{"id":2200,"date":"2020-04-06T09:33:28","date_gmt":"2020-04-06T13:33:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/covid19\/?p=2200"},"modified":"2020-04-06T09:33:28","modified_gmt":"2020-04-06T13:33:28","slug":"lakota-peoples-law-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/2020\/04\/06\/lakota-peoples-law-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakota People’s Law Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Immediate Release<\/strong><\/p>\n

Power Shut-Offs at Standing Rock Put Families in Danger<\/strong><\/p>\n

The White Mountains were forced out of their trailer during the coronavirus pandemic because they couldn’t pay their power bill. Now they’re being told to stay home.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Robert White Mountain says he wasn\u2019t sure what to do when he learned that the McLaughlin City Council was shutting off the electricity in his son\u2019s FEMA trailer in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

To many Native residents of McLaughlin, the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation\u2019s second largest town (population 663, according to the 2010 census), such news is tantamount to an eviction. The White Mountain trailer lacks gas heating, so the family of five relies on electricity to provide warmth in subfreezing temperatures.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur McLaughlin City Council apparently fails to recognize the importance of keeping citizens within the safety of their homes during this pandemic, even though 23 states throughout the country and most other utilities in South Dakota have suspended power shut-offs,\u201d White Mountain said.<\/p>\n

The council shut off his son\u2019s electricity twice this winter, once during February and again in March, in possible violation of South Dakota law. Though the state previously banned winter shut-offs from November through the end of March, McLaughlin mayor Arnold Schott said a staffer informed him the City could still cut the White Mountains’ power.<\/p>\n

While every privately-owned utility in South Dakota has now ceased power shut-offs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of McLaughlin has chosen to procure its electricity from Heartland Power, a co-op based in Minnesota. The council \u2014 notably all white except for one member in a town that\u2019s 65 percent Native \u2014 exercises responsibility for administering water, power, and sanitation services for residents without additional oversight by the tribe.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, White Mountain, who is in his 60s, invited his son, his daughter-in-law and their three children to cram into his house. He said it\u2019s a suboptimal solution given the well-known possibility for the virus to more adversely affect older people, who most medical experts agree should limit outside exposure as much as possible during the pandemic. <\/p>\n

White Mountain said he\u2019s concerned that other families may be in a similar situation with their power bills but without any fallback plan. So he decided to contact the Lakota People\u2019s Law Project to see if the Native rights-focused law and policy organization could help find a way to keep Standing Rock\u2019s families safer. The organization responded by agreeing to amplify White Mountain\u2019s story through various media channels and schedule him to speak at tonight’s council meeting.<\/p>\n

But in a conversation with Lakota Law director Daniel Nelson, Mayor Schott shut down the latter idea. Citing safety concerns due to the pandemic, Schott made it clear that no member of the public would be permitted inside council chambers. “I locked down the city. We’re supposed to stay home, period,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis blatant hypocrisy shows exactly why we have to work overtime to protect Native families,\u201d said Chase Iron Eyes, Lakota People\u2019s Law Project lead counsel.<\/p>\n

A former Democratic congressional candidate in North Dakota, home to half of Standing Rock\u2019s territory, Iron Eyes pointed out that safety should come first for children, mothers and fathers, not just councilmembers. \u201cWe must not put anyone on the street where they can come to harm, perhaps contracting and spreading the virus,” he said. “Not on their own reservation, not anywhere during this public health crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

The McLaughlin case highlights a stark disparity among the ways different communities and states are handling the coronavirus pandemic. South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has been unwilling to mandate statewide stay-at-home restrictions or business closures, while most other states have done both, and many have also put a stop to evictions.<\/p>\n

In South Dakota, it\u2019s still up to elected leadership in communities like McLaughlin, which the Native inhabitants refer to as Bear Soldier District, to decide when and how to respond to the pandemic. As of Sunday, South Dakota had 240 confirmed positive tests for the virus and two confirmed deaths. Though no known cases exist yet in McLaughlin, cases have been detected in Burleigh County, one hour\u2019s drive away in North Dakota.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re fortunate that COVID-19 hasn\u2019t gained much of a foothold in Bear Soldier yet,\u201d Iron Eyes said. \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s acceptable to turn off power to people\u2019s homes. We\u2019ve got to be smart and compassionate about this. We\u2019ve got to be ahead of the curve.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lakota People\u2019s Law Project has set up a form so people can email the McLaughlin City Council about the need to keep Standing Rock families like the White Mountains safe during the pandemic: https:\/\/www.lakotalaw.org\/our-actions\/no-sr-shut-offs<\/a> <\/p>\n

\nThe Lakota People’s Law Project<\/a> operates under the 501(c)(3) Romero Institute, a nonprofit law and policy center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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