Column: A crisis for Indian children on the Spirit Lake Nation

While elected state and federal officials wring their hands, children on the Spirit Lake Reservation continue to live under a cloud of fear and poverty.

Our congressional delegation has been meeting with tribal and federal officials for several years but tragic incidents continue to unfold, most recently the deaths of several children.

Here are some of the charges and incidents that evolved during the unraveling of this tragic story:

Tribal officials, or their relatives, have used intimidation to shut up victims of abuse.
Nine children allegedly lived with three registered sex offenders.
Social work employees were threatened with the loss of their jobs.
Three children have been killed.