{"id":5489,"date":"2020-12-07T18:26:25","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T23:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=5489"},"modified":"2020-12-07T18:50:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T23:50:51","slug":"ivan-star-comes-out-confronting-racism-and-homelessness-against-our-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/12\/07\/ivan-star-comes-out-confronting-racism-and-homelessness-against-our-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Ivan Star Comes Out: Confronting racism and homelessness among our people"},"content":{"rendered":"\"campmniluzahan\"
\r\nThe Oglala Lakota Nation flag is seen at Camp Mni Luzahan, a tipi encampment located on land held in trust for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Photo © Independent Media Project<\/figcaption>\r\n
Rapid City Journal\u2019s racist headlines on homelessness<\/div>\r\n
Monday, December 7, 2020<\/div>\r\n
By Ivan Star Comes Out<\/DIV>\r\n
Native Sun News Today Columnist<\/DIV>\r\n
nativesunnews.today<\/A> <\/DIV>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n• Support Camp Mni Luzahan<\/a><\/strong>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe recent headlines in the Rapid City Journal about the homeless situation can be interpreted as racist. No amount of rationalizing will change that. \r\n

<\/p>\r\nFor this reason alone, the reservation governments must direct their attention on their homeless natives surviving on the mayor\u2019s streets. Actually, many have died within city limits over the years, and forgotten because it is a burden on the city\u2019s coffers.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nOne may be thinking that the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) has nothing to do with the homeless situation in the city. For starters, part of the preamble in the Oglala Sioux Tribe\u2019s IRA constitution states \u201c…in order to establish a more perfect organization, promote the general welfare, conserve and develop our lands and resources, secure to ourselves and our posterity…\u201d The oath every elected official swears on is similar.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThis preamble, written by non-native government official\u2019s 80-plus years ago, explains each IRA government\u2019s purpose and underlying philosophy. I\u2019m not sure what the authors were intending to accomplish but Oglala Lakota County (Pine Ridge Reservation) today holds one of the nation\u2019s \u201cpoorest county\u201d designations. This means as much as half the residents are impacted by a long list of negative results.\r\n

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Ivan F. \r\nStar Comes Out. Photo courtesy Native Sun News \r\nToday<\/A><\/FIGCAPTION> <\/DIV><\/DIV>

<\/p>\r\n I present a few here. Loss of language and cultural identity (forced assimilation), discontentment (many endure unresolved historical trauma), inequality (racial and economic), homelessness (multiple families living in single-family homes), child neglect (grandparents raising their grandchildren), poor education (according to state standards), little or no jobs, and an ineffective and oftentimes corrupt governing system (IRA).\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe reservation\u2019s despairing situation is the primary reasons people leave their homelands and go to Rapid City in search of a better life. Only they end up on the streets because they cannot find a job (most likely denied based on skin color) much less a place to live while they work a meaningful job. Then there is the substance abuse and addictions that merely add to the struggle.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe IRA governments can be a catalyst in moving the situation toward more positive results. Our elected officials can discuss feasible measures that will truly assist our relatives with what they need to become productive members of society. The accepted stereotypical imagery held by the majority of non-natives in this area has merely added to the homeless situation.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe combined effort of the IRA governments can accomplish what the city cannot. Let\u2019s face it, the IRA system contributed to the homeless situation so it is only fitting for each entity to help resolve it. A suggestion is to establish an \u201cIndian Center\u201d similar to what our \u201curban\u201d relatives have in the big cities and to staff it with qualified individuals, not relatives.\r\n

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