State to pay $3M in trooper arrests on Onondaga Nation in 1997

Tuesday, June 5, 2012  

The state of New York has agreed to pay nearly $3 million to people who were beaten or chased away by state troopers during a peaceful protest on the Onondaga Nation in 1997.

Most of the plaintiffs are Native American, although most were not members of the Onondaga Nation. They traveled from other reservations, and from Canada, to protest the state's Indian policies.

The plaintiffs will get varying amounts from the settlement. Robert Bucktooth, a member of the Seneca Nation who was beaten by state troopers, is due to receive $200,000, The Syracuse Post-Standard reported.

Martha Skye, who is Mohawk, said she will receive $40,000. She was arrested while her children watched.

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State offers to pay $3 million to protesters roughed up by troopers on Onondaga Nation in 1997 (The Syracuse Post-Standard 6/3)