"Lumbees are not responsible for all of Robeson County�s violence, and are responsible for much that is good. But a tribe that hopes to win full federal recognition in the months ahead is wise to home in on a startlingly high homicide rate.

The rate � 27.1 cases per 100,000 people versus 5.5 cases per 100,000, nationwide, for all races � is high enough that it suggests something more serious than a statistical twitch. And the most unflinching analysis comes from among the Lumbees. Tribal Administrator Leon Jacobs called it �a large problem within the tribe.� It is not, he added, �just a law enforcement problem. It is a family and tribal situation.� Other tribal leaders have taken it seriously enough that meetings with local and state officials have been held.

One local official, Lumberton Police Chief Robert Grice, noting the high percentage of killings involving drugs, warned: �In order to have an impact on the homicide rate, we will have to do something about drugs and more resources to deal with the aftermath of drug use.� But drugs can be found in any community.

Do Lumbees account for a disproportionate share of drug abuse and/or drug trafficking in Robeson? The same sort of question arises when the subject turns to poverty or domestic friction."

Get the Story:
Our View: Life and death in Robeson are the business of both a tribe and a state (The Fayetteville Observer 7/12)

Lumbee Recognition Bills:
S.660 | H.R.21 | H.R.4171

Relevant Links:
Official Lumbee Tribe website - http://www.lumbeetribe.com
Lumbee Regional Development Association - http://www.lumbee.org

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