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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2015)
S MOKE S IGNALS APRIL 1, 2015 8 Tribe seeks more police funding from Congress By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tribal 9LFH&KDLU-DFN*LIIHQ-UWHVWLÀHG before the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies subcommit- tee of the House Appropriations Committee, seeking more funding for law enforcement in Indian County on Tuesday, March 24. In particular, Giffen said that terminated Tribes, such as the Con- federated Tribes of Grand Ronde, continue to be disenfranchised from their years of not being federally recognized. “My remarks will highlight the continued impacts Termination has had on Grand Ronde’s ability to secure federal funding for much needed law enforcement services,” Giffen said. Although Grand Ronde has made great strides in rebuilding its Res- ervation community after 29 years of Termination from 1954 to 1983, Giffen said the Tribe continues to lose out when seeking federal fund- ing for infrastructure needs, such as law enforcement and certain social services programs. “Grand Ronde, like other termi- nated Tribes, did not receive any of the federal funding investments QRUVRFLDOZHOIDUHEHQHÀWVGLUHFWHG at Indian Country during the era of self-determination,” he said. Giffen said the Grand Ronde com- munity has grown in population, as well as crime, over the past 20 years. To address the increasing population and crime numbers, as well as slow to non-existent police response, the Tribe in 1997 entered into an enhanced service agreement with Polk County and spent hundreds of thousands of Tribal dollars annually to provide police coverage to the community, Photo by Rob Greene Tribal Council Vice Chair Jack Giffen Jr., left, testified on Tuesday, March 24, before the U.S. House Appropriations Committee’s Interior, Environment and Related Agencies subcommittee on funding for the Department of the Interior, which oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to be used to enhance law enforcement by Tribal police forces. To his right is Bob Garcia, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, who also testified. including nonTribal lands. In 2012, the Tribe started its own police department. Following the adoption of Senate Bill 412, which DOORZV7ULEDOSROLFHRIÀFHUVWREH treated as peace officers under Oregon law, Tribal police started enforcing criminal law in the Grand Ronde area. With the end of the enhanced service agreement with Polk County, the Tribal Police De- partment is now the primary law enforcement agency in the area. “Due to the high crime rates in the remote and rural area, which also contains one of the largest tourist destinations in Oregon, it is imperative that, in the absence of Polk County enhanced services, the Tribe operate its police depart- Presented by: CTGR Behavioral Health Sponsored by: Mid-Valley Parenting Location: Molalla Room CTGR Health and Wellness Center Dates: Thursdays April 2, 2015- May 21, 2015 Times: 5:30-7:00 pm Cost: Free ment to ensure the safety of its community and neighbors. In order to do so, it requires BIA funding,” Giffen said. However, he told the House sub- committee, the Bureau of Indian Affairs refused to enter into a con- tract with the Tribe to provide law enforcement services because the agency isn’t currently providing law enforcement services to the Tribe. “Had Grand Ronde not been ter- minated in 1954, it is highly likely the Bureau of Indian Affairs would have provided law enforcement services on the Reservation, thus allowing the Tribe to today qualify for a contract to fund its law en- forcement,” Giffen said. Although Oregon is a Public Law 280 state, which the BIA has a general policy of not funding law enforcement programs in, Giffen said that Grand Ronde should qual- LI\XQGHUWKHFXUUHQWGHÀQLWLRQRI special circumstances. “Federal base funding for Tribal justice systems should be made available on equal terms to all federally recognized Tribes,” Giff- en said. “Nonetheless, the Tribe would qualify for funding under the EXUHDX·VFXUUHQWSROLF\DVLWÀWVWKH GHÀQLWLRQRIVSHFLDOFLUFXPVWDQFHVµ Giffen cited several crime sta- tistics, such as 24.66 percent of sex crimes in Polk County occur in the Grand Ronde area, as well as 30 percent of all assaults and harassment cases. In addition, 47.8 percent of Polk County’s drug offenses in 2012 occurred in the Grand Ronde area. Giffen added that in 2012, 23 per- cent of the 2,458 reported incidents in Polk County occurred in the Grand Ronde area, which only has 3.2 percent of the county’s popula- tion and 4.2 percent of its land base. Also, Giffen said, there is not enough police staff to cover the area, which includes Fort Hill and the outskirts of Willamina, and includes Spirit Mountain Casino and Oregon Highway 18, a heavily traveled roadway to the Oregon Coast. “There is a high and demon- strable need for increased law enforcement to meet this need,” Giffen said. “Surely, a reduction of law enforcement presence in the community would only result in an upswing of drug activity. Fur- ther, although there is no recorded prevalence of gang activity in the area, the level of drug-related crime suggests that gang activity could be occurring. “In conclusion, Grand Ronde requests the subcommittee’s as- sistance in securing additional funding for the BIA, to be used to enhance law enforcement efforts by the Tribe and its police force.” Accompanying Giffen on the trip to Washington, D.C., were Tribal Council Secretary Toby McClary, Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Martin and Tribal Attorney Rob Greene. McClary said the trip to Wash- ington, D.C., was “very productive” and included meetings with staff members of the Oregon congressio- nal delegation and attendance at a breakfast hosted by Speaker of the House John Boehner during which he and Giffen spoke with House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) for about 10 minutes. McClary and Giffen also attended a luncheon where they met Rep. Greg Walden, Oregon’s 2nd District congressman, and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who ran for vice pres- ident with Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential election. Q Who should attend: Parents, child-care providers, those in the field working with families How to register: contact Nicole Estrada, LMFT (503) 879-2344 please RSVP by March 23rd Decades of university-based research have confirmed that secure children exhibit increased empathy, greater self-esteem, better relationships with parents and peers, enhanced school readiness, and an increased capacity to handle emotions more effectively when compared with children who are not secure. The Circle of Security is a relationship based early intervention program designed to enhance attachment security between parents and children. Please join us for an 8 week class to better understand how the way YOU were parented directly effects all the relationships in your life, including the one with your child. 2XUJRDOVRIWKHQLQHweek course involve processing and forgiving violence that has personally KDSSHQHGWRXV3DVWKXUWVWRFXUUHQWXQKHDOWK\RUDEXVLYHUHODWLRQVKLSV«ZHHQFRXUDJHDOOSHRSOHWR come and join together in healing. )ROORZLQJ:KLWH%LVRQ0HQGLQJ%URNHQ+HDUWVFXUULFXOXPZHKRSHWRXVHWUDGLWLRQDOPHWKRGVRI KHDOLQJIRU1DWLYHFRPPXQLWLHV:HNQRZRXUFRPPXQLW\FDUULHVVWURQJYDOXHVDQGEHOLHIVWKDWDLGLQ our healing from the multigenerational trauma we have experienced up until currentday hurts. /HDUQLQJ2EMHFWLYHVRIWKH7UDLQLQJ • Understand your child’s emotional world by learning to read the emotional needs • Support your child’s ability to successfully manage emotions • Enhance the development of your child's self esteem • Honor your innate wisdom and desire for your child to be secure x Strengthening Wounded Survivors 2XUFRPPXQLW\KHDOLQJEXLOGLQJRQRXUVWUHQJWK 2XUFLUFOHLQYLWHVWKHFRPPXQLW\WRMRLQLQKHDOLQJFXUUHQWRUSDVWWUDXPD Generally, domestic violence is a pattern of behavior, including physical violence or sexual violence, by an intimate current or former partner. It is seen in male/female and same sex partner relationships. Domestic violence takes many forms and includes a range of actions intended to control: isolation, intimidation, using children, emotional abuse, economic abuse, coercion and threats, minimizing, denying and blaming, cultural abuse, ritual abuse, sexism and sexual abuse. Sexual violence takes many forms as well but all acts are intended to control the survivor without their consent or their ability to give consent. ,QFHQWLYHVDQGGLQQHUSURYLGHGSRVVLEOHFKLOGFDUHWREHGHWHUPLQHG Join us and take a nineweek journey as we discuss completing relationships and completing trauma that has not been resolved. Location: Grand Ronde Housing Authority, 28450 Tyee Road, Grand Ronde, OR 97347 Dates: April 13 th thru June 15 th (each Monday evening) Times: 5:30-7 p.m. Ages: 18+ (male or female trauma survivors) For questions or comments, contact Anne Falla, office 503-879-1660 or 24 hours 971-832-0730
