dakota — and anybody else. But some rootin’ tootin’ Pipeline. You don’t see we'll see how the law affects cowboys with their guns. nothing - just on some rootin' tootin' cowboys That’s what I’m Facebook. You see the interested in. They’re with their guns." difference? I don’t bringing up the Latter- know if it’s because it’s . Day Saints stuff in there, a bunch of Indians, or so who knows. because these guys are white and carrying S.Q.: They do seem to guns. I didn’t see no natives over there have an interesting legal strategy. having any weapons, and yet they got attacked by dogs - women and kids! It’s all J.K.: Yeah - they told on themselves about the money, once you come down to when they were making all those films and it Because that’s what people want. Money buys whatever they want. But it’s not just an documenting everything and posting it. They convicted themselves already, I’m just Indian thing, it’s a human race thing. We waiting for the outcome. can’t drink oil. We can’t throw oil on the field and expect to grow something. You’ve S.Q.: Was it odd for you to see that volume got to have water. of media attention for the small aspects of the S.Q .•.Some of the Bundy militia-men were Bundy occupation, like snack requests, versus later supported by a group called the Pacific this massive support for the Standing Rock Patriot Network. Do you think the Bundys are protest ? patriots? J.K.: Every day. Every news hour they J.K.: They’re not even close. I think the were on there. The snacks, and then the real patriots are the ones that are over in toys on the desk. That was funny, (laughter) Standing Rock standing up for the land, That was hilarious. I was eating dinner standing up for the water, standing up when that happened, and almost spit out my against that black snake that’s gonna be food laughing. But they’re not protestors . going through there. Imagine if that thing that are out there at Standing Rock, they’re broke. We all saw that Exxon Valdez up protectors. They ain’t looking for glory, they there in Alaska. There’s still effects from ain’t looking to be martyrs. They’re just that. They say you can dig down a couple trying to protect the land. inches and see nothing but black. That’s crazy. Imagine that thing getting in the main water source. S.Q.: DidyOu get many messages of support during the Malheur occupation? J.K.: There was a lot of support. My Facebook was blowin’ up. Once my phone wouldn’t stop ringing, and text messages came in from all across the country. We didn’t really want a conflict, because we gotta think of the elders and the kids in the outcome - not just the tribal people but the people of Harney County. And the last thing we need is violence. There’s enough violence out there already. We just stood our ground and told everybody relax, pray for us. All we need is prayers - good thoughts coming our way. Now they’re all gone. S.Q.: Were many people afraid of the militia when they were occupying Harney County? J.K.: Yeah, a lot of people were scared, ‘cause you’ve got all these guys that we don’t know carrying guns, I mean there’s car loads of them. We lost one of the head S.Q.: Is it true that the Bundys were allowed to roam free for over a month, despite their members threatening people’s kids and federal employees? J.K.: And following them, and all this other stuff, and even following the dispatchers of the police, even the BLM people - following them! And what’s crazy about it, in the jury selection, the judge is talking about the First Amendment, Second Amendment - that someone can carry a gun around and not have any intent to use it. But if I see someone with a gun, I’m like, damn\ First thing - I’m watching him. Recently some of them even called me and left a message, and somebody was saying, “Why are you here? What’s your intentions?” It’s really crazy. They’re not really worth talking to or worth mentioning. Who are they? They’re not an authority figure. That’s how the tribe figured when they wanted us to go get our artifacts. You guys ain’t nobody. You’re just a redneck with a gun - that wants snacks.
