Cletus and Earline Cole sued an F.B.I. agent, saying he mishandled an investigation into the death of their son, Steven Bear Crane. Courtesy New York Times.
Tribal members can sue FBI agents
Decision of 9th circuit court upheld
By Brandon Ecoffey
Native Sun News Staff Writer RAPID CITY- The family of Steven Bear Crane has been allowed by the Supreme Court of the United States to sue an FBI agent for discrimination. The parents of Bear Crane, Earline and Cletus Cole originally brought suit against both the individual agent and the US Attorney’s office that declined to prosecute the murder of their son. Allegedly Bear Crane was shot to death by a white coworker on a ranch within the boundaries of the Crow reservation in MT. A witness at the scene has testified that the agent named in the case said, “You know that Indians can’t hold their liquor”. The family asserted that the government and the individual FBI agent were not investigating, nor were they prosecuting crimes against Native Americans as diligently or frequently as they were cases involving non-Native people. However, the Montana District Court dismissed the claims against the government, but allowed the suit to move forward against the individual agent. The government then appealed the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of appeals, which upheld the decision of the lower court that allowed the family to sue the individual agent. In January, the Supreme Court denied to hear the final appeal by the government thus clearing the way for the suit against the agent to proceed. “This is a decision that allows for Native American people to force the FBI to be accountable for their actions,” said Patricia Bangert the lead attorney for the Bear Crane family. “We are going to keep moving forward so the family can get some sort of justice for their son,” she added. The Bear Crane family was joined in the suit by the family of Robert Springfield who was reported missing for four months and whose body was later found. The same agent refused to investigate the disappearance of Springfield. (Contact Brandon Ecoffey at staffwriter2@nsweekly.com) Copyright permission by Native Sun News
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