Al Franken: Gangs and crime in Indian Country

Law | Politics

Friday, July 31, 2009

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minnesota) at Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing. July 30, 2009. Sen. Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) on the left

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minnesota) at SCIA hearing. Sen. Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) on the left.

"As most of you remember, a few years ago the Red Lake Reservation in Red Lake, Minnesota suffered a heart-wrenching tragedy. On the morning of March 21, 2005, a tormented 16-year-old boy killed his grandfather and his grandfather’s girlfriend. He later drove his grandfather’s police car to Red Lake Senior High School, where he shot and killed seven people.

But the violence we are witnessing is not isolated on rural reservations, or limited to an individual tormented youth. Two of our largest problems are the trafficking of drugs and the trafficking of young native women between urban areas and reservation land.

The Drug Enforcement Agency reports that at an increasingly large percentage of the cocaine distributed in Minnesota is done by native American gangs. In a recent Native American Times article, it was noted that: “Reservations offer near-perfect hideouts and lucrative markets. They’re often remote, with few businesses and job opportunities. Selling drugs means easy money. Doing them means escape.”

The article goes on to highlight some of the groundbreaking work being done in Minnesota and Wisconsin to crack down on tribal crime. In Wisconsin, tribes have banded together to form a one-of-a-kind task force that could be a template for other states to follow. I’m very eager to hear from each of the witnesses about their own initiatives and programs. …

Back in Minnesota, and all across the country, young native women are also falling victim to sexual crimes and increased trafficking. Sadly, women who come forward to report sexual violence are caught in a jurisdictional maze that federal, state and tribal police often cannot quickly sort out."

Get the Story:
Al Franken: Gang activity hits urban, rural Indian Country (The Bemidji Pioneer 7/31)
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Committee Hearing:
OVERSIGHT HEARING to examine the increase of gang activity in Indian country (July 30, 2009)