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THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2002

"The recent P-I article about the imminent loss of two Native American outreach workers at DSHS was right on target, except where it perpetuated the invisibility of Native people who live in the margins of our urban areas.

These and many other good people are clean and sober, struggling to survive in the city. Many of us have relied on state-funded services at one point in our lives and have been marginalized by far more complicated societal factors than addiction to alcohol and drugs. Outreach workers like Peter Joe and Rosemary Martinez serve all of us in the Native community.

Your article gave particular focus to the most vulnerable among us. But there is more to the story. Whether they are Aleut, Duwamish, Yakama, Zuni or any other of the hundreds of indigenous tribes across the continent, the Native people on the streets are our relatives. . ."

Get the Story:
Opinion: Native American lifeline threatened (Joan Staples and Gary Graham. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 4/11)

Related Stories:
Indian social workers laid off (4/2)