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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 2007)
spilyay Tym oo, Warm Springs, Oregon Page 2 December* 2 0 , 2 0 0 7 Victims of crimes may qualify for compensation B y Leslie M itts Spilyay Tymoo Strong turnout, participation at Native Nations Institute conference B y Mar en Cohn Warm Spring? Ventures Approximately 50 tribal lead ers and employees attended a two-day executive education conference led by the University o f A rizona’s Native Nations Institute for the benefit of the Confederated Tribes o f Warm Springs; A wide range of tribal repre sentatives participated, including a strong contingent of younger members. Counfcil Vice-Chair Aurolyn Stwyer attende^bpth days and remarked on “the' ex cellent turnout from diverse programs, branches and enter prises, including both youth and elders.” Othet Optmcil members and several judges were also present. Participants were invited tQ share their thoughts throughout the seminar, including several opportunities for feedback and one session devoted to discus sion in small groups: that re ported back to the whole at the end. “The conference provided an open .forum” said Jefferso% Greene, who attended as a rep resentative of Tribal Planning. “The platform was more com fortable and open for giving feedback on how we feel about the economy and letting Tribal Council know how things have been going.” The sessions began by laying out the foundation o f N N I’s “nation-building” program , which it has developed in con ju n ctio n w ith the H arvard Project on American Indian Economic Development; Over 2Q years o f research in Indian- Country has shown that Native communities thrive not so much because of natural and human resources, but rather due to sound governing structures with good rules, effective pro cedures, and the trust o f the people. The conference leaders com pared the “standard approach to economic development” to the n ation-building approach, showing how solid institutions that enjoy popular support can make the difference between success and failure o f a nation’s economic enterprises, t v The nation’s same institu tions also form the basis for its social programs and community growth. Trust issues rose to the sur- face.and became an important topic in the conference, espe cially in the small-group discus sions at the end. “That was the most open,” said Greene, refer ring to the breakout sessions. "They all pointed towards the sam,e issues of trust, respect, authority o f those in power, and looking for better Communica tion in all parts of the Tribe.” As an essential building block o f trusted government, present ers stressed the importance of a constitutional foundation that matches the people’s cultural expectations for how authority should be exercised. Through out the sessions thtiy illustrated their points with stories from their work with tribes across the O th e r im p o rtan t them es from the first pay were articu lating a shared vision o f the fu ture, setting the nation’s own agenda rather than reacting to outside’fotces, and establishing clear roles and responsibilities throughout the tribài organiza tion, which are then respected and adhered^ to. f “I think it’s going well,” said Secretary-Treasurer Jody Calica after the first day. -People are "epgaged. The remark that really struck me was in the discussion when Anson Begay said, ‘I’m hearing a lot of. 1 b u t! don’t hear a lo g p ^ ^ s’^ J.s^ p ^ o y e es and leaders, of ¡the Tribe we have an obligation to Council to be working together, and Council has that obligation tó the mem bership.” T he second day focused more on the economy and the respective roles o f the Council, boards, enterprises, and citizen entrepreneurs in econom ic growth. The final sessions then dealt with the problem o f changing course, implementing the new strategies, and creating a self- determined future. |rsjj Early in the second day, tribal Appellate Court Judge Floyd Calica spoke for many when he questioned what Could be done to prevent the ideas presented at, the conference frcftn being forgotten once work resumed its normal course. “There was a lbt o f conver sation yesterday about things like governance and ethics that hit the nail,” he said. “But a month from now it’s going to be sitting on the shelf with all the other documents. What do we do to change that?” /■; The last sessions attempted to address that question by get ting participants to talk about how to implement what they learned in the conference. Stwyer is - hopeful th at new methods will find their way onto Council. ' - “The gathering gives us the opportunity to .coihmunicate and reinforce our vision and gain ideas from others,” she said. FENDERS by ENDRES Below Wholesale <S p <¿33* * - Gold-Silver-Diamond Jewelry Sale Large Selection of Unique Gift Ideas!!! NKKD CASH? Fast, Courteous 24-Hour Service. CASH LOANS i ‘ STATE LICENSED PAWN BROKER* “ BEST R A T E -L 0N G E S T TER M ” Accident Recovery. * Roll Back, for damage-f ree Towing, Statewide coverage, CHRISTMAS Insurance approved. 475-6491 L egal S office, or 480-9685 cell o l u t io n s fo r C Victims o f Crime Services hosted a training last week for t local advocates to educate them about the Crime Victims’ Com pensation Program. Rebecca Shaw, Crime victims’ compensation manager with the Oregon Department o f Justice, presented the information to advocates with VOCS and two advocates from Madras. Previously Sammy Bruised- Head and Mark Matthews had both completed the training, and new advocates were able to un dergo the most recent training. This means that victims will be able to work with Victims of Crime Services to apply for compensation from the state of Oregon in some instances.' T he state .■ o f ; O reg o n founded the program in 1977 tô compensate victims o f crime and their families. The program allows the state to ease the financial losses o f the victim o f a violent crime, and in some cases the victim’s fam ily. The only requirement is that the victim must be injured or killed as à result o f a compens able crime committed against the victim in the state of Oregon. Compensable crimes include an intentional, knowing or reck less act by a person resulting in serious bodily injury or death of another person that could be punishable as a crime. To be eligible the victim must report the crime to law enforce ment officials within 72 hours. However, that requirement may be waived with good cause. In addition, the victim must cooperate fully to apprehend and prosecute the assailant and cannot have been invoked in a Wrongful act or cannot have provoked the assailant. Compensable crimes include crimes like robbery, child abuse, assault, rape, domestic violence, hq.micitie o r p th e r serions ctinies. Compensation for these crimes can vary, but victims may be compensated up to $20,000 for reasonable medical and/or counseling expenses.. Other compensation can'in- clude up to $20,000 for reason able grief counseling expenses or funeral expenses for families o f a deceased victim. Mental health counseling, medical expenses, medically necessary devices, funeral ex penses, docum ented loss o f support, documented loss o f earnings, reh ab ilitatio n ex penses, counseling for children who witness domestic violence, and counseling for a friend or acquaintance who is the first to discover a deceased body are all examples o f what compensa tion may include. About 90 percent o f appli cations received are approved. Those that arerit approvecl are typically denied because,1 the crime is n o t a com pensable crime; However, in certain cases-the victim may not be eligible. For example, if an injury or death re sulted from the victim’s' own wrongdoing or provocation, they are ineligible for compensation. If an injury or death occurred due to an accident it would also make the victim ineligible. Crimes that occurred before the program became' active" in January 1978 are also ineligible. After the program receives applications, they are processed by obtaining police and medical reports and other necessary in formation. Victims can sometimes be compensated without an iden tified perpetrator o f the.ctime committed. To file an applica-- üon Foricompèrisàtiofr, victims tiiaÿ w ork w ith V ictim s ojf Crime Services. For more in formation, call 553-2293 or visit www.doj.state.or.us/CrimeV / welcomel.htm. en tra l O regon Top $$$ paid for newer digital cameras, TVs, power tools, musical instruments, guns, gold, diamonds, scrap and dental gold, game systems, most anything of value. Bargain Hunters 75 SE 5th St. - Madras SINCE 1950 (o ld S a tte r le e J e w e lry S to re ) 475-3745 K A R N O PP P E T E R S E N CCP PEN W ed.-Sat. 10 a.m . to 5:30 p.m; Tues. 10 a.m . to 3:00 p.mJ 4
