Counting Time!
Listen now the birds are telling,fires burn in the night,smoke and ashes block the air,can you tell me if any care?
We were warned the winds are raging,storms surround with distruction,wild and strange the weather changing .
Animals in places they have never been tell a tale all its own,as we watch the world grows hotter and still we dump poisons in the water.
What good are roads and buildings with no people in them,back to the land it is our sacred duty to attend it.
We were told from long ago to listen for the Elders calling,time has come as we well know to gather now for the counting.
Children scattered to the Four Winds,hid their faces and their spirits,time soon to rebuild,be ready Mother Earth will need you.
Stories told in secret,wisdom kept in pieces,passed down through the ages,all the signs are telling prophecies are welded.
Written on our very souls how many times they were told,how many grandmothers tears washed away the hurts they gave us?
It is time to be excited,smile now do not be down hearted,the hardest test is yet to come,we are the ones to inherit Turtle Island!
as told by my grandmother

"Racial Profiling and Brutal Physical Abuse by White Philadelphia Police"

Is this the 1960's again with racial profiling and mistreatment of people of colour. This time its members of the Mississippi Choctaw American Indian - youth, elders and women.

Please send this out to everyone that you know immediately.

A Call to All Nations

On the evening of March 21, 2007, two family members and I encountered a few of Philadelphia Police Department’s finest. A seemingly routine stop evolved into my nephews being pepper sprayed while being restrained, one lying face down and the other up against a vehicle. I witnessed the entire event.

The decisions made by these officers in handling what was originally a child-abuse case did not reflect the courtesy, skill, and discretion that I expect from those entrusted to serve and protect all residents of our community, even Choctaws. It was obvious to me that racial profiling and pre-judging dominated the situation. Additionally, in a day and age when national attitudes call for cultural sensitivity in community policing, it seems the Philadelphia Police Department has failed to step beyond its dark and cloudy past.

Some may argue that the open hostility toward Black residents of Neshoba County has lessened. However, the attitudes towards the Choctaw people remain the same. We continue to hear derogatory comments such as “dirty Choctaws,” “this is not the reservation,” “your kind,” and “your people” when dealing with some (and I must admit not all) whites in Philadelphia. Disparities are present even within professionals that are put in place to protect the public, such as the police force and child welfare agencies. I have hoped and prayed that the old days of the infamous Philadelphia was being dealt with justly. It appears that younger leaders of the community are truly embracing a new day but the vestiges of the past slapped me in the face on the first day of spring 2007.

I had heard from many fellow Choctaws about the injustice and racism exhibited by City and County authorities in recent years. One episode involved a young woman who was slapped by an officer but was accused and charged with a felony assault. Her attorney later advised her that if she would just apologize to the officer, he would drop all charges. She recalled the humiliation of apologizing for a wrong committed against her, but complied to avoid jail time. Picture the scene of a young Choctaw woman groveling to placate his pride.

Silence in the face of bigotry and racism means acceptance. By not speaking out against it, you are speaking for it.

I expect nothing less than a thorough investigation by the City of Philadelphia to be conducted to examine the racial profiling practices of PPD. I believe these officers involved in my nephew’s case committed racial profiling and this is racism and bigotry cloaked behind a badge.

I will make sure that every local, state, and Native paper follows these events as they unfurl. One of the early responses received from Native nations and organizations has come from Dennis Banks, leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Mr. Banks stated to me, “We [AIM] have been fighting racism and discrimination for over 40 years… now we fear that racism is leering its ugly head in Philadelphia, MS…we [AIM] will watch every moment and if need will gather a national assembly.”

I refuse to be silent anymore. To all nations I make this plea, let our struggle be heard.

Sincerely,
Janis Jimmie, Mississippi Choctawjrbnsn@hotmail.com

"Racial Profiling and Brutal Physical Abuse by White Philadelphia Police"

Is this the 1960's again with racial profiling and mistreatment of people of colour. This time its members of the Mississippi Choctaw American Indian - youth, elders and women.

Please send this out to everyone that you know immediately.

A Call to All Nations

On the evening of March 21, 2007, two family members and I encountered a few of Philadelphia Police Department’s finest. A seemingly routine stop evolved into my nephews being pepper sprayed while being restrained, one lying face down and the other up against a vehicle. I witnessed the entire event.

The decisions made by these officers in handling what was originally a child-abuse case did not reflect the courtesy, skill, and discretion that I expect from those entrusted to serve and protect all residents of our community, even Choctaws. It was obvious to me that racial profiling and pre-judging dominated the situation. Additionally, in a day and age when national attitudes call for cultural sensitivity in community policing, it seems the Philadelphia Police Department has failed to step beyond its dark and cloudy past.

Some may argue that the open hostility toward Black residents of Neshoba County has lessened. However, the attitudes towards the Choctaw people remain the same. We continue to hear derogatory comments such as “dirty Choctaws,” “this is not the reservation,” “your kind,” and “your people” when dealing with some (and I must admit not all) whites in Philadelphia. Disparities are present even within professionals that are put in place to protect the public, such as the police force and child welfare agencies. I have hoped and prayed that the old days of the infamous Philadelphia was being dealt with justly. It appears that younger leaders of the community are truly embracing a new day but the vestiges of the past slapped me in the face on the first day of spring 2007.

I had heard from many fellow Choctaws about the injustice and racism exhibited by City and County authorities in recent years. One episode involved a young woman who was slapped by an officer but was accused and charged with a felony assault. Her attorney later advised her that if she would just apologize to the officer, he would drop all charges. She recalled the humiliation of apologizing for a wrong committed against her, but complied to avoid jail time. Picture the scene of a young Choctaw woman groveling to placate his pride.

Silence in the face of bigotry and racism means acceptance. By not speaking out against it, you are speaking for it.

I expect nothing less than a thorough investigation by the City of Philadelphia to be conducted to examine the racial profiling practices of PPD. I believe these officers involved in my nephew’s case committed racial profiling and this is racism and bigotry cloaked behind a badge.

I will make sure that every local, state, and Native paper follows these events as they unfurl. One of the early responses received from Native nations and organizations has come from Dennis Banks, leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Mr. Banks stated to me, “We [AIM] have been fighting racism and discrimination for over 40 years… now we fear that racism is leering its ugly head in Philadelphia, MS…we [AIM] will watch every moment and if need will gather a national assembly.”

I refuse to be silent anymore. To all nations I make this plea, let our struggle be heard.

Sincerely,
Janis Jimmie, Mississippi Choctawjrbnsn@hotmail.com