{"id":38543,"date":"2024-07-17T13:26:46","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T17:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=38543"},"modified":"2024-07-17T13:29:50","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T17:29:50","slug":"source-new-mexico-tribal-leader-discusses-public-safety-at-republican-convention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/07\/17\/source-new-mexico-tribal-leader-discusses-public-safety-at-republican-convention\/","title":{"rendered":"Source New Mexico: Tribal leader discusses public safety at Republican convention"},"content":{"rendered":" \"James<\/a>
Forest County Potawatomi Chairman James Crawford speaks to the Republican National Convention on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Photo by Shaun Griswold \/ Source NM<\/figcaption>\r\n
Forest County Potawatomi chairman opens day two of the RNC focused on crime<\/div>\r\n
Wednesday, July 17, 2024<\/div>\r\n
By Shaun Griswold, Source New Mexico<\/a> <\/div>\r\n
sourcenm.com<\/a><\/div>\r\n

<\/P> \r\n\r\nMILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — The public safety theme on the second evening at the Republican National Convention included a message from Forest County Potawatomi Chairman James Crawford.

<\/P>His introductory remarks had a land acknowledgement tone for the host city, despite it not being explicit on the evening speech program.

<\/P>\u201cIt was once home to several Potawatomi villages, including a village close to where we sit today,\u201d Crawford told Republican delegates. \u201cOur ancestors occupied these lands for hundreds of years, fishing area rivers and lakes, hunting the land, tapping maple tree groves for sugar and harvesting crops and fields each fall.\u201d

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\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTRANSCRIPT: James Crawford, Chairman of Forest County Potawatomi Community, at Republican Convention\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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“Native people are facing real threats to ensure our safety,” the leader of the Forest County Potawatomi Community told Republicans gathered in his tribe’s homelands.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/p>\r\nThere was no direct endorsement for the ticket, but he did extend goodwill in working with a Donald Trump-J.D. Vance administration in one of his last remarks to the delegate floor. \u201cI look forward to working with everyone here to make America safe again,\u201d Crawford said.

<\/P>The speech lasted just under five minutes. Crawford hit on safety issues related to drugs and violence against women.\u00a0

<\/P>\u201cThe growing use and abuse of illegal drugs are claiming countless lives on reservations across this country. And Native American women and girls continue to be exploited, trafficked and subjected to violence at reprehensible levels. So tonight\u2019s theme, make America safe again, is especially important for us.\u201d

<\/P>He did not specifically mention more federal programs to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous People<\/a> that could use panels in states<\/a> or under the Interior Department as models. He didn\u2019t mention additional congressional support and funding for the Violence Against Women Act<\/a>, which helps with prosecutions. And he didn\u2019t get into\u00a0 widespread concerns about police discrimination against Native American victims that families have said they\u2019ve experienced during investigations.\u00a0

<\/P>Crawford is the only Native American slated to speak during the 2024 convention.

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\n\t\t\n\t\t\tVIDEO: James Crawford, Chairman of Forest County Potawatomi Community, at Republican Convention\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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James Crawford, the chairman of Forest County Potawatomi Community, addresses the Republican National Convention.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/P>\r\nRepublican comments about drugs and \u201ccartels\u201d on tribal lands are lately growing louder. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem right now is the most prominent voice with the messaging that reservations are safe havens for drug cartels. This skews public perception on the real issues with illicit drugs, said former South Dakota federal prosecutor Brendan Johnson.

<\/P>\u201cSuggesting that there\u2019s some sort of pipeline between Mexico and the reservations is silly,\u201d Johnson said in a series on the topic by South Dakota Searchlight<\/a>. \u201cIt would be tantamount to saying, \u2018Yeah, the cartels are really focused on Ipswich.\u2019 That\u2019s stupid, and people wouldn\u2019t believe it. Unfortunately, people are more inclined to believe it (about reservations), because they have less knowledge on the reservations.\u201d

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<\/i> The Montana delegation sign on the Republican National Convention floor in Milwaukee on Monday, July 15, 2024. (Photo by Shaun Griswold \/ Source NM)

<\/P><\/figure>In an interview on the floor Tuesday, Montana delegate and former DEA supervisor in the state Stacy Zinn said her job was to, \u201cmake positive relationships with the reservations and to do what we could to help do investigations that would negate the cartel presence.\u201d

<\/P>In her role, she said, she works with multiple federal agencies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and FBI to operate investigations on and around tribal lands. She pointed to issues in Montana with jurisdiction between local, county and state police. These problems stall or delay investigations, she said.

<\/P>She had a suggestion for a fix, and it\u2019s something that some tribes across the country are already doing with states. They create a legal memorandum of understanding to allow cross-jurisdictional police investigations.

<\/P>\u201cIf a tribe is going to be robust, and really is serious about taking care of their crime on their their lands, then I would I suggest, based on my experience, and what I\u2019ve seen, you want a (memorandum of understanding) with the local law enforcement in order to build that strength in numbers,\u201d Zinn said.

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\n\t\t\n\t\t\tAUDIO: James Crawford, Chairman of Forest County Potawatomi Community, at Republican Convention\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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James Crawford, the chairman of Forest County Potawatomi Community, addresses the Republican National Convention.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/P>\r\nThat does require a bit of a working relationship between tribes and the states. In places like New Mexico, a friendly governor can make that happen through policy. But in places like South Dakota, where the governor is banned from all nine reservations<\/a> thanks to her comments, poor government-to-government relationships can stunt any progress.

<\/P>\u00a0\u201cIf we can just lower that animosity at times,\u201d Zinn said, \u201cthen the main goal is to keep the community safe.\u201d

<\/P>She also acknowledged that all police agencies need to get on the same page.\u00a0

<\/P>\u201cIf this is how we\u2019re going to do things, then it\u2019s a force multiplier,\u201d she said. \u201cThe relationships between law enforcement all across the board should be a positive experience.\u201d

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\t\t\t\tThis story is part of a collaboration between <\/i>Koahnic Broadcasting<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>ICTNews.org<\/i><\/a> and <\/i>States Newsroom<\/i><\/a> covering the Republican National Convention in 2024 with a focus on Native America. It was originally published on Source New Mexico<\/a> under a Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/a><\/i>\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t<\/div> <\/div>\t