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SEPTEMBER 15, 2000

Six protesters who were arrested last year during a skirmish involving police officers rejected a plea agreement taken last month by fellow protester Russell Means.

Former Oglala Sioux Tribal President John Yellow Bird Steele, former Nebraska Indian Commission member and Winnebago tribal members Frank LaMere, Oglala Sioux Tribal Council Sergeant at Arms Tom Poor Bear, his brother Webster Poor Bear, Gary Moore and Benedict Black Elk will now face trial for allegedly failing to obey a lawful order and obstructing a police officer.

Means last month agreed to plead guilty to the lawful order count and was fined $100. The other charge was dropped.

The group were arrested on July 3, when a police blockade attempted to prevent them from entering the Nebraska town of Whiteclay. Along with other members of the Pine Ridge Reservation, the group was protesting the unsolved murders of several Lakota men, as well as the alcohol operations of of the town.

Get the Story:
Six reject plea agreement in Whiteclay march case (AP 9/15)

Related Stories:
Means fined for Whiteclay protest (Tribal Law 08/28)
Whiteclay protests continue (The Talking Circle 06/12)

Relevant Links:
Camp Justice - www.aics.org/justice/camp.html
Russell Means - www.russellmeans.com