by navajo
TRAVESTY ON THE HOME FRONT
By Preston Randolph
<snip>
Recently the world was faced with the challenge of bonding together and helping the country of Haiti fight through the terror of a natural disaster. As a result, the world has now been exposed to the extreme poverty and poor living conditions of this area. This shocking reality served as a motivation for all people to lend a helping hand.
We help once people die, but by then it is just too late. Furthermore, most Americans are completely oblivious to the abstract and harsh poverty right here at home. The ignorance of these issues by the American people is only proven when you start mentioning the horrors going on at Indian Reservations across the Dakotas.
I started collecting winter supplies two months ago for the Pine Ridge Reservation, which is home to the Lakota Nation. The current film I am producing exposed me to these issues, which made we want to do my part. During the winter months many of Pine Ridge's citizens freeze and starve. When I say "freeze" I do not mean chilly, but actually freezing to death. The extreme poverty on the reservation and horrendous living conditions combined with the "illegal" shutting off of power to homes sheltering elderly and children result in the actual deaths by hypothermia. Even at this point, as you are reading this, people are freezing on the Reservation.
After weeks of hard work, I had managed to gather hundreds of new coats, blankets, hats, gloves, and boots. Last Friday at 3 a.m. I loaded up a U-Haul trailer and drove the eight hours to Pine Ridge. As I entered the reservation and approached the city limits I was greeted with the sight of the poorest community in the United States. Three feet of snow covered the ground as the unplowed roads formed a muddy environment. Just outside the city I passed an eroding bar giving spirits to those who already live in an area where nine of 10 families are affected by alcoholism. It was only a mile or so back that I saw a dual-sided billboard giving face to two young Native Americans recently killed in an alcohol related accident.
<snip>
The smiles of the children on the streets, playing in the snow wearing torn coats, if they have one at all, brought tears to my eyes. This existence is all they know and chances are this is all they will ever know. These are the children that will go to the school that uses materials that are decades old and have a teacher turnover rate that is 800 percent that of the national average. They will be raised alongside their brothers and sisters who all survive on the $3,500 their parents bring in a year. At this point these children, if lucky, will grow into their teenage years. When I say "if lucky" I mean it. The chance of certain diseases and cancers is up to 800 percent higher on the Reservation than the rest of the United States, and the teenage suicide rate is 150 percent higher than the national average. These kids attend school in an environment where 70 percent of those before them dropped out of a system that is in the bottom 10 percent of funding by the US Department of Education. These kids then will face other adversities of trying to find work. They may grasp on to a minimum wage job, but remember the unemployment rate is 80 percent; one of the highest in the nation. This cycle continues and continues, but nothing is done. I can only ask why? Is it that the US Government could care less about the indigenous people, which has been proved the past 200 years? Maybe, it is just that the people of the United States have no idea of what is actually happening inside their country and are confused by the stereotype that America's Indigenous receive everything from the Government. Wake Up!
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Ways you can help:
Call the Lakota Plains Propane Company at 605-867-5199 or 605-455-1188 and directly pay for someone's propane delivery. There is a $120 minimum for a propane delivery. My friend, Kean University professor Dr. Norma Bowe, who introduced me to Preston a few months ago, has paid for the propane deliveries for three people, and told me that this was very easy to do. The people at the propane company know which customers are in need and whose bills to apply the money to, and gave Norma the names of the individuals whose bills she was paying. (I realize that a lot of us, including myself, might not be able to come up with the entire $120 minimum to get a delivery to someone, so do what I did and go halfsies with someone else, or get a few people to chip in.)
An emergency assistance fund has also been set up by the tribe that will be used exclusively for heating costs -- electric, propane, fuel oil, and firewood. Donations in any amount can be sent to:
Dean Patton, Treasurer
Oglala Sioux Tribe
P.O. Box 2070
Pine Ridge, South Dakota 57770
Unfortunately, according to a press release issued by the Oglala Sioux Tribe, there have been scammers soliciting donations on the internet, claiming to be raising money for the Pine Ridge Reservation, so, if you want to help, please be sure to do it via one of the two ways above.
If you do want to donate online:
A commenter when I posted this on the Huffington Post Impact page posted that the Native American Heritage Association (NAHA) is a very reputable organization with a 4 star rating from Charity Navigator, so if you're looking for a way that you can donate online, and want to be sure your donation is going to a legitimate charity, this would be the organization to send your donation to. NAHA provides food, clothing, heating assistance, etc., to the people on several South Dakota reservations, including Pine Ridge.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/1/29/15270/9480WTF is going on? Why are these conditions still being allowed? I know I haven't paid enough attention so I'm guilty.
Help Pine Ridge or do they need an earthquake?
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