Ute Tribe supports DOJ probe of pepper-spraying at school

Tuesday, December 13, 2011  

The Ute Tribe of Utah is calling on the Department of Justice to probe a pepper-spraying incident at a public school on the reservation.

Police officers from the city of Roosevelt used pepper spray on a group of Polynesian men and boys started to perform a traditional Maori haka after a football game in October. Bystanders -- including children as young as four years old -- were reportedly hit with the spray.

"The treatment that the (Polynesians) received is similar to what our members go through," Chairwoman Irene Cuch told The Deseret News.

The police chief has cleared officers of wrongdoing but one officer who used pepper spray apologized to "every innocent bystander." The officer said he had never seen a haka, which has become common at sporting events in Utah as more Polynesians have moved to the state.

Roosevelt is a city on the reservation that was opened to non-Indian settlement. The majority of the population there is non-Indian.

Get the Story:
Ute Tribe says members are harassed like students in Roosevelt pepper spray incident (The Deseret News 12/13)